Best Bank For Me - Ulster Bank?

Paully D

Hi all,

First post on this forum so I'm hoping you can give me some advice.

I currently have both a Bank of Ireland account (which I get my college grant paid into) and an AIB account (which I use for the Laser Card as I didn't even know BoI had a Laser Card service until today ).

However, upon doing some research today I've found that Ulster Bank offer a Visa Debit card which would be ideal for me as I like to do some shopping online and most sites I use don't accept Laser which means I have to use my 3V voucher and so on.

I'm currently in college, so I presume I'll be able to set up a student account with Ulster Bank? What's the difference between a current account and a student account?

I think I'll set up an account with Ulster Bank if they're recommended and use that account to get my grant paid into and I'll also have the use of their Visa Debit too as I don't want to wait until late 2011 for BoI to sort their Visa service out, and in truth I'm not that impressed with BoI.

Any help or advice would be gratefully appreciated! Thanks all

unclebill98

Standard UB student account can have €650 interest free over draft. This can increase as you go in college. Its reviewed every year.

Also available is a student credit card with €400 limit. Student loans are also available. Anything more than the standard will mean more t&c's.

Banking is also free and you do not pay f/x comm. Plus the visa debit. They also do a good regular savings account offering 4% interest.

Whats needed to open an account. Proof of address like your driving L/boi bank statement and your passport will be needed. a student ID or a college offer letter from CAO will prove your a student.

dbagman

hi mate,i recently tried opening an account with ulster bank and had to go to an interview!!this took a week of waiting after making an appointment in my local branch and was subject to a credit check.Now i wasnt looking for an overdraft or credit card or anything just a current account with a visa debit card.It took weeks of waiting and me eventually having to ring them to find out I had been refused an account because I had missed payments on a car loan but had cleared it off last year.They checked me up on the icb and it came up all be it as a cleared account.Seems they are very fussy with who they give accounts to.I personally have never heard of a business turning away potential customers especially as i said above I wasnt looking for any credit services.

unclebill98

All regulated products have to have a credit search done. Signing the application is consent to do so.

It applies even if there is no credit facilities. if your bother ask them to appeal and give you their step account. That account can never have facilities.

jaffa20

PTSB is another option. BOI are bringing in the visa debit shortly too. Laser will probably be totally gone shortly.

dbagman

unclebill98 wrote: »

All regulated products have to have a credit search done. Signing the application is consent to do so.

It applies even if there is no credit facilities. if your bother ask them to appeal and give you their step account. That account can never have facilities.

I used to bank with bank with ptsb and when i went travelling for a few years left a ptsb bank loan with what i was sure was about 1200 left to pay on it.upon receiving my credit report last week from the icb said loan appeared and had ran into arrears of 9 months.then for no apparent reason it cleared in feb 2010 with out me paying any thing into the account.It now reads "account completed".which is the same status as the car loan i had cleared last year.what im wondering is if i try to reactivate my account and apply for a visa debit card with them instead of ulster bank will they be able to follow me up on that loan or is that it cleared for good??Not once while away did I receive a letter regarding it so am a tad confused as to whats happened.This is why i was applying to ulster bank in the first place incase they do start chasing me for it.

dublin daz

Forget PTSB. I would try Ulster Bank. I am with them here and up north and its possibly the best bank I have ever used.

I used NIB as well, but Ulster always look after me when I call or drop into my branch.

I had my student account with them and never had one single issue.

Permanent TSB I would take with a very large pinch of salt. My sister had trouble and has since moved to AIB.

unclebill98

dbagman wrote: »

I used to bank with bank with ptsb and when i went travelling for a few years left a ptsb bank loan with what i was sure was about 1200 left to pay on it.upon receiving my credit report last week from the icb said loan appeared and had ran into arrears of 9 months.then for no apparent reason it cleared in feb 2010 with out me paying any thing into the account.It now reads "account completed".which is the same status as the car loan i had cleared last year.what im wondering is if i try to reactivate my account and apply for a visa debit card with them instead of ulster bank will they be able to follow me up on that loan or is that it cleared for good??Not once while away did I receive a letter regarding it so am a tad confused as to whats happened.This is why i was applying to ulster bank in the first place incase they do start chasing me for it.

So what your saying is you owed €1200, never paid it, never got a call or a letter. It's now cleared and you went to UB who did a credit search and found this un paid loan that another bank has wrote off and your annoyed they refused you an account! :rolleyes:

Chances are Ptsb are looking forward to hearing from you......!

dbagman

unclebill98 wrote: »

So what your saying is you owed €1200, never paid it, never got a call or a letter. It's now cleared and you went to UB who did a credit search and found this un paid loan that another bank has wrote off and your annoyed they refused you an account! :rolleyes:

Chances are Ptsb are looking forward to hearing from you......!

I never said i was annoyed about not getting the account and it wasnt written off.it appeared on my report as account completed.had it been written off it would say "written off".no need to be an ass mate i was just asking a simple question as to what could have happened.the bank never once sent me a letter regarding the loan and i havnt heard a word from any debt collectors despite it being completed in feb 2010.I dont currently have any other outstanding loans and was merely saying I found it weird that a bank would turn away a potential customer with a sizeable deposit to open the account with especially when i wasnt looking for any credit,just an account.

daithijjj

dbagman wrote: »

I never said i was annoyed about not getting the account and it wasnt written off.it appeared on my report as account completed.had it been written off it would say "written off".no need to be an ass mate i was just asking a simple question as to what could have happened.the bank never once sent me a letter regarding the loan and i havnt heard a word from any debt collectors despite it being completed in feb 2010.I dont currently have any other outstanding loans and was merely saying I found it weird that a bank would turn away a potential customer with a sizeable deposit to open the account with especially when i wasnt looking for any credit,just an account.

BOI refused me when i moved to ROI. Had no debts anywhere, large deposit, made no odds to that crowd, looked at me like i had two heads when i went in there. So bad was the service in there i didnt even get to make an application. Perhaps i got someone on a bad day? or a retard, im not sure which.

PTSB opened up an account straight away with the same info, ditto Halifax when i moved for the Visa Debit and Ulster. Applied in branch at Halifax and Ulster, account opened and visa card in hand within 10 days. All that happened within 6 months of moving to ROI.

Resi12

Do not go near Bank of Ireland, they are terrible for college students. I know first hand, they are unreasonable money grabbing fiends with not one ounce of compassion.

Seriously they have no incentives at all. Try Ulster Bank, they have the best card and best service.

filmbuffboy

+1 for UB. I got an overdraft and credit card off them with my student account.

Bank of Ireland refused to give me either.