More and more high street banks are closing branches. Almost 5000 branches have closed or are set to close. Barclays will have shut over 100 of its locations by 2023. Other banks have slashed the hours that they are open, saving money on staff hours. It’s not so good for the customer. Can you access a branch of your bank should you need to? With more of us working longer hours during the week, so often the weekend is the only time we have to do our household jobs. This can include paying in cheques and moving money around. Whilst many of us have adapted and now use online banking and apps for our finances, there are still people who want that personal approach from their banks. When are banks open on Saturday?
Opening Hours
A quick online search of your local branch will bring up the opening hours. I noticed the last time I went to pay in a cheque that there was a poster in the branch detailing a change in opening times. What is online might not be up to date, however, it should give you an idea of when you can pop down to the bank. You might expect banks to open at 9am, however, I have found that they tend to have different opening hours on different days. One day it might be 9am, another 9:30am. Sometimes it’s 10am. The last thing you want to do is head down to the bank and be stuck standing outside for 45 minutes.
Book An Appointment
You might have simple tasks to do like paying in money or cheques. Did you know that some banks let you pay in cheques online? If you need to speak to someone or have some assistance at your branch, of the best ways to ensure that you get that is by booking an appointment. You can contact your bank online or ring the branch directly to book. This will certainly help you to avoid queues and arrive at a certain time to get help straight away.
Weekend Opening
If you only have weekends available, can you still find time to visit the bank? Are banks open on Saturday? Yes, most are! They are usually only open in the morning, closing by noon or 12:30 at the latest. This gives you a couple of hours on Saturday morning to go and do your banking at your local branch. It’s worth checking online what your specific branch opening hours are on Saturdays. Remember though, there are probably other people in your same situation, so it might be busier than you want it to be.
We all have things to do with our finances. Whilst many of us have switched completely to online and app banking, others don’t have that knowledge or confidence. There are other people who don’t bank with a company that hasn’t yet implemented certain facilities. You could look at switching who you bank with, which might actually earn you some money. There are some great app-only banks like Chase too. If you need to bank at the weekend, finding the answer to are banks open on Saturday is a great start. Then you just need to head down there and avoid the queues.
