Spaargids.beAbout two years after the announcement of the takeover by Crelan, in less than a month, 820,000 AXA Bank customers will switch to their ‘new’ bank. This means a number of changes for them, both in the short and long term. Spaargids.be goes through them, so that you as a customer are not faced with any surprises.
By Johan Van Geyte, in collaboration with Spaargids.be
06-05-24, 09:31
Latest update:
09:43
Source:
Spaargids.be
What about (internet) banking?
The transfer is planned for June 8 and 9, the weekend of the elections in our country. The data of AXA Bank customers is then transferred to Crelan’s IT platform.
To ensure that this transition runs smoothly technically, the AXA Bank offices will be closed that weekend. Customers of that bank will also temporarily not have access to mobile and internet banking. They will therefore not be able to make online payments for a while. However, they will still be able to pay by card.
Upon the transfer, AXA Bank’s app and internet banking will be completely stopped. After transferring the data, current AXA customers must log in to the Crelan platform and download the Crelan app to continue digital banking.
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And savings and current accounts?
AXA Bank customers will also see the name of their account change. After the switch, they bear the name of the corresponding Crelan account. For example, Start2bank for adults from AXA is converted into a Crelan Basic account and a Comfort2bank with Visa card from AXA is converted into a Crelan Performance Pack. AXA’s I-plus savings account then becomes a Crelan savings account. The numbers of the accounts remain unchanged throughout all of this.
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What about bank cards and investments?
There are fewer changes to report there: AXA Bank customers are allowed to keep their cards. This applies to both debit and credit cards. They will only be replaced by a Crelan copy on the originally planned date.
Anyone who had an investment with AXA still has work to do. The MiFID questionnaire that they completed at the institution with their investment expectations and experiences cannot be adopted by Crelan. They must complete this questionnaire again with their bank agent within three years.
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What does the future look like?
The switch of AXA customers to the Crelan platform is an important step in the merger process of both banks. Yet the road has not yet been completely completed. In the long term, Crelan wants to retain 420 to 500 of the 790 current AXA Bank offices and its own brand. This must be done through mergers and acquisitions.
This does not alter the fact that the bank’s focus can – and must – gradually shift back to the customer. Over the past two years, AXA Bank and Crelan have mainly focused on themselves and the preparation of their merger. They saw their customers’ satisfaction drop sharply in 2022, as shown by the Bank Awards, the major annual survey that Spaargids.be organizes in collaboration with the market research agency iVox. There was no recovery in 2023. Crelan scored an overall 6.5/10, AXA Bank followed with a 6.4/10. For both partners this was still a slight decline compared to 2022.
Tip: Here you will find the full results of AXA and Crelan in the Bank Awards 2023.
Both banks did achieve good scores for the operation of the branch network. They thus surfed on the general observation that banks with a network of independent branch managers do better than banks that boast a network of branches with salaried staff. Crelan received an overall score of 7.2. AXA achieved 7.0.
The new combination still has steps to take in digital banking. AXA received a score of 6.5/10 from its customers. Crelan remained stuck at 6.4. Both banks are also clearly not seen as an investment bank by their customers. AXA Bank achieves a score of 5.8/10. Crelan does only slightly better with 5.9.
Read more on Spaargids.be:
Why does one savings account yield more than another? And how do you choose the best?
Fewer and fewer people are renting a bank safe
Banks are cutting their options: will your savings account also disappear?
This article was brought to you by our partner Spaargids.be.
Spaargids.be is an independent comparator of bank products and looks for competitive prices and better interest rates.
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