Continued growth and expansion of online banking services has further enhanced the importance of customer retention for banks. However, understanding of factors that impact the efficacy of switching barriers in the banking industry continues to be inadequate, particularly in the case of online banking. The reasons for switching service providers have been studied to some extent but what has not been examined adequately is why some customers decide not to switch after having thought of switching. This paper examines the reasons why some customers of banks decide not to switch after seriously considering a switch. The role that the age of the customer's relationship with the existing bank in the decision not to switch is also studied. Effectiveness of switching barriers in this context is measured by four factors, namely, service recovery, trust, switching costs and lack of alternative attractiveness. Consistency and reliability of these four factors is confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis and reliability tests. Results show that the relationship age between the bank and the customer affect the effectiveness of switching barriers. In particular, those with longer relationships with their main banks claimed that it was more difficult to change to another main bank than those with shorter relationships.