Nationwide Child Trust Fund (CTF) Reviews

Average Golden EggNest Ratings from 7 reviews and 3 Comments (3 out of 5)

Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Easy to set up Can be done online Yearly statements
Bad Points: Very difficult to put money in at first No online facility to check account
First reviewed on 29 Apr, 2008 by Tim
When We decided to use nationwide building society as we have an account with them and we are always impressed with their customer service. For our first daughter we applied in the building society and it was very quick to do. For our second, we applied online which was also easy but a bit slower due to things having to be sent through the post.  Our only quibble with the Nationwide was trying to set up a standing order. They supplied an account number but when my Parents tried to set one up, it wouldn't work and we had to phone up and get it sorted. Except for that, it's a good investment.
Tim's Golden EggNest Rating (3 out of 5): 

ADD YOUR REVIEW (and we'll send you a free gift)

ADD YOUR COMMENT
TELL A FRIEND

Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Easy to set up
Bad Points: A nightmare to change address if you move house
First reviewed on 19 Feb, 2008 by Peta
When I received the voucher to open a Child Trust Fund for my daughter in 2006 I had a look round the providers but wasn't entirely sure who to go with. My eldest daughter was born in 2000 (pre CTF) and has a savings account with Nationwide so decided to go with them. The paperwork was easy to complete, was done quickly in branch and once the 21 day cooling off period was over all the 'bumph' arrived in the post. Since opening the account we have moved house, despite filling in change of address forms several times Nationwide still hasn't changed the address for it and looking at these reviews on here it seems that it might be a glitch with their system.
Peta's Golden EggNest Rating (2 out of 5): 

katharine s Golden EggNest Rating (4 out of 5): 

ADD YOUR REVIEW (and we'll send you a free gift)

ADD YOUR COMMENT
TELL A FRIEND

Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Really helpful staff Easy paperwork to complete
Bad Points: None I can think of
First reviewed on 22 Nov, 2007 by sarah
We chose Nationwide for our Child Trust Fund account because of the simplicity of opening the account and the easy to understand paperwork. Nationwide give you a choice of what level of risk you would like to take with the fund, either a simple cash savings fund or a more 'risky' (but not too risky!) equity stakeholder fund. They explain exactly what the difference is and made it easy to make a decision that was best for us. They have a good rate of interest in comparison to the many other providers and give bonuses if you continue to add money to the fund. The staff at the branch were very helpful and did all the paperwork for us so it really was very simple. The paperwork for the funding and confirmation of the account arrived promptly and we are safe in the knowledge the money is already working for our child.
sarah's Golden EggNest Rating (4 out of 5): 

Commented on 19 Jan, 2008: Ade H
After looking around I chose the Nationwide CFT stakeholder fund to invest my daughters monies in on the basis of convenience and, what appeared to be, reasonable returns. The information and access to it is nothing short of Abysmal and the staff at my local branch are amongst the most unhelpful I have ever encountered. Having changed my address I have tried countless ways to convince them we are living at another address for over two years. The people at our former address have on occasion forwarded some correspondence but, I know this without a doubt, not all. This has made me look at other CTF services to transfer the account to which is not made easy but will be done. Given I have other accounts at nationwide which I have registered the change of address (this account is now only a token account for additional funds to be added to the CTF), I find it absurd that they will not accept the changes to my daughters CTF account. The negatives I have for this account are many. The positives, which are yet to materialise, are the possibility of, not the best, returns.
Ade H's Golden EggNest Rating (1 out of 5):  

ADD YOUR REVIEW (and we'll send you a free gift)

ADD YOUR COMMENT
TELL A FRIEND

Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Quick and simple to set up, with friendly, knowledgeable staff.Additional interest rate if you put in £250 pa
Bad Points: I am happy with it and have no bad points
First reviewed on 03 Nov, 2007 by Chris
At the time of wondering which CTF to invest in I did some research and decided that the best one for our child was the Nationwide. The things I liked about the CTF was you had a choice of investing in a cash fund or investing in stocks and shares one. We chose the cash fund. In addition to this we matched the government's money as so got an enhanced interest rate. I am very happy with the Nationwides customer service. They were quick and efficient and wrote clear letter to us so we couldn't get confused. Once you have opened your child's account you can add extra money into their account. You do this by waiting 21 days after your initial confirmation of account letter and then you simply begin investing. I have faith that we have chosen a good investment account for both of our children. We didn't want to take chances with their money by investing in stocks and shares. We just wanted to know they money would grow well and give them more that we had put in. The great thing about the CTF is that no-one can touch it till the child is 18 years old .. so even if money is a bit short for us we know their money will always be there, safely waiting for them.
Chris's Golden EggNest Rating (4 out of 5):  

Website: www.myeggnest.com
Good Points: Easy to arrange. Possibility of large return on investment.
Bad Points: If shares go down you can lose money.
First reviewed on 21 Jun, 2007 by jeledaka
Easy to arrange. As this is a stakeholder account there is a chance the investment may go down as well as up. Return is linked to the growth of the FTSE All-Share Index.  They invest in company shares on the UK stock market. There is a 1.5% annual management charge.  They send you info every 6 months and a statement every year. When your child is 13 you can protect the investment with the lifestyling option, where the money is gradually switched over to a cash fund.  So far I have no complaints at all.
Jeledaka 's Golden EggNest Rating (3 out of 5):

ADD YOUR REVIEW (and we'll send you a free gift)

ADD YOUR COMMENT
TELL A FRIEND

Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Free to start, good interest
Bad Points: Yearly statement
First reviewed on 16 Jun, 2007 by michaelds
My son has a Nationwide CTF account. I pay by direct debit monthly and have never had a problem. Because I pay in, he gets an extra 1% interest a year, which is a bonus on the 5.5% or so we already get. You get a yearly statement which is sent on the childs birthday, detailed of every transaction into the account. You cannot withdraw from the account, only the named account holder can do that when they are 18 years old. The money is guaranteed in this account if yuou choose the Cash CTF, as it is not invested in anything. We went for this option.  I would recommend this account, it is safe, easy to use and the Nationwide have a very good reputation.
Michaelds's Golden EggNest Rating (4 out of 5): 

ADD YOUR REVIEW (and we'll send you a free gift)
ADD YOUR COMMENT
TELL A FRIEND

Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Rewarded with 1% interest extra a year if you pay in over 240 pounds.
Bad Points: You only get one statement a year
First reviewed on 13 Jun, 2007 by chloeandharry
I straight away decided to go with the Nationwide because of the great service I have always had from them, and this appears to be continuing with my young sons Child Trust Fund. I very much like the fact that the more you contribute means you get a higher percentage interest for the whole of the year. You have to pay in over 240 pounds a year and they reward with 1% extra interest a year, and believe me, that adds up!  You only get one statement a year, which is on the childs birthday, so it can be hard to keep up with the amount in the account. However, you can register the account for online banking, so you can keep track of it that way, or go into the branch and ask for a balance update. This is the only negative point I can think of! The account is fantastic, and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who needs a good high interest account for their little one.
Chloeandharry's Golden EggNest Rating (5 out of 5): 

Commented on 21 Jun, 2007: tillyjo
We decided to go with Nationwide for both our sons as wanted a non-stakeholder account. They call it a cash account. There weren't many to choose from but have found the account has been really good. There is a bonus rate if you make additional payments which is great. We applied by requesting an application form online which then.  We get one statement a year but that is fine for us. Some people may find that not enough and want more statements throughout the year. We use the account online and transfer money online which is really easy.  I would recommend this account to anyone because it has a good interest rate and is easy to set up/use.
Tillyjo's Golden EggNest Rating (4 out of 5): 

ADD YOUR REVIEW (and we'll send you a free gift)

ADD YOUR COMMENT
TELL A FRIEND

Bookmark this page

What is Social bookmarking? Social bookmarking allows users to save and categorise a personal collection of bookmarks and share them with others. This is different to using your own browser bookmarks which are available using the menus within your web browser. Click on the "Bookmark" link above to share this article on the social bookmarking site of your choice. Read more about social bookmarking at Wikipedia - Social Bookmarking

back to top