first direct Reviews 38,393

TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

4.5

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers consistently praise the staff for their extensive knowledge, helpfulness, and professional approach, making every interaction pleasant and efficient. The customer service is frequently highlighted as exceptional, with many people appreciating the personalized and understanding support they receive. The overall service is often described as excellent, with consumers noting the efficiency and ease of their banking experience, including a straightforward online platform. However, some customers also noted occasional issues, particularly concerning payment processes and account opening. A few people mentioned difficulties with setting up credit card payments or experienced unexplained rejections when trying to open a new account. There were also isolated reports of delays in receiving funds after cheque deposits and some dissatisfaction with the online messaging service.

What people talk about most

Customer service

Users describe positive interactions with customer service. Many customers consistently praise the... See more

Staff

Consumers consistently report positive experiences with staff, highlighting their helpfulness, patience, and... See more

Service

Clients share positive opinions on service, consistently praising its efficiency and promptness. Many... See more

User experience

Customers consistently note positive experiences with user experience. Many reviewers praise the ease of use... See more

Payment

Reviewers mention ambiguous feedback about payment. Some customers report positive experiences, such as quick... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

What makes this bank great it’s that everyone you speak to is knowledgeable, understanding and helpful. All queries are handled professionally and with upmost respect- whatever time of day or night yo... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A simple switch process and brilliant customer services so far; We like the App and are happy with savings, credit card and our other account. We switched 2 months ago and have just been given our £17... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Switching my account was seamless, excellent switch offer. Phone support which I used and had great customer service experience. Very good rates on savings account. Very good app. Clean and functional... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Amazing customer service. Straight through to a friendly and helpful First Direct staff member within minutes. My query was answered quickly and efficiently. I’ve been with this bank for 3 decades and... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Bank

About first direct

Information provided by various external sources

At first direct, banking’s done with you in mind. You can keep track of your money on your mobile app, or Online Banking. We’re the bank that’s never closed, you can talk to us about your money day or night, 365 days of the year. We’re here to give you everything you need to make the right decisions for your money.
Download the first direct mobile app for iOS
Download the first direct mobile app for Android
App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

Contact info

4.5

Excellent

TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

38K reviews

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Replied to 90% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 24 hours

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Wouldn't bank with anyone else

I have been a First Direct customer since the 90s when it was the only alternative to a regular high street branch. I wouldn't bank anywhere else. The mobile app and online banking are great. And if you need something more complex, the customer service team are friendly and knowledgeable.

23 April 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from first direct

Hi Kathy, thank you for being with us from the very beginning back in the 90's glad to hear you are still happy with us all these years on. -Helen

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The Customer Service at first direct…

The Customer Service at first direct has always been and was on this occasion too, impeccable. I am very pleased to have joined this bank mainly for this, but not only this reason. I recommend them highly.

15 April 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from first direct

Hi Frankie, this is great to hear that we come highly recommended by you and your custom is highly appreciated too. Thanks for taking the time to leave the review. -Helen

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Customer Service was excellent and…

Customer Service was excellent and efficient. I had become a victim of fraud, and they sorted it out without any difficulty.

12 April 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from first direct

HI Charlie, thank you for this lovely review about our Customer Service and sorry to hear you had been a victim of Fraud, please keep an eye on our website for the latest scams we are aware of to keep you safe. -Helen

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I had a problem logging on to internet…

I had a problem logging on to internet banking. The advisor I spoke to was helpful and the issue was sorted quickly

17 April 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from first direct

Great to hear you was sorted quickly Pauline, and thank you for the fantastic five stars. - Helen

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Always accessible, knowledgeable and polite. …

Thank you for helping me reset my on-line first direct bank account. Polite, patient and knowledgeable. Prompt response time when I phone no matter what my query.
Very reassured by the service and help I receive. Glad I moved to First Direct. Thank you

9 April 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from first direct

Hi Cheryl, thank you this is great to hear. We are always a phone call away 24/7 and happy to help. -Helen

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Helpful and knowledgeable agent who…

Helpful and knowledgeable agent who fixed the migration from one phone to another on the call with no problems.

21 April 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from first direct

Hi Martin, we really appreciate the fantastic review. I am so pleased to hear we were able to help when you called us. We will be here whenever you need us. Thank you -Nicola

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Hi tried again for a loan same thing…

Hi tried again for a loan same thing happened again (something went wrong try again later we are aware of situation) also had a reply from bank ref query i had about the loan situation it said something about my tax residency was? And my employment status i am a pensioner what does all this mean, again looks like I will have to go somewhere else to obtain a loan? No support from my bank?

22 April 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from first direct

Hi Trevor, thank you for taking the time to provide this review, we appreciate it. I am so sorry to hear about the issues you have been having. So, we can look into this for you please give us a call. We will be happy to help. Thank you -Nicola

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Customer service

Excellent Customer service, everything explained clearly and in a manner that i understood.

26 March 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from first direct

Hi Ian, thank you for the wonderful review, we really appreciate it. I am so pleased to hear you have had such a positive experience when contacting us. We will be here whenever you need us. Thank you -Nicola

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Due to their deligence

Due to their deligence, they saved me a lot of money from scammers.
Customer service is very good.
Highly recommend them.

16 April 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from first direct

Hi David, we really appreciate the amazing review. I am so pleased we have been able to assist when you have contacted us. Keeping our customers safe is a top priority for us. We will continue to be here whenever you need us. Thank you -Nicola

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Friendly

Friendly, knowledgeable, efficient staff. I spoke with two people and they were both really helpful. The only place to bank for me.

16 April 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from first direct

Hi Caz, we're always happy to hear that you've had a good experience whenever you have needed to call us. We really do appreciate you taking the time to leave us such a lovely review. -Christian

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

100% OUTSTANDING FOR OVER 45 YEARS

I have been banking with First Direct for over 45 years.
In this time the level of service has been outstanding and they have always delivered great customer service.
During Covid I came upon hard times like many but during my first call for help it was immediately apparent that they were there for me and they supported me through the bad times.
I will always sing their praise as I come from a customer service and sales background and they have always given me 5 Star service.

23 April 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from first direct

Hi Philip, thank you so much for your kind words. We're really happy to hear that even after all these years we're still reaching the standards that loyal customers, such as yourself, have come to expect from us. We'd definitely recommend you as a customer, but we don't want to share you, so we won't. -Christian

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great telephone support

Great telephone support. I was trying to set up the banking app on a new phone as I couldn’t remember my password. The support was extremely quick and helpful and the issue solved over the phone within minutes.

15 April 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from first direct

Hi Keith, thanks for taking the time to leave this amazing review. We're really glad our team could get you back into the app on your new phone so quickly. If you need a hand with anything else, we’re only a call away. -Laura

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very helpful

Very helpful, discussed my enquiry which was quickly resolved. No drama no transfers to some one else, the person taking my call was knowledgeable, answered my question quickly and clearly. Thank you.

20 April 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from first direct

Thank you for your kind words, we are delighted we could get everything sorted for you without any drama - this is always our goal. -Mags

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Did what it said it would do thanks

21 April 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from first direct

Hi Simon, that sounds like a great slogan for a company. I wonder if anyone has tried it out before. Anyway, thank you for leaving us a lovely 5-star review. You're a 5-star customer to us. -Christian

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant Service

I’ve been with First Direct for few years now and I was always pleased with the service. I recently arranged a fixed rate deposit account using the app. The process was straightforward and quick. Someone called me the next day to check few details. Ten minutes after their call I received confirmation that the account was set up. Great and time saving banking.

15 April 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from first direct

Hi Sanja, glad to hear how happy you have been with us since joining. We're always looking at adding more and more to the app to make life easier. It's great to know you took advantage of using the app to open this account, and it took no time once we checked some details for it to fully open. Thanks a lot for the 5-star review. -Ashley

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Amazing bank

Amazing bank, great customer service.

15 April 2026
Unprompted review
first direct logo

Reply from first direct

Hi Anthony, thanks so much for the positive 5-star review. -Ashley

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent service from first direct…

Excellent service from first direct regarding a problem I had with a supplier. I was initially dreading the call as I was expecting them to ask me several security questions that I probably wouldn’t remember but non of that happened, as I believe I have voice recognition which made the call very easy.
They explained everything to me and dealt with the problem immediately.

18 April 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from first direct

Hi Dorothy, thanks for the 5-star review. Good to hear you didn't have to worry about speaking with us. Having the voice id is always a quick, but secure, way of getting you verified. Even if you weren't enrolled, we have ways of getting you verified so we'll always be here to help. Very happy to know you were able to get all your problems dealt with. -Ashley

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Mortgage Settlement figure

Wrote to ask for a settlement figure on my mortgage which had to paid by the 16th April - no response. Phoned on the 16th and 17th and was promised a phone call from the settlement department by close of play on the 20th - nothing - it will be the 23rd tomorrow so will have to ring again - not happy at all with the level of service at all - especially as they had the cheek to send me a chaser text!

16 April 2026
Unprompted review
first direct logo

Reply from first direct

Hi Suzanne, I'm so sorry to hear about the level of service you've received getting your settlement figure. It's certainly not the type service I would have expected to hear about with the amount of times you've tried to get these details. If you haven't done already, when you speak with us again, it would also be worth asking to speak with the customer relations team. They can look into what has caused these delays. -Ashley

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Amazing customer service

Consistently get spoken to quickly by a person I can understand who deals professionally with whatever query I have. I am spoken to as a valued customer by all staff with curtesy and manners. Banked with FD for over 30 years. Every time has been spot on!

22 April 2026
Unprompted review
first direct logo

Reply from first direct

Hi Julie, it's great to hear how much you enjoy the service you receive. We appreciate everyone that banks with us, so it's only fair to treat our customers with the respect they deserve. It really is amazing to hear it's always been that way for over 30 years now. Thank you so much for the 5 stars. -Ashley

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