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Saffron Building Society VS HSBC Kinetic: Business Banking Review & Fee Comparison


By: Ian Wright | Last Updated: May 22, 2025

Is Saffron Building Society or HSBC Kinetic better for your small business?



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Below we look at both Saffron Building Society and HSBC Kinetic reviews on Trustpilot along with their App reviews from Apple and Google.

We then look at typical fees, business savings rates, foreign currency options and a whole bunch of other account features to help you make up your mind.

Saffron Building Society Homepage
Saffron Building Society Homepage


HSBC Kinetic Homepage
HSBC Kinetic Homepage
 

Saffron Building Society vs HSBC Kinetic Trustpilot Reviews

Saffron Building SocietyHSBC Kinetic
Trustpilot Review Score (out of 5)2.21.9
Percent 5-Star Reviews21%0%
Percent 1- Star Reviews73%100%
Total Number of Reviews5813
Sources:
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/saffronbs.co.uk
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/hsbckinetic.co.uk

Saffron Building Society vs HSBC Kinetic App Reviews

Saffron Building SocietyHSBC Kinetic
iPhone Review Score (out of 5)3.74.8
Number of iPhone Reviews2415,000
Android Review Score (out of 5)3.74.7
Number of Android Reviews144,000
Sources:
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/saffron-building-society/id1482290341
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/hsbc-kinetic/id1457310350

Saffron Building Society vs HSBC Kinetic Account Fees & Charges

Saffron Building SocietyHSBC Kinetic
Free Business Bank AccountNoYes
Free Business Account Term LengthNA12 Months
Cheapest Monthly Account Fee£10£6.50
Most Expensive Monthly Account Fee£10£6.50
Electronic Payment Cost (in/out)FreeFree
Cash Payments Cost (in/out)Free1.10%
Cheques (in/out)£1.5050p per cheque
CHAPS Payments Cost£15£17
SEPA Payments Cost25p24p

Saffron Building Society vs HSBC Kinetic Business Savings Rates

Saffron Building SocietyHSBC Kinetic
Types of Business Savings AccountsRegular Savings, Easy access, Fixed rate bonds, Notice accounts, Business/corporate accountsInstant access, 30+ day, 60+ day
Lowest Savings Rate (AER)1.20%1.94%
Maximum Savings Rate (AER)5.75%2.02%
Minimum Savings Amount£1No
Interest Paid On Foreign CurrenciesNoYes
 

Saffron Building Society vs HSBC Kinetic Account Opening Times

Saffron Building SocietyHSBC Kinetic
Can You Apply Online?YesYes
How Long Does Opening An
Account Typically Take?
Undisclosed48 hours
Do They Check Your Credit?YesYes
Current Account Switch ServiceYesYes

Saffron Building Society vs HSBC Kinetic Features & Account Types

Saffron Building Society Account Types
Saffron Building Society Features & Account Types


HSBC Kinetic Account Types
HSBC Kinetic Features & Account Types


Saffron Building SocietyHSBC Kinetic
Business Current AccountYesYes
Business Savings AccountYesYes
Business Credit CardYesYes
Business OverdraftNoYes
Accounts For StartupsNoYes
Accounts For CharitiesYesNo
Accounts For Sole TradersYesYes
Joint Business Accounts AvailableYesNo
Card TypeMastercardVisa
Online BankingYesYes
Mobile BankingYesYes
In Person/Branch BankingYesNo
Branch LocationsLocations in Essex onlyCan use HSBC branches for some services

Saffron Building Society vs HSBC Kinetic Customer Support Options

Saffron Building SocietyHSBC Kinetic
Phone Support AvailableYesYes
Email Support AvailableYesYes
App Based Support YesYes
Web Based SupportYesYes
In person Customer SupportYesNo

Saffron Building Society vs HSBC Kinetic Foreign Currency Accounts

Saffron Building SocietyHSBC Kinetic
US Dollar (USD) Bank AccountsNoYes
Euro (EUR) Bank AccountsNoYes
Other Currencies Available:No
  • Brazilian real (BRL)
  • Canadian dollar (CAD)
  • Chilean peso (CLP)
  • Colombian peso (COP)
  • Mexican peso (MXN)
  • Chinese yuan (CNY)
  • Hong Kong dollar (HKD)
  • Indian rupee (INR)
  • Japanese yen (JPY)
  • Korean won (KRW)
  • Malaysian ringgit (MYR)
  • Singapore dollar (SGD)
  • Thai baht (THB)
  • Austrian euro (EUR)
  • Belgian euro (EUR)
  • Bulgarian lev (BGN)
  • Croatian kuna (HRK)
  • Czech koruna (CZK)
  • Danish krone (DKK)
  • Estonian euro (EUR)
  • Finnish euro (EUR)
  • French euro (EUR)
  • German euro (EUR)
  • Greek euro (EUR)
  • Hungarian forint (HUF)
  • Icelandic króna (ISK)
  • Irish euro (EUR)
  • Italian euro (EUR)
  • Latvian euro (EUR)
  • Lithuanian euro (EUR)
  • Maltese euro (EUR)
  • Dutch euro (EUR)
  • Polish zloty (PLN)
  • Portuguese euro (EUR)
  • Romanian leu (RON)
  • Slovak euro (EUR)
  • Slovenian euro (EUR)
  • Spanish euro (EUR)
  • Australian dollar (AUD)
  • New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Other Business Services From Saffron Building Society and HSBC Kinetic

Saffron Building Society Account Types
Other Saffron Building Society Services


HSBC Kinetic Account Types
Other HSBC Kinetic Services


Saffron Building SocietyHSBC Kinetic
Business LoansYesYes
Commercial MortgagesYesNo
Invoice FinancingNoNo
International PaymentsYesYes
Merchant Payment ServicesNoYes
Card MachinesNoNo
Free Accounting SoftwareNoNo

Saffron Building Society vs HSBC Kinetic Banking Basics

Saffron Building SocietyHSBC Kinetic
Bank TypeBuilding SocietyHigh Street/Challenger
FSCS ProtectionYes, up to £85,000Yes, up to £85,000
FCA Number100015765112
WebsiteSaffron Building Society WebsiteHSBC Kinetic Website

Common Comparison Questions

Does Saffron Building Society or HSBC Kinetic have better customer reviews?

Saffron Building Society scores 2.2 out of 5 based 58 Trustpilot reviews. Of these reviews 21% are 5-star and 73% are 1-star.

Whereas, HSBC Kinetic scores 1.9 out of 5 based 13 Trustpilot reviews. Of which 0% are 5-star and 100% are 1-star.

Does Saffron Building Society or HSBC Kinetic have a better App?

Saffron Building Society’s iPhone App is rated 3.7 out of 5 based on 24 reviews. And it’s Android App is rated 3.7 out of 5 based on 14 reviews.

In comparison, HSBC Kinetic’s iPhone App is rated 4.8 out of 5 based on 15,000 reviews. And it’s Android App is rated 4.7 out of 5 based on 4,000 reviews.

Does Saffron Building Society or HSBC Kinetic have better business savings rates?

Saffron Building Society offers the following types of business savings accounts: Regular Savings, Easy access, Fixed rate bonds, Notice accounts, Business/corporate accounts with interest rates ranging from 1.20% to 5.75%. (AER)

In contrast, HSBC Kinetic offers Instant access, 30+ day, 60+ day accounts with interest rates ranging from 1.94% to 2.02% (AER).

See Other Comparisons:
Saffron Building Society vs CardOneMoney
Saffron Building Society vs Fair Everywhere
Saffron Building Society vs Countingup
Saffron Building Society vs State Bank of India (UK)
Saffron Building Society vs Charity Bank


For other business bank accounts see our guide here.

 



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