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I guess like many folk here, I have been informed by Barclays that I have to close my uk bank account. I have search on-line but most alternative banks like Starling, still demand uk residency. Has anybody managed to find, and open, another uk bank account while living in Spain, that still provides all the services like receipt of pensions, monetary transfer to Spanish banks etc?
Thank you in anticipation
Al
Tyke wrote on Sun Jun 5, 2022 11:59am:
I guess like many folk here, I have been informed by Barclays that I have to close my uk bank account. I have search on-line but most alternative banks like Starling, still demand uk residency. Has anybody managed to find, and open, another uk bank account while living in Spain, that still provid...
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...es all the services like receipt of pensions, monetary transfer to Spanish banks etc?
Thank you in anticipation
Al
Have you had a look at Wise online banking. A lot of members have closed accounts or had accounts closed and moved over to Wise.
Wise accepts all type of payments and you will have a UK IBAN number.
Steve
Posted: Sun Jun 5, 2022 3:41pm
tebo53 wrote on Sun Jun 5, 2022 2:51pm:
Have you had a look at Wise online banking. A lot of members have closed accounts or had accounts closed and moved over to Wise.
Wise accepts all type of payments and you will have a UK IBAN number.
Read more...
Steve
Thanks Steve, I have looked at Wise but I can't seem to get a great deal of info without actually opening an account. I would love to hear from anyone who has opened a Wise account and any problems encountered and services provided eg.
can uk pensions be paid into Wise?
Easy to transfer £ from Wise to € bank account?
Is a debit card provided which can be used in the UK?
Thanks for response. Three months to sort this but time will fly...
Al
Tyke wrote on Sun Jun 5, 2022 3:41pm:
Thanks Steve, I have looked at Wise but I can't seem to get a great deal of info without actually opening an account. I would love to hear from anyone who has opened a Wise account and any problems encountered and services provided eg.
can uk pensions be paid into Wise?
Read more...
Easy to transfer £ from Wise to € bank account?
Is a debit card provided which can be used in the UK?
Thanks for response. Three months to sort this but time will fly...
Al
Hi,
Yes your UK government pension can be paid into wise as you will get a UK IBAN number.
I've been using Wise every month for about 9 years to transfer £ from my UK Barclays account to my Spanish € account with Sabadell. Its usually transferred within seconds.
They do supply a debit card but there are limitations to the amount that you can withdraw before they apply a charge. I think it's around 200 per month.
If you have a family member in the UK who is willing to let you use their address then you could keep your Barclays account. I use my sons UK address on my Barclays account.
Steve
Posted: Sun Jun 5, 2022 4:52pm
tebo53 wrote on Sun Jun 5, 2022 3:53pm:
Hi,
Yes your UK government pension can be paid into wise as you will get a UK IBAN number.
Read more...
I've been using Wise every month for about 9 years to transfer £ from my UK Barclays account to my Spanish € account with Sabadell. Its usually transferred within seconds.
They do supply a debit card but there are limitations to the amount that you can withdraw before they apply a charge. I think it's around 200 per month.
If you have a family member in the UK who is willing to let you use their address then you could keep your Barclays account. I use my sons UK address on my Barclays account.
Steve
Hi,
Barclays won't let me use my son's address to keep my account open as I live permanently in Spain (they actually wrote to this uk address to inform me they are closing my account because I don't have a UK address!). Crazy!
If I understand correctly, you have two uk bank accounts, Barclays and Wise. I still have Barclays and use Currencies Direct to transfer money to Spain but Currencies Direct is not a bank. Which is why I need another uk account for when Barclays kick me out.
Thanks again for response
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Tyke wrote on Sun Jun 5, 2022 4:52pm:
Hi,
Barclays won't let me use my son's address to keep my account open as I live permanently in Spain (they actually wrote to this uk address to inform me they are closing my account because I don't have a UK address!). Crazy!
Read more...
If I understand correctly, you have two uk bank accounts, Barclays and Wise. I still have Barclays and use Currencies Direct to transfer money to Spain but Currencies Direct is not a bank. Which is why I need another uk account for when Barclays kick me out.
Thanks again for response
There is a world of difference between using a convenient UK 'accomodation' address of a family member and one at which you are genuinely resident. There are already reports from people who have attempted to con Barclays with bogus UK addresses and come a cropper.
I suspect tebo53 will probably have been using his bogus address throughout meaning that Barclays have no reason to suspect that he is actually not UK resident.
He'll be one of many who have been gaming the system.
If Barclays do suss him out that then for sure they will close his A/C the same as they are for everyone else.
You do not need a UK IBAN to receive a UK state pension into and I'm pretty sure the same goes for government pensions, maybe someone who has one can confirm that?
Darro wrote on Sun Jun 5, 2022 7:11pm:
There is a world of difference between using a convenient UK 'accomodation' address of a family member and one at which you are genuinely resident. There are already reports from people who have attempted to con Barclays with bogus UK addresses and come a cropper.
I suspect tebo53 will probably have been using his bogus address throughout meaning that Barclays have no reason to suspect that he is actually not UK resident.
...Read more...
...
He'll be one of many who have been gaming the system.
If Barclays do suss him out that then for sure they will close his A/C the same as they are for everyone else.
You do not need a UK IBAN to receive a UK state pension into and I'm pretty sure the same goes for government pensions, maybe someone who has one can confirm that?
Darro,
"I suspect tebo53 will probably have been using his bogus address throughout"
Yes I've been using my old UK address, now the address of my son, for the 8 years I've lived here and not necessarily been trying to "game" the system.
I have a Wise account already in place which I also use (and recommend to other posters) which, if Barclays close my account is immediately available to me. So to me not a problem.
However there are other posters who have confirmed with Barclays and other banks that a confirmed UK address is OK to use.
Steve
Posted: Mon Jun 6, 2022 9:22am
Super helpful member
Tyke wrote on Sun Jun 5, 2022 3:41pm:
Thanks Steve, I have looked at Wise but I can't seem to get a great deal of info without actually opening an account. I would love to hear from anyone who has opened a Wise account and any problems encountered and services provided eg.
can uk pensions be paid into Wise?
Read more...
Easy to transfer £ from Wise to € bank account?
Is a debit card provided which can be used in the UK?
Thanks for response. Three months to sort this but time will fly...
Al
Hi
Yes to all three.
Note that you don't need a € account with anyone else - when you sign up to Wise you can create accounts in both £ and €, and use your debit card to pay in either currency.
Things you can't do with Wise is to get a loan, or a bankers draught, or a joint account.
It costs nothing to sign up, so just do it. Pay in a few quid, and see how it works!
Cheers
Steve
I'm with first direct and they have accepted my overseas address. You could try them or their parent HSBC.
Posted: Mon Jun 6, 2022 12:10pm
Thanks for helpful advice Steve. I will def give it a try. Al
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