Nationwide Child Trust Fund (CTF) Reviews

For more Reviews please click here Average Golden EggNest Ratings from  21 reviews and 3 Comments (4 out of 5)

Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: good interest rates    
Bad Points: n/a 
First reviewed on on 09 July, 2009 by Caroline
i joined the nationwide child trust fund account for my first daughter in 2007 the staff were very polite and helpful they answered all questioned i asked and they also have a good interest rates many companys only give benifits if u put in a minimum of £10 per month which is unfair to those who cannot afford to do so i would advise parents to sign up as early as they can as i also did with my second baby in 2009 the other good thing ia there is no minimum monthly deposit needed to recieve the interest rates they provide
Caroline's Golden EggNest Rating (5 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Very friendly and helpful staff who did not try and push me into opening the account.  
Bad Points: Always very busy 
First reviewed on on 07 July, 2009 by Lisa
I found the staff to be extremely helpful and enlightening, they managed to clearly explain both types of account to me allowing me to make and informed choice. They didn't push me into taking their account specifically and I was able to go away with all the information and think about it overnight at home. I was so impressed with their service I even opened a Smart2Save account for both of my little ones to teach them the importance of saving early in life, but still enabling them to get at their money should they need it.
Lisa's Golden EggNest Rating (2 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Nationwide, send out great information on this fund and also keep the child account safe. I really like this idear and think bringing this in is a great start for childrens life  
Bad Points: None 
First reviewed on on 25 June, 2009 by Jade
FANTASTIC IDEAR
Jade's Golden EggNest Rating (1 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: the staff were ice helpfull  
Bad Points: not much helpas all i wanted to do was find out how much was in it 
First reviewed on on 12 June, 2009 by Gemma
could be abit better
Gemma's Golden EggNest Rating (2 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Easy to fill out the form, freindly staff who answer all your questions explain exactly what you need to do. 
Bad Points: if you collect your application pack in a branch they try to sell you all sorts 
First reviewed on on 07 June, 2009 by MB
I found this child trust fund the best out of the ones we looked at. They have a choice of how to invest your money and fully explain how it will grow with each option. There is a table which shows certain amounts e.g £10/£20 and how it will grow over so many years. They clearly state the downsides aswell. The staff are friendly and helpful and the form is very quick and easy to complete. You receive a letter to confirm your account has been set up. I would recommend this service to anyone and everyone, over all rating 10 out of 10!
MB's Golden EggNest Rating (5 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Informative product information on paper and on their website. I am an existing customer, so I can easily see the balance of the account online.
When you ring the Customer Service team you know you will speak to someone in the UK. 
Bad Points: Their telephone service was not the best as I did not get passed through to the right department straight away the two times that I had to ring to ask something.
Probably not the most competitive rates out there, but good enough 
First reviewed on on 05 June, 2009 by Jacqueline
After a bad experience with "A N Other" high street bank, the experience in setting up this CTF and transferring my daughter's balance to the Nationwide was relatively hassle free and I did not need to go into a branch, all the forms and literature were mailed out quickly. I would definately recommend the Nationwide for their good customer service
Jacqueline's Golden EggNest Rating (5 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Nationwide is one of the biggest provicers of child trust fin accounts and they have a lot of information on these accounts, including other providers. The account is set up fairly easy and they respond promptly to any queries you may have.  
Bad Points: You only get one statement per year. 
First reviewed on on 03 June, 2009 by Karina
We are satisfied with the way they've handled our first son account (opened 3 years ago) but it seems now that there are other banks who offer better rates and we may not open the account for our second child with them.
Karina's Golden EggNest Rating (4 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: ease of use, intrest rate is very high. nice staff 
Bad Points:
First reviewed on on 22 May, 2009 by Natasha
didn't know who to open my son's trust fund with as there are so many, but i'm glad i choose nationwide, all my children will be opening there's with them. Is easy to put money in, just go into your local branch and quote the PI number. Can also view the account online if regiestered. The intrest rate is very high, surpises me how much extra money goes in every year. Get an annual statement a few weeks after your childs birthday, which is easy to understand. The staff are always very nice and helpful, once i went down and instead of giving them the PI number a gave them a different number by mistake, but they still managed to sort it all out for me, would recommend.
Natasha's Golden EggNest Rating (5 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Easy to set up
Annual updates / statements
Bad Points:
First reviewed on on 14 May, 2009 by Laura
The Child Trust Fund for my daughter was easy to set up. I don't believe I can check this account over the internet though, which may be a good idea. However, I do receive annual statements regarding the account.
Laura's Golden EggNest Rating (3 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Very helpful staff.
You get loads of information on the trust fund.
Really easy to set up a direct debit to contribute monthly 2 your childs account. 
Bad Points: Took quite a long time to process.
Only get a statement once a year. 
First reviewed on on 10 May, 2009 by Emily
Overall i would reccomend this trust fnd as everything you need can be done via post which makes life a lot easier than popping in and out of the bank when youve got a young baby!! The only thing that i didnt think was to great was how long it took to set up, i found the staff were really helpful however, communication was limited. i often didnt recieve anything or hear anything for a couple of weeks!! I havnt had any experience of other child trust fund accounts but i would reccomend this one and am planning on using it for my new little arrival!!
Emily's Golden EggNest Rating (4 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Everything 
Bad Points: Nothing
First reviewed on on 08 May, 2009 by Hayley
Hayley's Golden EggNest Rating (5 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: You get what you put in at least. Very friendly, Staff lovely and prepared to talk through all points with you 
Bad Points: None! 
First reviewed on on 29 April, 2009 by Lucinda
After researching all the trust funds we could find we decied between nationwide and somewhere else and went into both to chat to their advisors. The first place just handed us the leaflets we'd already got and informed us all the info was there. Nationwide tooktime to explain everything to us. After seeing friends discover that they'd lost all they put in to their trust funds i'm very grateful i went for a cash plan! street.
Lucinda's Golden EggNest Rating (4 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: I am happy to let my childrens money sit in this account until they are old enough to spend it wisely. 
Bad Points: None
First reviewed on on 29 April, 2009 by Dawn
Dawn's Golden EggNest Rating (4 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Good staff, nice to have a real branch not just a virtual one. 
Bad Points: Can't think of any so far. 
First reviewed on on 27 April, 2009 by Mark
Marks's Golden EggNest Rating (5 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: See Below 
Bad Points: No gifts or welcome packs, not the best rate of return either, no internet access to account and this means you have to make a trip to check out the account balance, ok if your going to town and have the time and the patience to queue up to do this!
First reviewed on on 25 Nov, 2008  by Paul
staff very helpfull, if a little slow to help. Interest rate is ok but not the best out there, but its on your high street, so if you have no net access its proberly one of your best bets,if you have net access there are alot better though.socheck the net first!!! Ok if you havent got the net, interest rate ok,its on you high street.
Paul's Golden EggNest Rating (3 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Friendly staff Clear information Long established company
Bad Points: Long waiting time in store Occasional difficulty contacting by phone
First reviewed on 09 Sep, 2008 by Gary
Access to information about the types of trust fund we could open was readily available and was quite clear from the outset what each type would mean. When visiting the branch the staff were exceptionally helpful and when giving me information made things clear and simple and mentioned all of the caveats to each type. They have kept in constant communication and have made me feel like a valued customer rather than a potential money earner from them. Because they are a long established company I feel comfortable investing time and money using them over other companies and my experience with them so far has not caused me any concern. I have occasionally had issues getting through to anyone via phone whether it be in branch or at a call centre. Unless heading in first thing into store or booking an appointment, stores seem to gather very large queues quickly. (Think this may be down to popularity, as there are two branches in our town).  Until recently their call centre staff stuggled to understand me. Overall a positive experience and would recommend it to others.
Gary's Golden EggNest Rating (5 out of 5): 

Commented on n 21 Sep, 2008: Charlotte
i found nationwide extremly help and freindly. The information was easy to read and explained fully. The staff were well approable and told me clear cut information about the two accounds they offer. They have been in constant communication and have made me feel like a personal customer, and have my childs furture in their hands.  i feel that they are a trusted company I feel happy investing my childs future with them over other banks which i have bad experices with and my experience with them so far has been good.  Overall very pleasant experaicent and will definaly reccoment to friends.
Charlotte's Golden EggNest Rating (3 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: See Below
Bad Points: none - the staff were very helpful
First reviewed on 11 Aug, 2008 by rkerr
i agree with the previous poster that i have rec'd literature regarding the account and i had all the help i needed when opening the account. Staff were very helpful when opening the account and advised if i had any queries to contact them and they would help. th bank send regular updates on the account and i have no faults with them
rkerr's Golden EggNest Rating (3 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Lots of communication in the form of letters from them. This is very good when compared to the CTF we have with Bounty Scheme.
Bad Points:  Some of the communications are not relevant and now we get un-welcome with junk mail (e.g. with credit card offers etc)
First reviewed on 04 Aug, 2008 by Saj
I have found the Nationwide CTF has been very impressive. Communications from them have been excellent - they write to you regularly and keep you informed with the growth of the funds and provide regular statements showing how the fund is doing. Both my wife and I are very happy with this CTF. However, sometimes, the information they provide is not very easy to follow. For example, you will receive a booklet explaining all the funds they other, plot graphs showing the growth of the funds but it is not very clear to me which of the graphs is relevant to me and which is not. If they tailored these so they were only relevant to you, then that would certainly make things clearer. Another problem we have found is that we get some non-relevant letters through the post from Nationwide trying to sell us their other products. This is most unwelcome! Overall, I think the pro’s outweigh the cons and I would recommend the CTF.
Saj's Golden EggNest Rating (4 out of 5): 

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Website: www.nationwide.co.uk
Good Points: Very easy to open an account, paperwork sent very quickly, good interest rates
Bad Points:  No 'freebies' or gift vouchers like many of the other child trust funds
First reviewed on 17 July, 2008 by Joyce
Overall a solid investment, easy to set up and a name you can trust. Shame they dont offer any incentives or freebies to go with it..
Joyce's Golden EggNest Rating (4 out of 5): 

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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): 

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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): 

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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):  

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MyEggNest's Recommendations Alternatives to CTFs - Tax-Exempt Savings Plans Did you know there are alternatives to the CTF that offer the same tax-free savings? Tax-Exempt Savings Plans (TESPs) can help you build up a lump sum for your child through small, regular payments. Your fund grows free from any income or capital gains tax, and can be used to save for children of all ages. Click here for more information about TESPs, and specific plans offered by friendly societies.

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