> This is in the UK, and it might be available but certainly not with any of the major banks I recently opened an account with HSBC fully online; didn't need t

> This is in the UK, and it might be available but certainly not with any of the major banks I recently opened an account with HSBC fully online; didn't need to go into a branch. Think I have been to my Santander branch once over 4 years. I think the real advantage of 'online only' is not for consumer convenience but for lower operating costs on part of the bank. Smile and Egg were online only banks created in the late 90's, so the idea isn't new.