Tandem Bank

My primary use for the Tandem credit card is for purchases abroad and online/supermarket shopping when home. However one draw back is that the app can be quite slow to load and respond meaning the process of unfreezing/defrosting my card (I like to leave it locked at all times except when making a purchase) can be frustratingly slow. To the extent that I have on a few occasions given up and used another card entirely. If there could be a way of speeding up that feature I would be very happy. (I’m using the latest version of the app on the latest iOS, all on an iPhone XS so the device should not be the issue.) Also, the card does not work with Apple Pay so can’t be added to my Wallet app. Lastly, I would like to be able to see more information about my transactions, or the ability to add a note to each purchase.

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I acquired this credit card purely as a way of spending money abroad without incurring foreign charges. It does that absolutely brilliantly. 10/10. Immediate notification of spending, with cost in both sterling and the local currency. The exchange rate is fair too. It always appears to be the spot rate, halfway between the buy and the sell prices. I also like the idea of having to have a current account with it, and of rounding up purchases so that you can save the difference. You can also add £5 or £10 a week to savings too. It is an easy way of saving painlessly. Two slight problems. No Apple Pay. I was told to expect it by the end of the year. It is now 21/12, and no sign of it. Secondly, there should be a link to your main non-Tandem bank account, so they can see what bills are expected to help you plan your free spending money. That hasn’t worked after the first few weeks. I tried speaking to someone on the helpline, who couldn’t understand what I meant, and kept assuring me that all was ok, when it blatantly wasn’t. If you offer this facility, please make sure that it works!

This app is fantastic! I saved up so much money in the space of a few months earlier this year; all from just spare change and automatic weekly deposits. I highly recommend this app! Easy to use, all automatic without leaving a dent in your bank account! The reason I’m not giving it 5 stars is that since the September update my bank is no longer supported by the app and I’m not saving nearly as much so I’m going to have to find another app. Just check if your bank is supported by this app before setting up an account as it’s the most efficient way of saving. Such a shame, I got so close to reaching a savings goal...

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I decided to apply for the tandem cash back credit card to use abroad but have now closed my account due to terrible customer service. Firstly you have to set up a savings account before you can apply for a credit card which takes a while because of slow and buggy the app is, after that I applied for the cash back card. After applying I noticed the app said I had a journey card so I went on the chat and was told an application had gone through for both credit cards so I would have to phone to cancel it. When I phoned I was told it was a technical error on their side and they would ring me back once it had been sorted, no one ever called back! A couple of days later I went back on the chat to be told because I had applied for the journey card (Which I hadn’t!) and I would be unable to apply for a cash back card because I already had a credit card and even if I cancelled I wouldn’t be able to reapply. I then had to phone back in order to cancel both the credit card and savings account so was a massive waste of time!

I use it to manage the Tandem Credit Card only. No way I would enter my security details for other banks - why don’t they just use the industry standard Open Banking protocol instead? The app, overall, is fine and has seen some good improvements and new features (Face ID, access to statements, etc.). But it’s quite slow and feels more like a web page wrapper app than a proper fast native iOS app. It also needs to be updated to support iPads, especially since Tandem do not have an online banking site, so this app is the only way to access your account. Definitely plenty of room for improvement.