Halifax Mobile Banking app review: what’s it like for current account holders?

Discover how the Halifax Mobile Banking App stacks up on security, logging in, making payments and more.

If you’re thinking of switching your current account to Halifax, you’re probably wondering how good the mobile banking app is going to be.

When it comes to finding a new current account, the mobile banking app experience is increasingly one of our top priorities.

Over 19.6 million people in the UK regularly used banking apps in 2016 – up from 17.6 million in 2015, according to the British Banker’s Association.

In the third part of our banking app review series, we take a look at the Halifax Mobile Banking app to see what it has to offer when to comes to features, security and more.

We’ve also reviewed the NatWest, Santander, TSB, Barclays and first direct apps if you’re interested in how Halifax compares.

Why Halifax?

Halifax was the most switched-to bank last year.

According to loveMONEY analysis of BACS data, the bank attracted a whopping 223,530 customers in 2016.

After accounting for the number of people that switched to another bank, it still leaves Halifax ahead of rivals with a net gain of 111,755 customers.

New customers were probably tempted by the cash switching bonus. Currently, you can earn £75 when you move to the Reward or Ultimate Reward account.

The Reward Account is particularly attractive as it allows you to earn £3 just for paying in £750 a month, having two different Direct Debits and staying in credit.

But while the bank might sound good for you, will you be able to get on with the banking app? 

Compare current accounts

Who can get the Halifax app?

The Halifax Mobile Banking app is available for download from the Apple App Store and from Google Play.

That means you can use it on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch as well as on Android smartphones and tablets.

The Halifax Mobile Banking app is not currently available for Windows Phone and Blackberry users.

What you can see

You can view and manage a range of Halifax products using the mobile app including current accounts, savings accounts and credit cards.

But for this review, we will be looking at how the app works for current account holders.

What you can do

The Halifax Mobile Banking app allows current account customers to:

• View balances and transaction history;
• View or cancel Direct Debits;
• Set up, view or cancel Standing Orders;
• Set up payments to a company or person;
• Set up an international payment and see how much it will cost;
• Delete payments details to a company or person;
• View pending payments;
• Select new Cashback Extras offers;
• Make transfers between Halifax current and savings accounts;
• Apply for other Halifax products;
• Report lost or stolen cards and order replacements;
• Find your nearest Halifax branch and ATM.

What we like

Here are a few of the things that we like about the Halifax Mobile Banking app.

It’s simple to log in

To sign into the app, you can choose to use Touch ID if you have an iPhone or sign-in with a three-character combination from your memorable information if you have another device.

There’s a running total

Unlike the Santander and the TSB apps, Halifax shows users a running total in the transaction view, which means it’s easy to see how payments have impacted your balance.

You can call Halifax directly

An excellent feature is that you can contact Halifax using the app.

The ‘Call Us’ option includes direct lines to the customer service teams dealing with general current account queries as well as things like suspected fraud, lost or stolen cards and emergency cash abroad.

This is especially useful if you are worried about a scam or fraud and aren’t sure what number to call.

It lets you order a new card or PIN

Conveniently, the app allows you to let Halifax know if your card has been lost or stolen, cancel the card and order a replacement.

The app also lets those you have forgotten their PIN or think it has been compromised, order a new one.

You can warn Halifax about holidays

The app includes an option that allows you to let Halifax know when you are going abroad.

You can let Halifax know which country you will be in on what dates so it knows not to block your card when you spend on your travels.

It's easy to update details and order statements

The app allows you to update personal details like your mobile number and email address.

You can also amend marketing preferences, online and paper preferences as well as security like your password and auto sign out settings.

It can also be used to order paper statements, which is handy if you don’t have a printer.

What we don’t like

Here are some of the downsides to the Halifax Mobile Banking app to be aware of.

It won’t work on jailbroken devices

The Halifax Mobile banking app won’t run on rooted, or jailbroken, devices.

These tablets and smartphones override some of the safeguards in an operating system so could leave it more vulnerable to an attack by things like malware, which means your data could be more at risk.

So, if you’re not running an official version of Android or iOS the app won’t work.

While this sounds like a logical step to take for security reasons, not all banks take the same approach, according to this Reddit discussion.

It's very busy

While we like some of Halifax’s features there is a lot going on with the app and it feels more like banking through the website.

The security for payments

To set up a new payment you will need to enter your online banking password, which seems excessive.

Those that have set up their phone to log in their fingerprint won’t be able to save time with this feature either and will also have to enter password information for the set up to be successful.

It crashes

In our testing on an Android device, the app crashed several times when trying to do simple tasks. We're not saying everyone will have the same issue, but it's certainly worth flagging up in the context of our review.

What other customers think

Google Play Store rating: 4.4 out of 5

Apple App Store rating: 4.8 out of 5

What do you think?

Have you got the Halifax Mobile Banking App? Share your likes and dislikes in the comment section below.

More in this series:

Santander mobile banking app: what's it like to use for current account holders?

TSB mobile banking app review: what's it like to use for current account holders?