Super password for internet banking: save your brain (internetbankingplus2.firstdirect.com)

Member Name: Pharmtastic

Product:	internetbankingplus2.firstdirect.com
Date:	27/05/08 (161 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Saves you from forgetting passwords

Disadvantages: Not every bank is covered; doesn't work with Firefox

If you're a regular internet user, the chances are you're an internet banking user. I certainly do.

To keep our cash safe online, we need to protect our sign-ons with various combinations of passwords, security numbers, memorable dates etc. This can be fine with small numbers of accounts, but can be problem if you have multiple accounts. At the moment I have two current accounts I use, and three credit card accounts: I must admit to struggling to keep abreast of all the security details needed.

This is where Internet Banking Plus from FirstDirect comes in. You register for the service from the FirstDirect website [and set up a set of security questions and answers] and download a small programme [a "digital safe" onto your machine. When you log into the system, it will then ask you to select which banks you have accounts with. For each account, you enter the relevant security details, which are then stored in a secure area on your own machine.

From now on, you only need to remember your Internet Banking Plus security questions. By logging on, you are shown a list of your accounts, together with their balances. By clicking on the "update" button, the system will log into each of your accounts and get the balance updated.

If you need to enter a particular bank's website to service your accounts, you can do this by clicking on the account name: a new window opens with the relevant bank's website running. You can then do any of the functions such as bill paying, transferring funds etc as usual.

I certainly find it a lot easier to remember just one set of sign-on details.

The service also covers non-financial services such as Nectar rewards and energy sites [e.g. Eon]. You don't need a FirstDirect account to use this service, which is free of charge.

Most UK banks are covered. The service will only work on Internet Explorer at the moment [not Firefox or Safari].

Summary: see review