Ugh what an annoyance.
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True, either that or an usually large amount.
There do also seem to be some very random checks too, but they aren’t at all frequent so it’s generally OK.
There are additional oddities relating to paying other Nationwide accounts (where no reference, or even name, is sent along with the payment)!
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My friend told me changing the payment reference can trigger it. Not sure whether it’s true.
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I think you have to do it every time you change the payment reference in addition to all the other things I’ve mentioned!
It’s basically unusable, in my opinion.
They seem to be doubling-down on their useless systems as well. I noticed yesterday that they are updating their T&Cs to “reflect the fact” that payments may not be sent with full metadata - such as reference and even name included.
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You can’t change the payment reference, at least not on Nationwide’s app, you have to delete the payee and set up a new one. I can’t remember if you can change it in online banking.
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Wow - this is making my Coop bank app sound forward thinking
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At least they have open banking apis I guess?
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Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a “yes and no” answer to that question.
They do support current account and credit card information sharing through Open Banking APIs. However, most of their saving accounts do not support it and they don’t seem to have any intention to expand on the current level of support.
Their own app doesn’t allow you to add accounts from other providers either.
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True - I knew the cashbuilder didn’t.
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The card reader never went away. It’s still in my bedside draw 
Besides, my Wife and I have a joint current account with Nationwide, for 15 years now and we barely ever use the card reader. I agree though, it’s a PITA, but it is what it is.
Anyway, my switch from FD to a sole Nationwide FlexDirect account is underway. Hopefully, I’ll get the £200 bonus. I’ve barely used the FD account in the 7 months I’ve had it, so it won’t be missed.
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Don’t forget their Flex Instant Saver which pays more than Chase and easy access.
The down side, for me, is inability to create future payments or standing orders from it, so my Chase Savings accounts will continue to coexist in my collection.
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Just applied using my Lloyd’s account as a doner for flex direct. Had to do a hard search even though didn’t want over draft. Didn’t ask to set up digital I’d I assume as have old savings account. New account not showing yet.
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Well my new FlexDirect account is showing in my Nationwide feed and I’ve funded the account.
Switch from FD isn’t for another 2 weeks yet because of timings with direct debits.
Not sure if they’ll let me have the 5% saver rate as I’ve previously held a FlexDirect account albeit over 5 years ago.
Just surprised Nationwide are still using Visa when everyone else seems to be switching to MasterCard. Just waiting for my new debit card to arrive.
All in all, as seems usual these days, a completely painless fuss free new account application all done online. And of course I don’t even have to communicate with FD over the forthcoming account closure,. I love CASS 
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Everyone else is not switching from Visa to MasterCard; only a few banks have done so.
Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Co-op Bank, and, as you say, Nationwide, all issue Visa debit cards.
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Visa are still very much the bigger fish, home & away.
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Yet for their Clarity credit card, Halifax use Mastercard for some reason.
My debit card with Halifax, as you said, is still VISA 
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Maybe worth a glance at their T&C exclusions, although I guess that, if you did qualify, it would automatically be assigned, providing you pay in £1kpm to the account.
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There is a long tradition of banks using a different network for their credit cards as opposed to their debit cards. Lloyds, for example, have always used Visa for debit cards, and their credit card was originally Access, which became MasterCard. They have stuck to that ever since.
Halifax originally had Visa credit cards, but now issues MasterCard ones, probably since they were taken over by Lloyds, although it could go back earlier than that. Their debit cards were Switch, and now Visa.
Some banks have chopped and changed over the years. Midland Bank, now HSBC, was just Access/MasterCard at first, but now offers both Visa and MasterCard credit cards, depending which of their cards you apply for. For debit cards they changed from Switch to Visa, and even though their First Direct division has changed to MasterCard debit, I haven’t seen any plans for the main bank to do the same.
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Thanks for your recommendations on this
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Barclaycard also issue both, despite being at one point literally the UK Visa (actually going back before the Visa brand when they were a Bank Americard affiliate):
I suspect the HSBC UK debit cards will follow in time, it is curious that a deal was done with First Direct if not for the purpose of a ‘toe in the water’, unless there’s some longer lasting deal between HSBC UK and Visa.
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