First National Bank South Africa Reviews 

Blocked my account since February 2025 just because proof I provided is written in Afrikaans I've been phoning emailing and lodged a complaint through their complaint department but until now I'm sent from pillar to post

FNB, or First National Bank, has a mixed reputation in South Africa, with both positive and negative feedback. While some customers praise its digital banking features and innovative products, others express significant dissatisfaction with its customer service, particularly regarding responsiveness, communication, and problem resolution. This leads to a perception among some that FNB is not a reliable or customer-centric bank.
Here's a breakdown of the reasons behind this mixed reputation:
Reasons for Negative Feedback:
Poor Customer Service:
Numerous complaints focus on issues like long wait times for responses, unhelpful or uninformed staff, and a lack of follow-through on resolving problems.
Inadequate Communication:
Customers report being left in the dark about the progress of their requests or the status of their accounts, leading to frustration and a sense of being undervalued.
Inconsistent Service Quality:
Some customers experience a noticeable drop in service quality, with basic requests being mishandled or delayed, even after assurances of resolution.
Difficulty with Online Banking:
While FNB is known for its digital platforms, some customers find the banking app and online systems difficult to navigate or experience issues with transaction processing.
Fraud and Security Concerns:
While not unique to FNB, some customers have reported negative experiences related to fraud and the bank's response times to investigate fraudulent transactions.
High Fees:
Some users have expressed concerns about the cost of banking with FNB, particularly those receiving social grants.
Lack of Personalization:
Some customers feel like they are treated as just a number in the system, with little recognition of their individual needs or concerns.
Reasons for Positive Feedback:
Innovative Digital Banking:
FNB is often lauded for its user-friendly banking app, online banking platform, and digital payment solutions.
Strong Security Measures:
FNB has implemented various security measures to protect customer accounts and information, which are appreciated by some.
Competitive Interest Rates:
FNB is recognized for offering competitive interest rates on savings accounts, making it an attractive option for some customers.
Good Private Banking:
FNB is recognized by Euromoney as the best private bank in Africa, indicating excellence in wealth management for high-net-worth individuals.
Customer Service Excellence:
While not always consistent, some customers have praised specific FNB staff for providing excellent and helpful service.

Not good for a bank that should be on international standards but they refuse to refund me for a payment made to mweb who suspended my account for none payment when i had paid them. Communication is poor they keep repeating emails and expect you to provide commuication with mweb when you dont get any. In the past they reversed transactions quickly now for some reason it s a big fight I think the reason is that they are getting too many people complaining about mweb and they dont want to refund. Fnb you should be ashamed of yourself poor service

I needed help setting up my PayPal, FnB staff was really helpful and sorted it out in less than 10 minutes. Now i can trasfer my PayPal funds through FnB and it takes less than 2 mins to appear in my account. Thanks FnB Preller Plein Bloemfontein.

Phumeza at Braamfontein Branch..you are 1 in a million..I was taken by your warmth,kindness and exceptional customer services..
You made my birthday special
Keep up the good work and God Bless you

Not ideal for customers with international interests .
This is clearly a local bank disguising itself as a one size fits all bank. FNB is unable to facilitate simple transactions with international merchants, I was told I had to receive a deposit from an overseas account before I could make a simple online purchase.
All this hustle just to be able to make a purchase online ? They are not the bank they’ve advertised themselves as.

I would not recommend them, scam artists. Giving me the run around when they suppose to pay out my policy.

I have been waiting over 7 days for FNB to call me back. They promise a call back but don't call back. I have called numerous times with no success of them holding up to the promise. Very poor customer service and experience.

I needed help with changing my numbers since I moved abroad so everything was supposed to be done by call,I explained times and between what times I was available but they still called me at the times that I was not available,2 I’m back home now trying to fix all my info with FNB I went to the branch and they put me on a call,the Second Lady I was transferred to was so irritated and rude she even dropped the call while I was still explaining my situation to her, I am so disgusted with the way I was treated

I am extremely unhappy and frankly very irritated with the new FNB and PicknPay partnership. The eBucks Rewards system used to be a real asset when FNB was partnered with Checkers. It worked seamlessly and provided great value. Now, with the forced shift to PicknPay, the experience has turned into a frustrating and expensive mess.

When FNB partnered with Checkers, the value was unbeatable:
-For just R99/month, I had unlimited free deliveries through the 60/60 app.
-I also received 10% off a once-off in-store purchase (up to R200).
-It was convenient, flexible, and actually rewarding.

Now, with PicknPay:
-I am charged R35 per delivery on the ASAP app.
-Deliveries are limited to just 35 items, which makes monthly or bulk shopping impossible without racking up delivery fees.
-To offset that, the TakealotMORE subscription (also R99/month) includes PicknPay ASAP deliveries (via the Mr D app), but if I use that route, I earn zero eBucks. Why punish customers for trying to save?

As a result, my eBucks rewards plummeted — from 12,373 to just 1,436. That is a massive loss for doing the same shopping I did before. How does that make any financial sense?

To make matters worse, PicknPay ASAP forces a minimum tip of R20, R40 or R80. There's no custom tip option — not even R10 — which feels excessive and restrictive, especially on top of the delivery fee.

This entire shift feels like a downgrade masked as an improvement. It is unfair to loyal FNB customers who optimised their spending habits to make the most of the eBucks ecosystem. At this point, I genuinely miss the Checkers partnership, and I am now seriously considering switching to Standard Bank or another institution that respects customer choice and offers real, tangible value.

The fnb Melrose branch is incredible, the customer service and the dedication to there clients is perfect.
Thankyou to all the staff at the FNB Melrose arch.

I love the FNB App and have never had any problems with it. I keep finding new things hidden away so I think a bit of advertising now and again would be great - e.g. the free coffees and smoothies from partners.

I erroneously sent a geopayment to someone that wasn't even the room.

This leads me to question:
1. What is the security of this method? How was this possible?
2. What range does the geopayment operate in?

I then requested a reversal from the bank. They asked me to pay R325 and cannot guarantee that they will be able to reverse the amount. I'm not certain why I have to pay FNB to help me.

This fee is approximately half of what I was trying to recover, so I stand to lose even more by agreeing to this fee.

I am surprised at how this bank cannot reverse a transaction or assist in the retrieval when the transaction is within the same bank.

I love FNB, but their secure chat is VERY ineffective. They say: please wait while I investigate or read your query, then discontinue the chat because you don't respond. What do they want you to say? I've tried "thank you", but it also ends the chat.

Am so happy for the service I got from FNB in Bambanani Branch theyi firstly met the guy who was helping me with updating my account details he was so friendly and helpful including the Lady that helped with my Final updates you guys are the Professionals the branch doesn't suit both of you 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

FNB is by far the worse bank to deal with when it comes to customer service. They offer services to clients, but if there is a problem, they don't have the decency to follow up and help find a solution. I bought my car licence on the 11th March which was supposed to be couriered in 4 days. I was charged a courier fee as well. But the courier company Sky Net said that my address was in a bad place to find yet we are in an Industrial park and receive couriered parcels almost daily. After sending numerous emails and making many calls, FNB said they could not send it to me, and I will have to collect it. By the details on the licence, it is very obvious even to a layman that I live in KZN, but my licence was sent to Jhb, and I was asked to collect it at my own cost. This would have meant my licence in total cost me over R600 for a light motor vehicle. If FNB is not able to follow through with the services they offer, then PLEASE do not offer this to your clients. I am seriously thinking of switching banks now because I have had too many issues with the Customer Services of FNB

After years with FNB, I’ve lost trust in the bank due to a serious issue with their app. A simple transfer between my own accounts resulted in missing funds and an incorrect negative balance.

Support acknowledged it was a known technical issue but couldn’t escalate or resolve it. No timeline, no urgency, just apologies.

This level of service is unacceptable — especially from a bank. The app is unreliable, and the support process is broken. I won’t be recommending FNB again. Look at other banks like Nedbank or Capitec.

SERIOUSLY BOYCOTT FNB THEY HAVE NO CARE OR HELP AS THEIR LIE CLAIMS
WARNING* BOYCOTT FNB - THEY ARE EXTREMELY UNCARING, UNHELPFUL AND LACK ANY INTERGIRTY TO BE WHERE THEY ARE. THEY HAVE DELIBERATELY IGNORED MY CLAIM TO THE POINT OF ANGERING ME TO DO THIS.
IF YOU ARE HERE, AND READIN THIS THEN LOOK FOR ANOTHER BANK. CLOSE YOUR ACCOUNTS IMMEDIATELY SO YOU WON'T HAVE TO ENDURE WHAT I DID. SERIOUSLY IT WILL TEAR YOU DOWN CAUSE YOU GREAT DISTRESS AND FORCE YOU TO QUESTION YOUR SELF. GASLIGHTING. DISILLUSIONMENT - THEN YOU HAVE EXPERIECED EXTREME DISSAPPOINTMENT WITH REGARD TO FNB LAW ON CALL AND THEIR COMPLETELY INCOMPETENT AND SLACK BEHAVOUR. I HAVE TRIED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS TO USE THIS DEFUNCT SERVICE. SO, IF YOU ARE ABOUT TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH FNB OR LAW ON CALL. I WOULD CANCEL IT (IF YOU CAN) OR NOT TAKE IT OUT. YOU WILL BE EXTREMELY DISSAPPOINTED BY THEIR LACK OF RESPONSE NEVER MIND CARE OR CONCERN FOR YOUR CLAIM. THEY HAVE DELIBERATELY STONEWALLED AND GASLIGHTED ME ON MY SIMPLE CLAIM, DUE TO EXTREME INCOMPETENCE AND SLACK WORK ETHICS I HAVE NOW CLOSED ALL MY FNB ACCOUNTS. YOU SHOULD DO THE SAME. THEY CAN'T EVEN LIVE UP TO THEIR CODE OF BUSINESS ETHICS AS THEY HAVE NONE ANYMORE. I WAS WITH FNB FO 15YEARS GLAD I LEARNT MY LESSON YOU SHOULD TOO BEFORE THEY ROB YOU AS WELL,

Hi all. Do not be duped into opening a global account with FNB. The incidious charges are endless. The forex exchange rate is considerably worse than the publicised rate. Do not trust them. Find another way. Having banked with FNB for approx 30 years I will be closing all my accounts with them.

The most terrible bank to be with would have given them 0 stars if possible. Their customer service is completely poor, money keeps on disappearing from my account and when I went to inquiry they referred me to the fraud department who didn't help at all told me to come back after a week while they blocked my account it's been a month and they are giving me the run around and my account is still blocked.