Cahoot

Cahoot was one of the wave of internet-only banking services launched by big-name financial institutions in the early 2000s, but its web services have barely developed in the past seven years. T

he site design remains largely unchanged, and on modern high-resolution screens that means small and pokey.

It doesn’t look flashy, and it’s clunky

It doesn’t look flashy, and it’s clunky. Information can end up split into different areas, and it just doesn’t seem fine-tuned.

There’s a value in stability, though: options stay in the same place so you can find what you need quickly, and because the site doesn’t use much in the way of new web technology, it works with all major browsers.

Cahoot handles many issues, such as requesting replacement cards and overdraft discussions, via a “contact us” form – you type into a textbox and your message is passed on to someone at Cahoot.

It’s a basic way of handling things, but staff do usually respond promptly.

Security measures are convenient, if unexceptional: there’s a two-stage login, beginning with a username and one of three pieces of memorable information, followed by dropdown lists to select certain characters from a password. Cahoot doesn’t supply hardware security devices.

There isn’t much in the way of features; you can print your statement, but there’s no export or download feature. Alerts can be sent via SMS or email and, again, are basic but functional.

As you’d expect from a site that hasn’t been developed for years, there’s no smartphone app or mobile website. Cahoot works, but it does a basic job with little finesse.

Rating: 3/6

Online banks reviewed:

Alliance & Leicester

Barclays

Cahoot

First Direct

Halifax

HSBC

Lloyds TSB

Nationwide

NatWest/RBS

Santander

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Click here for the full table, detailing the security measures and features on offer from the banks.

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