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 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 place, most major facilities met
Disadvantages: a tad boring, not much to do

...Lets start with what you think this place to be. What stereotypes do you have associated with Halifax? Wool The Ridings School Well you dont see much wool anymore,and the Ridings is actually improving! Seriously though, I went to school in Halifax, at Holy Trinity, and it didnt do me too badly. Halifax has a lot going for it in its own way, but doesnt every teenager get tired of the place where they grow up???? Halifax has started to diverge so it has more than 1 major nightclub now, and it has lots of increasingly modernised bars and pubs, The shoppings quite limited really, but it holds well for a small town. It has a library, a small small small cinema and a swimming baths. Oooh and theres a Civic theatre, where I believe the Chippendales played one night during my Alevels driving my fellow students wild (I didnt know that women... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Quick, efficient and reliable
Disadvantages: None so far

...Having had my banking opportunities limited by financial problems in the past and a poor credit rating the Halifax was one of the few places I tried who were actually helpful and could provide me with a decent account. I've been with them for about 8-10 months now and have both a Cardcash account and a WebSaver account. Both these were opened quickly and easily. The branch staff served me quickly and efficiently and had my account up and running within an hour of my entering the branch. I've never had to queue for more than a few minutes within the branches and staff are always able to deal with my enquiries efficiently or guide me towards another member of staff who can. Both the accounts I have are accessible online and can be run online which is VERY useful as I am unable to get out a lot. Their website is also one... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

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

...will understand why I have no need for this. Oh, and I am not covered for golfing equipment either. But then I do not play golf! Typical policy limits are £5000 for cancellation (suitable for my budget, take care if you can afford a posh holiday!); £10m for medical and repatriation cover (so they can afford to fly my corpse home if my overeating abroad has dire effects) and £2m for personal liability should I drunkenly damage somebody elses property as I do my stereotypical Englishman abroad impersonation! The size of the medical cover shows how important travel insurance is. But you do not have to pay top price for average cover when people like the Halifax can knock out decent annual policies for less than £70 a year. The simple lesson from this experience is - NEVER BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE FROM A TRAVEL AGENT! Always shop around. Consider... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Free,Safe,Secure and Easy site + free antivirus software
Disadvantages: up to 14 days waiting for activation

...So it’s time for your Ciao payment but you need somewhere to have the payments made. Now of course many people already have bank accounts, but it’s a really good idea to open a separate account just for your Ciao payments. The main reason for this is ease of use. You won’t have to muddle up different bank transfers, worry about missing money and giving away your main bank details. Therefore a separate bank account would be ideal. Now you are probably thinking that this means you need to visit a local branch, fill in loads of forms after having a discussion with the bank staff. Wait ages for the activation, and in most cases pay a deposit for opening up the account. This is why I suggest the Halifax Web Saver Account. Web Saver as it suggests is a bank account that run’s from the Internet. Later in this opinion I will review all... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: I don't know which ones, I couldn't have a glimpse because they didn;t want of me
Disadvantages: They are a headache to open a bank account with, and they also reject you *after* having opened the account

...member. I thought I had finally resolved my problems. But no -- problems had just started! My employer told me that they couldn't pay me by cash. They had to receive from me my bank details and send the money into my bank account. Eager, I wrote my Italian bank details. "But no," they said. "You need a British bank account where we can transfer funds. Our machine won't accept details from a foreigner bank." Still eager, I went to Halifax, to ask for an account. My manager had suggested them to me, because she said they were wonderful. So, I followed her suggestion and went there. They asked to me a proof of address and identity. That's ok, I showed to them the letter from my employer, which stated where I lived, where I worked, and the reason why I needed the bank account, and my ID card. The said that the ID card was OK, but the letter... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: good for 1st time buyers
Disadvantages: did not offer a good rate after fixed term ended, overcharge customers

...*This is the second review I posted on Ciao and have edited it as it needed more information and an update* For the purpose of this review I am writing about my experience of having a mortgage with Halifax and am not reviewing Halifax and it’s services as a whole. I am very much aware that for some they have had a great experience with them, but for me after being a loyal customer for such a long time. I felt that they had let me down and recently I realised that I had overpaid when my mortgage came to an end and successfully received a refund from them. Halifax is a leading building society and has been providing mortgages for many years. I had been a customer of Halifax for over 10 years as my parents insisted when I was younger that I had a Building Society savings account (at the time it was the Little Extra Club) so... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: All in opinion
Disadvantages: All in opinion

...assigned limit of up to £25,000. There is no annual fee & you also get free purchase protection & travel cover ~ giving you that extra spending power when you need it. • ~ Halifax Cash back cards ~ available in Platinum/Gold & Classic versions ~ these cards give you a full 1% cash back on all your purchases. The new improve credit cards on offer are something many customers can benefit form ~ If you feel you have outgrown your existing credit card then you can always change to one that suits your circumstances. = • ~ Share Dealing ~ • = When Leeds Building society merged with Halifax I was given shares ~ Instead of cashing them in I decided to keep them. As a Halifax shareholder I own part of the business & this entitles me to a share of the profits Halifax Plc make over the year. In other words I... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: wide range of accounts, telephone and internet banking
Disadvantages: let me down in an emergency, refused flexibility when I needed it

...I’ve had an account with the Halifax since I was 13, when I joined a choir that paid me for singing with them. I didn't actually have a choice about which bank to put my money with - as far as my mum was concerned, it was her bank, it worked for her, so i was going with them. You can either apply the old fashioned way by going into a branch, or you can do it over the phone or the internet. I myself applied in branch, as it was directly opposite the supermarket where I go food shopping, so didn't involve an extra trip. You need to take ID with you when applying - including at least one photo ID - either a passport or driving license. You also need something such as a utility bill as proof of address. There are several different kinds of accounts which they will discuss with you, all with different features. Once you’ve opened... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful