Alliance & Leicester Premier Direct Current Account Reviews

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1.6 stars
Average rating for this product is: 1.6 out of 5

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LenderAccountDescriptionInterestAEROverdraft  
Overdraft RateOverdraft Limit
Alliance & LeicesterPremier CurrentSWITCH TODAY AND RECEIVE £100 CASHBACK. OFFER ENDS 8th NOVEMBER 2009. T's & C's apply.Monthly0.50%0.00%£2,000.00
Alliance & LeicesterPremier Direct AccountEarn a great rate of 6% AER (fixed for one year) on balances up to £2,500.Monthly6.00%0.00%£2,000.00
NatwestNatwest Current Plus AccountA free day to day bank account with an overdraft facility to give your finances some breathing space.Monthly0.10%N/A

Average Ratings for Alliance & Leicester Premier Direct Current Account

  • Ease of use2.1 stars
  • Customer Service1.4 stars
  • Overall rating1.6 stars

17 Reviews For Alliance & Leicester Premier Direct Current Account

  • Guest 25th Jan 2009

    Reviewer rating: 5 stars


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    Good Points: can't think of any!!


    Bad Points: The switching 'service'. A & L didn't send any form to my husbands employers so they had no authority to pay his salary into our new bank account. They didn't inform our mortgage providers so we missed a payment! charged £25 for being overdrawn by a cheque debit although we deposited money the same banking day.


    General comments: Timing are particularly bad. We have 2 current accounts and one savings (all joint accounts) but money transfered in between can take anything upto 4 days - with money 'floating' around the banking system no where to be seen. When we use swich in shops it can also take several days for it to show on our accounts this was more obvious at Christmas with the two of us shopping at different times and spending alot of money. Due to this it in near impossible to keep track of how much money is in our current accounts. Customer Service very unhelpful and uninterested. They contradict their complaints procedures stated on the webpages. We will be closing all accounts that have only been open since May 2008.

  • Guest 23rd Jan 2009

    Reviewer rating: 0.5 stars


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    One advantage of internet banking is supposed to be being able to track your account quickly whereever you are in the world. Alliance & Leicester's over-elaborate security arrangements completely defeat the point: 1) You need to remember an 8 digit ID number (different from your account or card number) to access the account. This is a random password, not a username you can select yourself. They advise you to write it down - which means you need to have it with you at all times e.g. in order to ...

  • starfux 26th Nov 2008

    Reviewer rating: 4.5 stars


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    I transferred to A&L from Lloyds and now have a Personal account, a Joint account and a Saving account with them. I have kept the acccouns above zero so I've not experienced any excessives charges. From my personal experience and from what I've read other banks seem more aggressive about their charges however.
    To make the accounts even better I'd like to see inter-account transfers shown on the balance instantly, other than that I am very impressed.

  • ashowell 9th Oct 2008

    Reviewer rating: 4.5 stars


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    Having read some of the reviews I was a little nervous of my decision to switch to A&L after being with my old bank for over 30 years.
    I have to say that the switch was so slick and painless that I'd do it again without doubt.
    There was a couple of debits that went through on the old account when I was expecting them out of the new one but I had left a balance in the old account so this wasn't a problem.
    The great thing is seeing my money earning some decent interest rather than the few pence I ...

  • Guest 14th Sep 2008

    Reviewer rating: 3.5 stars


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    Not really had any problems with my Alliance and Leicester direct current account. Will switch after interest rate falls I think though - no prizes for loyalty!

  • Velvet84 6th Sep 2008

    Reviewer rating: 0 stars


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    I have a premier account with Alliance & Leicester for my personal use and a Current account for my joint direct debits etc. When I transfer money across to either it takes 48 hours to clear, even though it shows in the statement the money is there, it hasn't 'cleared' so I get charged for when direct debits come out before the transfer has finished clearing. But when looking at the statement no where does it show I've gone over my limit. Very confusing. The call centre staff are rude and inflex ...

  • phileast67 5th Sep 2008

    Reviewer rating: 0 stars


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    Appalling Account - don't be tempted by the interest rate as not every one will never get it....Also the online system is confusing with three balances telling different stories, customer service is non-existent - they prefer to wait 56 days (8 weeks) then recommend you contact the ombudsman, they are unable to transfer Direct Debits accurately and also refuse to give Overdraft facilities to me which they then use to impose their £5 a day O/D fee - switching away after only 5 months with ...

  • Guest 24th Jul 2008

    Reviewer rating: 1 stars


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    Because of the poor interest rate I was getting with Alliance & Leicester (though I've been with them more than 18 months), I transferred my Current Account to another Bank using the other bank's automated transfer service (where all one's Direct Debits and Standing Orders) are automatically taken over.
    Two weeks after this was done by the new Bank, A&L decides to electronically Cancel my Direct Debits - thereby cancelling the new Bank's details from these companies - causing me to sustain a pen ...

  • Guest 29th May 2008

    Reviewer rating: 4.5 stars


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    Been with Alliance & Leicester building society for almost a year, no problems. The online bank account is easy to follow and track your in's and out's. The only thing i would say I dont like is that it doesnt update your balance in real time.

  • Emz01 22nd May 2008

    Reviewer rating: 0 stars


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    It took a lot of paperwork and numerous calls to transfer the running of my previous account to A&L. However, I stuck with it and proceeded with the bank.

    I have only been with the bank for just over 8 months and have been charged approx £250 over three times for being overdrawn...sometimes for only £7. They basically charge you £5 per day. When opening the account, I asked for an overdraft of £50 which they didn't do. What annoys me about this bank and has caused ...

  • Guest 5th Mar 2008

    Reviewer rating: 0.5 stars


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    Alliance & Leicester Premier Direct Current Account seem to charge for everything, no exceptions. I have had payments from my business account returned for no apparent reason, not only would they not investigate why (apparently they hold no record - which would in turn be breaking regulations, I work for a bank and pretty sure of this) BUT they then charge £25 each for 4 failed transactions, and another £30 on top for going over drawn. After explaining this, I was referred to my te ...

  • blackwaterman Rank: Lieutenant 31st Dec 2007

    Reviewer rating: 2.5 stars


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    Alliance & Leicester Premier Direct Current Account is best ( then it's all YOUR fault)! Telephoning involves the now-normal muzak and long wait, at your expense. Transferring non-routine large amounts using their premium-rate CHAPS service failed twice, but I got refunds after writing complaints.

  • HappyHarri 11th Dec 2007

    Reviewer rating: 0.5 stars


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    I was a Giro Bank customer and was swallowed up into the A&L. Tried recently to change to their 50 plus account from their premier account. Oh my goodness what a mistake. To keep it short the call center staff are impatient (probably overloaded with work) But they are not able to deal with any queries that are out of the normal processes. Should you wish to lose your hair, this is the bank to go with!

  • FatboyZim 9th Nov 2006

    Reviewer rating: 0.5 stars


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    I recently incurred £520 bank charges in ONE month because my salary date was moved while I was travelling abroad, and all my Direct Debits failed - at £34 a go. AND then Alliance and Leicester charged £25 for paying a £5 Direct Debit.
    SO inflexible I am going back to the bank I was with before I moved to A & L.

  • Kittracat Rank: Corporal 4th Oct 2006

    Reviewer rating: 0 stars


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    I have been with A&L from before they took over Girobank. I recommended my husband switch from Abbey to A&L's Premier Direct Account and completed the application online. He received an official "Welcome" letter a few days later saying his application had been confirmed and requesting confirmation of ID. A few days after supplying this, he got an email (not a letter) stating that they had changed their minds and they could only offer him an ordinary current account. We sent customer services a r ...

  • dawlishpaul Rank: Corporal 27th Aug 2006

    Reviewer rating: 0 stars


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    The customer service at Alliance & Leicester is appalling. If something goes wrong - like, say, stopping the wrong cheque, you cannot talk to the manager who deals with it, and as soon as you complain, it is passed to someone else who helpfully informs you it will be up to 56 days until your case is settled, and there is no way you can contact anyone. The front end customer service is not designed to solve problems. It has got MUCH worse since the interest rate increase, which they didn't automa ...

  • dtg Rank: Lance Corporal 8th Aug 2006

    Reviewer rating: 0 stars


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    The Alliance & Leicester hardly send marketing material if requested not to, but don't bother using the helpline. It's a complete waste of time. It takes ages to get through to an advisor, and when you do (after you have set up all of the security anyone possibly want) they can't help, as they don't know the answer!

    There isn't much of a branch service for a premier current account. They can't access your details in the absence of a debit card/cheque (account details) despite all of the ID y ...