written by on 04/05/2017
We chose this bank for internet use although we both had high street bank accounts. we liked the ethics and the customer service from the word go. Over 14 years we are still pleased with the bank. Customer care efficient and helpful.
written by Buchanan9 on 03/09/2014
I have been with Smile for over 10 years and have never had a problem with them , queries have been addressed straight away in a very efficient and friendly manner .Great bank.Easy to post a cheque for paying in . On line statement whenever you want it, and can send secure messages , to which I have always got an answer straight away .
written by suffolk on 03/03/2014
I have been a customer of the Co-op Bank and then Smile for decades. Must be over 20 years. In all that time the service has been exemplary. Not once have I had to chase a problem with transaction errors Cant believe all the negative comments on this page. I even received a letter last week thanking me for my loyalty over the years I can highly recommend the bank
written by on 10/11/2013
This will be a short review, I have banked with them for nearly 14 Years. Billiant can not fault.
written by on 05/05/2013
I read the 1* reviews below with interest as they are the complete opposite of the experience I have had for over 10 years now. I have not one bad word to say about Smile. They are responsive when I have a request and the online service, whilst not the best looking thing in the world, does the job it is there for well. When I get in touch with them via email they generally respond on the same day, their call centre staff have always been extremely helpful (and are UK based for those that care about that sort of thing)
written by jonick on 18/09/2012
I've been with Smile for over five years now, after switching from First Direct. I don't need anything too complicated in the way of banking services, just a place to have my salary paid into, and the ability to pay direct debits/standing orders. Of course I also need a debit card that is universally accepted and facilities for a credit card. Smile fills all these requirements. I have never had any communication problems with them, they have never missed any direct debit or standing order payment. They are an ethical bank, and won't play with your money on dodgy share dealing. They are partners with the post office so you can withdraw money from any post office branch. All in all first class.
written by jarnartharn on 13/09/2012
I have been with numerous banks before joining Smile and my banking experience up to this point was unpleasant and left me with a very negative opinion of all banks in general. Since joining smile.co.uk which is part of the co-operative I have discovered that not all banks are money-grabbing and some are in fact quite fair to their customers. CURRENT ACCOUNT: I have opted for the smilemore account which costs me £13 per month. For my money I get breakdown assistance, family holiday insurance and mobile phone cover although there are lots of different options of what you get as part of your package. I also have a £700 overdraft with the first £260 being charge & interest free. SAVINGS: Unlike some accounts, I can transfer money in and out of my savings account as many times as I like without any charges incurred which I find very useful for keeping money aside for quarterly and six-monthly bills as well as holiday funds of course. LOANS: I have taken one loan out with Smile which I have just finished paying off, within around 48hrs of my initial enquiry it had been approved and the money was in my account which was brill. SECURITY: Sometimes I feel that the site is a little 'too' secure with all of the sections to fill in whenever you want to view your account but I guess that is better that there not being enough security in place.
written by on 12/04/2012
I m suprised to hear all these negatives comments.I have been with smile for 5 years,they granted me a loan in 2 weeks when i needed it,extended my overdraft twice,offers great support.one day,my bank card was decline for fraud issue suspicion,i rang them,and in 20 minutes,i could take cash from the Atm.you can ring them at any time,including at weekends.The waiting time is no more than 4min(according to my experience).I had one issue with them when i bought a car and paid 3 transactions from my account to the sellers account,the third time their system suspected fraud(which is a good point,they ar doing their job) and held the payment,this was resolved the following day, a sunday morning.definitely will keep this account.
Written on: 27/04/2013
nice to see at least a couple of people have had a positive experience with this bank. I only enquired about a loan and they took money from my account after i cancelled because of extortionate broker fees.Also could you advise which number to call during the weekend, because there is no contact available except Monday to friday it now states. thank you
written by on 08/05/2011
The things that makes Smile great are: Their ethical investment stance, and their very pleasant and genuine persona. They are a pleasure to speak to on the phone (24/7), they are communicative, and it feels like a far more personal experience than my previous bank (RBS). I highly recommend Smile. I have yet to come across anything I dislike about them.
Written on: 02/08/2011
Obviously written by someone employed by Cooperative bank. There is no way this review to be a true perspective on Smile banking.
Written on: 02/08/2011
"The things that makes Smile great are: Their ethical investment stance". Why does it deal with the USA ? A country that admits to using torture to gain information from SUSPECTED terrorists. Too bad if it proves later that they are innocent !!
written by Wheelybin on 02/04/2011
Been with Smile for around four years and they have been most unbank like in my dealings with them. Their service has always been efficient, effective, friendly and above all helpful! Things naturally go wrong in life from time to time, like incoming cheques bouncing and forgotten direct debits suddenly emptying my account, but Smile have always gone out of their way to help me through and around problems without screwing me at every opportunity. The travel insurance and breakdown benefits are a very practical bonus. The website could do with a sort out though!
written by on 29/05/2010
I have a current account and I would agree that the card reader is a bit of a pain. I would also agree that it seems to take an awful long time for the transaction details to update online.
However, the customer service is second to none, my latest experience being that *I* screwed up and payed for something with the wrong card and there was no money in my account to clear it. I got two emails from them, one to say they had bounced a payment, the second to tell me that they would drop all the charges as I had not been over my limit for a while. I had not even contacted them!
Whenever I have had to call them they are polite, chatty and don't pass me from line to line and I don't sit on hold for an age. I am not a profitable customer to I'm not getting special treatment. They are ethical and behave like humans. Invaluable!
written by on 19/03/2010
First of all I am not the best person with money - but every time I have spent too much / gone over my overdraft I have never once been charged!
Their on line systems are not the most up to date, but it does the job, there customer service team are always quick to answer and very helpful.
Would definitely recommend to other people.
Danny
written by on 29/10/2009
Smile bank is outstanding for customer service, terms and conditions and value for money. It is even better to know it is a co-operative with ethical policies.
The overdraft facilities are great and flexible, I can do everything online and the response from customer service is always speedy and helpful.
I think it is brilliant.
written by robertito on 09/10/2009
No problems at all, but the interest rates are a bit low !
written by on 07/08/2009
I have had a smile internet account for many years. The website is easy to use and whenever I have needed to discuss any aspect of my account I have found the people friendly, well-informed and helpful. I would thoroughly recommend this internet bank.
written by on 14/01/2009
As i have said , always helpful and polite, Problems always solved or explained by trained staff. I cannot fault the Smile Internet Banking service and recommend.
written by on 17/09/2008
Banked with Smile for some years and been very impressed by their service - especially when I have erroneously gone overdrawn and staff have made an effort to phone me too get authorisation to transfer money between accounts to cover the error.
written by on 18/08/2008
I have banked with Smile for 15 years, having transferred from the Co-op. Although ethical reasons were my main reason for making this choice, I have also found them consistently helpful, easy to use and very good terms & conditions. Call centre operators are often surprisingly friendly and helpful, more than the absolute necessity, and go 'the extra mile'.
I am a critical user who researches my choices and have some understanding of finance, and I am generally sceptical about big brand names, so bear that in mind when evaluating my opinion...
Personally, I'd recommend Smile to anyone & everyone!
written by on 26/06/2008
I like Smile online banking, and recommend them to anyone wanting to get away from the big four. They obviously have to make a profit and survive, but as it's not at the expense of the earth - due to their ethical policies - I couldn't imagine moving to a different bank.
written by horacephoto on 05/04/2008
Excellent service really with only very minor point of contention (see above). Can recommend the Smile More account, really is a seemless service which saves on a multitude of insurance and other services.
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As rated by our community of reviewers
Nissanrider's Response to jonick's Review
Written on: 08/05/2013
Sorry no longer honest, I was sold SMILE many years ago on the basic premise that the coop group .have only one interest rate for each type of savings account available, I would not have to worry about temporary bonuses or new higher paying savings accounts, in other words they were ethical in all dealings with their customers and all this would be available online from the comfort of my armchair !
As I understand it Smile was not part of the Bank fiasco so why are their savings rates so appalling, they have fallen to almost nothing !
It was suggested that I go to a coop branch for advice, defeating the main reason for this account.
Well what do you know if I transfer my ISA to BRITTANIA a coop subsidiary I can get a much better rate but they don't do online, ohh they do do online but not ISAs!
I am now in chaos, accounts all over the coop empire exactly what I did not want in my old age.
WAS 5 STAR NOW 1 !
I wonder if NATIONWIDE are any better