Advantages: Great price and great cover from a high street bank
Disadvantages: It doesn't rip you off like travel agents do

...First of all, it is Ciao who seem to think Halifax Life provide this cover. It is actually underwritten by St Andrews Insurance Group which is part of the HBOS (Halifax Bank Of Scotland) Group. Apologies for me being too lazy to let Ciao know! But who cares about that? There are times in life when a rip off leaps out and grabs you! The insurance policies sold by travel agents and tour companies are so obviously poor value for bog standard protection, that shopping around for insurance is best done before booking the holiday! When Thomas Cook quoted me £169.95 to insure my clan on holiday for two weeks in Minorca, I cracked up laughing. Given that we could book a basic self-catering holiday in the UK for a week for this sum, I knew there had to be a better option. Not too much wrong with the cover offered. Just the price... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Great customer serice, a great way to build a tax free lump sum
Disadvantages: No withdrawals allowed in fixed term

...in any tax year or you can opt for a maxi ISA where you can Invest a total of up to £7000 in all three components to create a maxi ISA in any tax year. * HALIFAX FIXED RATE ISA SAVER * This is a special tax exempt savings account offered by the Halifax for anyone wanting a fixed rate guaranteed return on their tax free savings if you have a minimum of £3000 to invest. * THIS CAN BE MADE UP OF MANY SUBSCRIPTIONS * * Matured TESSA capital up £9000 * Previous tax year subscriptions into cash mini ISA's * Current tax year subsriptions into Cash mini ISA's or a combination of three of the above as there is no maximum limit of capital you can put into the Fixed rate ISA saver. You can save for a choice of one up to five years fixed at the following rates as they currently stand updated on 12th Feb 2004; 1 year @ 4... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: All in opinion
Disadvantages: All in opinion

... • ~ Halifax 24/7 ~ • If the internet is more your style, you’ll find all Halifax products online ~ You can manage your money when it suits you, day or night. You’ll also find a wide range of online accounts & services including Web saver ~ a unique internet savings service that you can manage yourself. Easy to navigate and security is excellent. If you want to check the site out then log on to – www.halifax.co.uk • ~ Wider choice of credit cards ~ • Halifax has a wider choice of credit cards than any other provider ~ one to suit your life style. • ~ Halifax Platinum & Gold Cards ~ These cards offer a very low balance transfer rates. Platinum Card ~ 2.9% , the lowest rate on the high street. Gold Card ~ 3.9% Both cards come with an individually... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Great service, cheap prices
Disadvantages: None found so far

...I must recommend Halifax to everyone. The cost of their car insurance is brilliant. I have had a pretty poor car for a number of years and have been paying through the nose for insurance for it, now I have just purchased a very nice car!! - and trawled around the companies as you do getting quotes. The Halifax was by far the cheapest coming in at over £150.00 cheaper then my current insurance company. So please please use them - maybe it will mean that other insursance companies take the hint and start bringing their over inflated prices down. make sure though you goto the Halifax website first and get the discount code from there cause you will then get an extra 5% discount on the already cheap quote.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Beautiful City Full of Genuinely Lovely People
Disadvantages: One Holiday is not Long Enough

...I have travelled a lot in the last few years and have spent quite large periods of that time in Canada, specifically Halifax. I have fallen in love with the city and its wonderful happy and friendly people. I hope that this review can help other people who are perhaps starting out in their explorations of Halifax to fill some of their time. I have kept the information as strictly to Halifax City as possible as if I had to review the whole of Nova Scotia I would be still typing three weeks from now. When you consider that a large part of Halifax was destroyed in an explosion in the earlier part of the 20th centuary, it is amazing that a fairly new city can be so stunning. Halifax still maintains some of its historic quayside and these stand shoulder to shoulder with some equally dramatic modern architecture. Halifax boasts... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Cheapest policies, no-hassle insurance
Disadvantages: None

...Two years ago I was once again struggling to find a company who didn't charge the earth to insure my performance car. Having had a claim and a conviction in the past trying to insure a group 18 car was getting tricky and some of the so called "specialist" insurance companies were coming in at three figures. Then I tried Halifax and was amazed at how much cheaper than the other companies had been coming in at. Naturally, I chose to insure with them and at renewal time they wrote to me enclosing a schedule for the next years insurance. This time the quote came in even cheaper, although the insurance industry as a whole had increased their policy prices. There was no need to contact them, only if I wanted to cancel the policy. To me this is a big plus point; nobody enjoys shopping round loads of companies and sending off proof... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Security is excellent
Disadvantages: see op

...this account!! Total crap and I was very pissed off so I then knew I had to move on........... Well the advertising for the Halifax with our good friend Howard definitely worked for me. Before this advertising the Halifax wouldnt have entered my head at all................ So how'd I go about it? Well there are three ways you can.............. 1) Calling into the bank itself - I would assume this would be easy enough. I have been into Halifax quite a few times now from I opened the account at the start of January and I would rate their staff very highly! Really nice!! 2) Telephone - I didnt do it this way but I know someone who did and she said it was no problem at all - just one call and all was sorted. This is good as you can also register for telephone banking at the same time. 3) Internet - This is the way I went about it... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Plenty to see and do
Disadvantages: same as most towns

...I was born in Halifax and have lived in the area almost all my life except for living in Newark for a while (where I would go back given the chance). Halifax isn't a bad place to visit there are some good shops, officially there are more pubs/clubs per household than anywhere else in the country and there are some nice places to visit. Shops Quite a lot of big chain stores here such as M & S, W H Smith, Woolworths, Peacocks, New Look, Evans, Wilkinsons and The Body shop (among others) there are also lots of "one off shops" Harveys is a department store sells higher end fashion, cosmetics and homeware items, Spinnies very nice card and gift shop with a coffee shop, a few small "boutiques" and 3 markets! There is the Borough Market large, indoor open all week (except Sunday), sells everything from fruit and veg to porcelain dolls... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: all basic issues can be dealt with on-line
Disadvantages: the call-centre.. as usual

...This summer I decided to get a VISA credit card because I was going on holiday and wasn't sure if my MasterCard would be of any use. After checking all deals on moneysupermarket.com I decided that the Halifax Classic would be great as it offered 10 months interest-free credit for balance transfers and purchases and 50 pounds cash-back if used 3 times within the first month. (This offer is no longer available.) I applied on-line and was instantly accepted. My credit limit was shown straight away (it had been set around the middle of the limits of my other cards) so I knew what I had got. The credit agreement came through very speedily and I had my card in around 8 days or so of applying. Using the card has presented no problems and setting up the Internet service proved very effortless- register on-line and a password comes through... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Friendly staff, online banking and visa electron
Disadvantages: Interest Rates

...to open it and get my debit card sent to me. I then got some forms asking for my signature which i sent of and a R85 tax form, which i talked about in the branch when paying the £1 in and they said there was no need to send the form of now as its already done automatically on the computer. ::::How friendly are the staff?:::: When i went in asking questions there was a very nice lady who was talkative (in a good way) and always smiled. They treat you like a human, not just another customer, which made me feel happy as other banks ive been with just seem to be after custom with them (since im young most banks want kiddies and teens to get a bank with them, because most banks know that when you open your first bank account, you stay with it for life!). ::::Online Banking:::: The online banking features for the halifax expresscash... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful