Hello everyone.

I was wondering how as a UK citizen living in Thailand for a number of years you keep your UK bank active.

I'm very weary of my UK bank account being inactive when I move to Thailand and also how do you get your new credit/debit cards when your old ones expire.

Thank you so much in advance

 

Get online banking .

Get money paid into your UK bank account and withdraw the money over the counter in Thailand, using your UK bank card .

   Get a person in the UK (living at your UK address) to post the new cards over using a private mail company 

You have to keep money flowing through it.

Every month I do UK pension to UK bank, UK bank transfer to Transferwise, Transferwise to Thai bank account.

No real need for credit or debit cards, just say you don't want them.

 

Use your old UK address, no need to give them a new one, and it maintains your credit check status

(even if you've sold it and someone else lives there).

I am not sure who you bank with, but i have been abroad for 17 years and have had no issue with bank account. Obviously they have my email address, and occasionally i move a small bit of money in and out of the account when back in the UK, but i have never known it be an issue. Those movements are 1 or 2 a year maximum so not regular movements of money. I thought the account would need to be completely inactive for years before it was flagged or whatever they do.

Don't tell them you've left the country, tell them nothing and maintain an address through a relative or friend, etc.

 

For cards I get someone to send them to me via DHL.

I've been with HSBC UK for over twenty five years, I told them I was leaving for Thailand in 2004 and they said fine. They send my cards to my Thai address along with the occasionalonal letter. Two years ago I moved back to the UK but only for part of each year, I did however change my address of record at HSBC. They actually asked me if I would be returning to Thailand and I said yes, for more than half of each year. They said they would take note of both addresses so now my account has two addresses associated with it!

2 minutes ago, saengd said:

I told them I was leaving for Thailand in 2004 and they said fine

That's great for some banks, others will close your account without warning once you've told them this.

 

Do you feel lucky? Even asking them questions about this will raise suspicion.

31 minutes ago, smutcakes said:

I am not sure who you bank with, but i have been abroad for 17 years and have had no issue with bank account. Obviously they have my email address, and occasionally i move a small bit of money in and out of the account when back in the UK, but i have never known it be an issue. Those movements are 1 or 2 a year maximum so not regular movements of money. I thought the account would need to be completely inactive for years before it was flagged or whatever they do.

There have been some reports of people having their bank accounts closed (by the bank) because they permanantly live abroad

Just now, ukrules said:

That's great for some banks, others will close your account without warning once you've told them this.

 

Yup. Barclays closed my account with little notice because I "appeared" to be in Thailand.

 

12 minutes ago, saengd said:

I've been with HSBC UK for over twenty five years, I told them I was leaving for Thailand in 2004 and they said fine. 

Alot has changed in the last 15 years and it may no longer be possible

I think the key to it all is to be up front about what you're doing, if you try to disguise things and get caught then yes you'll have a problem. HSBC sees the same six or seven transactions on my account every month, between September and May. Come May I begin to transact on the account in the same manner as any other UK resident, spending money at all the usual places and on all the usual things. 

 

I do the same with Barclaycard, I told them I was going to live in Thailand in 2004 and they also said fine, BC also has two addresses on file for me and doesn't have a problem with it.

I've had a current account and a credit card account with Nationwide for over 30 years and lived in 3 different countries during that period.

 

I have never indulged in any subterfuge such as hiding my location behind a UK address. They have always known exactly where I lived and have been very cooperative in sending me my bank cards and card readers when I need them.

 

To keep the account active I have my 3 pensions paid into my account and then consolidate them into a single payment, via TransferWise into my account here. And that's the income payment that I use to renew my extension here as well. And I also do a little bit of online shopping using my credit card in order to keep that account active.

 

No need to make it complicated. Just be honest with your dealings with them and everything works just fine.

23 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

I've had a current account and a credit card account with Nationwide for over 30 years and lived in 3 different countries during that period.

 

I have never indulged in any subterfuge such as hiding my location behind a UK address. They have always known exactly where I lived and have been very cooperative in sending me my bank cards and card readers when I need them.

 

To keep the account active I have my 3 pensions paid into my account and then consolidate them into a single payment, via TransferWise into my account here. And that's the income payment that I use to renew my extension here as well. And I also do a little bit of online shopping using my credit card in order to keep that account active.

 

No need to make it complicated. Just be honest with your dealings with them and everything works just fine.

Some people have had their accounts closed down though .

Just because you havent, that doesnt mean that everyone else hasnt 

My accounts are active and used to transfer pension funds etc to my Thai bank account. The bulk of my savings are also in UK. My cards go to my UK registered address, where they are forwarded on by my son, or kept until my next trip back 'home'. I also do online banking, so not an issue. Easy really. 

20 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Some people have had their accounts closed down though .

Just because you havent, that doesnt mean that everyone else hasnt 

I'm sure they have. But it won't be without good reason. My account has remained open because I keep it active and I'm honest about my location. It'as simple as that. Banks do not, willy nilly, close accounts simply because you're not in the country. 

1 hour ago, Clive said:

I'm very weary of my UK bank account being inactive when I move to Thailand and also how do you get your new credit/debit cards when your old ones expire.

Thank you so much in advance

I have on-line banking with FD UK a member of HSBC they send my debit card & credit card renewals to my Thailand address which is the only worldly home address I have.

1 hour ago, smutcakes said:

I am not sure who you bank with, but i have been abroad for 17 years and have had no issue with bank account. Obviously they have my email address, and occasionally i move a small bit of money in and out of the account when back in the UK, but i have never known it be an issue. Those movements are 1 or 2 a year maximum so not regular movements of money. I thought the account would need to be completely inactive for years before it was flagged or whatever they do.

I did have an account closed by Nationwide. It was an empty and inactive joint account with my ex wife. I did ask them to close it, but they said the request had to come from both parties. Fat chance so I just left it. It disappeared from on-line banking 5 years later!

14 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

I'm sure they have. But it won't be without good reason. My account has remained open because I keep it active and I'm honest about my location. It'as simple as that. Banks do not, willy nilly, close accounts simply because you're not in the country. 

No, but they do close down accounts sometimes if you are resident in another country .

Resideing in another Country is reason for them to close down accounts sometimes 

40 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Some people have had their accounts closed down though .

Just because you havent, that doesnt mean that everyone else hasnt 

I have the same with Nationwide, no problem with cards etc. and my main pensions were shifted to SCB, still no issues with them.

5 minutes ago, sanemax said:

13 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

I'm sure they have. But it won't be without good reason. My account has remained open because I keep it active and I'm honest about my location. It'as simple as that. Banks do not, willy nilly, close accounts simply because you're not in the country. 

 

5 minutes ago, sanemax said:

No, but they do close down accounts sometimes if you are resident in another country .

Resideing in another Country is reason for them to close down accounts sometimes 

Yer OK, if you say so. But, just how much evidence do have in support of that assertion?

9 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

 

Yer OK, if you say so. But, just how much evidence do have in support of that assertion?

Crossys post in this thread about an hour ago, for one 

I can't remember how many years ago but...

 

when this whole business of banks knowing their customers began, HSBC ran a program called Safeguard whereby customers who the bank identified as not living in the uK full time were required to undergo screening. In my case I had to send copies of various documents and submit to a 90 minute telephone interview. The call covered all aspects of residency, taxation, assets held abroad and where, reasons for not being UK resident, future plans etc etc, no stone was left unturned. At the end of the call the interviewer said he was satisfied that he knew what I was doing and why and that I would be able to transact freely on my account from that point on.

Some bickering removed.

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

They have always known exactly where I lived and have been very cooperative in sending me my bank cards and card readers when I need them.

I wish they'd move their tech on from them darn card readers.  Major PITA and that's living in the UK.  Not my account, btw, but my wife's.  

4 minutes ago, torturedsole said:

I wish they'd move their tech on from them darn card readers.  Major PITA and that's living in the UK.  Not my account, btw, but my wife's.  

Well, to be sure they don't last forever. But they've been around a long time now and I think I've only had 2 fail on me.

 

I always make sure I have one spare in case of a failure and order a replacement straight away.

 

Yes, you have to be prepared for these events when you're 6,000kms away!

 

 

thank you everyone for all your information.
Great advice and really puts my mind at least.
Greatly appreciated...clive

2 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Yes, you have to be prepared for these events when you're 6,000kms away!

It's bad enough from zero miles away.  I don't experience this nonsense with my Santander account.  Ancient tech as far as I'm concerned.  

 

I'll have to stop moaning about it and move my wife's account away from Barclays.  

5 minutes ago, torturedsole said:

It's bad enough from zero miles away.  I don't experience this nonsense with my Santander account.  Ancient tech as far as I'm concerned.  

 

I'll have to stop moaning about it and move my wife's account away from Barclays.  

Don't all the UK banks use the card reader?

13 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Don't all the UK banks use the card reader?

I can't speak for other UK banking institutions but Santander UK definitely do not utilise this ancient tech.  

 

10 minutes ago, torturedsole said:

I can't speak for other UK banking institutions but Santander UK definitely do not utilise this ancient tech.  

 

What do Santander use ?

Personal card readers are quite new , hardly ancient