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Best online bank to pay spanish utilities and taxes
Posted: Tue Feb 4, 2025 12:09pm
I've heard that spanish utilities only deal with spanish banks.
Is an online bank accepted by them and can you pay local taxes on line?
TIA
sprucer wrote on Tue Feb 4, 2025 12:09pm:
I've heard that spanish utilities only deal with spanish banks.
Is an online bank accepted by them and can you pay local taxes on line?
Read more...
TIA
Many forum poster use Wise to pay all their bills/fees/direct debits etc.
Very reliable
Steve
Posted: Tue Feb 4, 2025 1:07pm
Very helpful member
SEPA (an EU initiative which the UK and other non-EU countries remain a part of) should mean that GB IBAN'd accounts (as provided by your bog standard UK retail bank such as Lloyds or Nationwide etc) can be accepted when setting up direct debits in Spain.
The reality is that they are often not accepted either because the systems used by the provider are not set-up in a way that allows their input, the fields on line require a certain format (such as an IBAN starting with ES etc) as well as probably a raft of other reasons. I also suspect some suppliers have used Brexit as an excuse too - but in this regard Brexit didn't change anything and is not a legitimate excuse.
For non-residents wishing to achieve fee free day to day banking then Wise is probably the most often mentioned here - it provides you with a BE IBAN (Belgium) when opening a Euro account and this is accepted for direct debits by Iberdrola, Hidraqua, SUMA etc. It might be you need to email them to change it if you can't change it yourself online/don't have online access etc.
You may still be charged for cash withdrawals using your Wise account but these should be more manageable than the ongoing account management charge made by lots of Spanish banks for their bog standard non-resident current account.
An alternative I have seen mentioned here is the Wefferent account - there have been different reports about whether people have been able to open it online or having to go into branch for that initial step but that I believe is another fee free option:
Open Online Bank Account | Pack Wefferent No fees - Cajamar Caja Rural
NB - for transparency, I am with Wise - althought that's less so about the fees and more for the convenience as I have sources of income from GBP, EUR, AUD and USD and it's a simple and efficient place for me to manage these with discrete accounts for each. You should also be aware that Wise is not covered by FSCS protections in the same way as a retail bank although that doesn't hugely concern me especially if you only use Wise to hold small sums or as a conduit to move money about.
Detail on Wise safeguarding:
Posted: Wed Feb 5, 2025 8:58am
Very helpful member
I agree with Steve's post.
All my direct debits for my holiday home are paid from my Wise account, simple to operate and no running costs.
Ken
Posted: Wed Feb 5, 2025 2:44pm
Helpful member
sprucer wrote on Tue Feb 4, 2025 12:09pm:
I've heard that spanish utilities only deal with spanish banks.
Is an online bank accepted by them and can you pay local taxes on line?
Read more...
TIA
sprucer I too had heard that said about Wise however when a bank is registered in any EU country it is effectively registered in them all, and should be acceptable to the billing entity. However, that being said, my community management company refused to accept a Wise direct debit for my community fees. I informed them that if they continue to refuse to accept payment from my account I would be forced to contact the citizen's advice department at the town hall and issue a denuncia. My direct debit payment was quickly accepted.
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Posted: Wed Feb 5, 2025 3:25pm
George55 wrote on Tue Feb 4, 2025 1:07pm:
SEPA (an EU initiative which the UK and other non-EU countries remain a part of) should mean that GB IBAN'd accounts (as provided by your bog standard UK retail bank such as Lloyds or Nationwide etc) can be accepted when setting up direct debits in Spain.
The reality is that they are often not accepted either because the systems used by the provider are not set-up in a way that allows their input, the fields on line require a certain format (such as an IBAN starting with ES etc) as well as probably a raft of other reasons. I also suspect some supp...
Read more...
...liers have used Brexit as an excuse too - but in this regard Brexit didn't change anything and is not a legitimate excuse.
For non-residents wishing to achieve fee free day to day banking then Wise is probably the most often mentioned here - it provides you with a BE IBAN (Belgium) when opening a Euro account and this is accepted for direct debits by Iberdrola, Hidraqua, SUMA etc. It might be you need to email them to change it if you can't change it yourself online/don't have online access etc.
You may still be charged for cash withdrawals using your Wise account but these should be more manageable than the ongoing account management charge made by lots of Spanish banks for their bog standard non-resident current account.
An alternative I have seen mentioned here is the Wefferent account - there have been different reports about whether people have been able to open it online or having to go into branch for that initial step but that I believe is another fee free option:
Open Online Bank Account | Pack Wefferent No fees - Cajamar Caja Rural
NB - for transparency, I am with Wise - althought that's less so about the fees and more for the convenience as I have sources of income from GBP, EUR, AUD and USD and it's a simple and efficient place for me to manage these with discrete accounts for each. You should also be aware that Wise is not covered by FSCS protections in the same way as a retail bank although that doesn't hugely concern me especially if you only use Wise to hold small sums or as a conduit to move money about.
Detail on Wise safeguarding:
I checked out Iberdrola and they said they'd be happy for me to use my HSBC global money.account. Not sure whether paying taxes would be as easy!
Posted: Sun Feb 9, 2025 8:43am
Helpful member
I use Starling and have been very happy with them. Easy to use,easy to contact and no limit on the amount you can withdraw per month, unlike Wise.
I pay Iberdrola,Agamed, SUMA and solicitors by direct debit.
I also have Wise as it's good to have different options
Posted: Sun Feb 9, 2025 2:21pm
How easy / difficult is it to change your direct debits from Sabadell to Wise and then the process of closing the Sabadell account. I only have Iberdrola, Hidraqua, my solicitors Aroca Sequer for my Suma bills and fiscal fees and urb administrators for my community fees etc.
I pay €30 a quarter to Sabadell, do not want or have their debit card as I already have a Wise debit card to use in Spain that I preload from the UK when the rates are favourable.
Many thanks.
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2025 12:19pm
Can also try ING or Openbank
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2025 12:28pm
Very helpful member
tonygold58 wrote on Sun Feb 9, 2025 2:21pm:
How easy / difficult is it to change your direct debits from Sabadell to Wise and then the process of closing the Sabadell account. I only have Iberdrola, Hidraqua, my solicitors Aroca Sequer for my Suma bills and fiscal fees and urb administrators for my community fees etc.
I pay €30 a quarter to Sabadell, do not want or have their debit card as I already have a Wise debit card to use in Spain that I preload from the UK when the rates are favourable....
Read more...
...
Many thanks.
Tony it's fairly easy really, a couple of ways to do it.
I happened to be in Spain so visited the offices of Iberdrola, Hydraqua and Suma and gave them my Wise IBAN number.
Alternatively, if you have online accounts with the above you can change your Sabadell number over to the Wise IBAN number.
Furthermore, you could call them or email them, plenty of options there, they just need your Wise € IBAN.
Ken
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