Barclays are going to close my UK bank account

[nglodnig]

Well, after smugly declaring a couple of weeks ago "my UK account with Barclays is just WONDERFUL" the <expletive deleted> have decided to cull all non-resident accounts it seems.

 

 

[Kwasaki]

Existing thread already about this stuff. 

Na, na Nah na na my UK account is OK. ????????

 

[nglodnig]

 

 

 

2 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Existing thread already about this stuff. 

 

Unfortunately the wonderful search engine on this site failed to find it

[dayo202]

How did the bank find out you are a non-resident ?. Didn't you keep or have a UK address ?.

Edited May 20, 2023 by dayo202

[Kwasaki]

I'm sure someone will put it for you to go on and read up what you can do. 

Goodluck. 

[scubascuba3]

The schoolboy error is telling them you've moved to Thailand

[The Fugitive]

Can you provide a UK address? If so, tell them you are returning permanently and ask them to kindly not close your account.

[Chivas]

4 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

The schoolboy error is telling them you've moved to Thailand

Yep once again total agreement with you

Why oh why do these people red flag themselves

 

Even the last resort of "boatmail" is more than adequate should you have absolutely no family at all in the UK

[Woof999]

They (Barclays) did this to me around 8 years ago with little or no warning, sending a check for the balance (that I would never be able to deposit) that never arrived.

 

Without going into too much detail, I realistically owed them more than they owed me, so I wrote them a letter asking them how they expected me to pay my liabilities, since the account they demanded to close was my only viable means of making regular payments in the UK. Never did get a reasonable response. My position ever since is that I do not recognise the debt and I've not heard from them in years.

[Kwasaki]

11 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

The schoolboy error is telling them you've moved to Thailand

Some get caught out like I did, that said it ain't bothered me. 

[Thailand]

52 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

The schoolboy error is telling them you've moved to Thailand

Lying to your bank or government offices is probably not a good idea.

Edited May 20, 2023 by Thailand

[Kwasaki]

Just now, Thailand said:

Lying to a government office you mean?

Yeah done that all my UK working life ducking, diving, fidderly, thieving so when I came to

Thailand I wanted to stop looking over my shoulder.

If other fiddle up to them. 

The UK tax office when claiming my pension was involved and I have no UK address so the freeze. 

 

To try and undo get a UK address and spend 2 years in UK was not something I wanted to do.

[JackGats]

6 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

 

 

To try and undo get a UK address and spend 2 years in UK was not something I wanted to do.

So it would have had to be 2 years. What about spending just one year, and during that year open an account with every possible bank before moving out again?

[Kwasaki]

8 minutes ago, JackGats said:

So it would have had to be 2 years. What about spending just one year, and during that year open an account with every possible bank before moving out again?

Last I read for me to stop my UK pension being frozen a period of 2 years living in UK with a UK address and the UK pension being paid into a UK bank account.

 

Of course you can still trot about all over the place your not a prisoner.

[JackGats]

9 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Last I read for me to stop my UK pension being frozen a period of 2 years living in UK with a UK address and the UK pension being paid into a UK bank account.

 

Of course you can still trot about all over the place your not a prisoner.

I see. It's as much a frozen pension issue as one of not having a bank account outside Thailand any more.

[Mike Teavee]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

The schoolboy error is telling them you've moved to Thailand

Lol, I didn’t have much choice seeing as it was Barclays who moved me overseas (Singapore) 15 years ago. 

 

Still have my bank account, credit cards & Investment/ISA accounts with them but use a UK address for all of my correspondence. 
 

[Moonlover]

2 hours ago, nglodnig said:

Well, after smugly declaring a couple of weeks ago "my UK account with Barclays is just WONDERFUL" the <expletive deleted> have decided to cull all non-resident accounts it seems.

How do you know they are culling all non-resident accounts, did they tell you that?

[nglodnig]

16 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

How do you know they are culling all non-resident accounts, did they tell you that?

Because on their FAQ they have the section "Non-UK residents – making changes to your banking" so I assume this is now a genral policy

[Moonlover]

15 minutes ago, nglodnig said:

28 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

How do you know they are culling all non-resident accounts, did they tell you that?

 

15 minutes ago, nglodnig said:

Because on their FAQ they have the section "Non-UK residents – making changes to your banking" so I assume this is now a genral policy

Ah, so it's an assumption, not a verified fact. Thank you for your honest answer.

[Moonlover]

3 hours ago, Woof999 said:

Without going into too much detail, I realistically owed them more than they owed me,

Sounds to me like they were glad to be shot of you. 

Edited May 20, 2023 by Moonlover

[Woof999]

19 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Sounds to me like they were glad to be shot of you. 

Clearly, or they wouldn't have chosen to close the account.

 

Or were you just trying to be obnoxious?

[yang123]

2 hours ago, nglodnig said:

Because on their FAQ they have the section "Non-UK residents – making changes to your banking" so I assume this is now a genral policy

Link please.

TVM

[Mike Teavee]

9 minutes ago, yang123 said:

Link please.

TVM

https://www.barclays.co.uk/important-information/living-outside-the-uk/

I think you’ll be ok if you can use a UK Address but note the paragraph… 

“For your accounts to stay open, you and everyone you have an account with need to live in the UK, and all the addresses we have for you also need to be in the UK.”

 

+ you need a UK Mobile to register for the Movile App (I use GiffGaff) but have never had to use it besides this. 

Edited May 20, 2023 by Mike Teavee

[treetops]

19 hours ago, nglodnig said:

Unfortunately the wonderful search engine on this site failed to find it

Here you go:

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1287802-barclays-uk-on-shore-accounts/

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1289958-uk-bank-says-the-holder-has-to-have-a-permanent-address/

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1289447-uk-bank-account-closed-–-seeking-gbp-alternatives-account-for-an-elderly-technology-averse-neighbour/

 

[Mickeymaus]

You can search asianow with Google. The syntax is  site:aseannow.com  no spaces and then space and what you search for: 

 

site:aseannow.com "UK bank account" 

 

Expect some sponsored entries by Google... 

 

Edited May 21, 2023 by Mickeymaus

[BritManToo]

On 5/20/2023 at 5:30 PM, Chivas said:

Yep once again total agreement with you

Why oh why do these people red flag themselves

 

Even the last resort of "boatmail" is more than adequate should you have absolutely no family at all in the UK

Just use the last UK address you lived at.

The current residents may get peeved, but there's nothing they can do about it.

[scottiejohn]

58 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Just use the last UK address you lived at.

The current residents may get peeved, but there's nothing they can do about it.

The worst possible advice!

If the real occupiers send the mail back as "unknown at this address" three times the bank account will be closed automatically!

That is the rules in many, if not all, UK banks!

I worked for two UK banks and that was their rules!

Edited May 22, 2023 by scottiejohn
clarification!

[nglodnig]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

The current residents may get peeved, but there's nothing they can do about it.

But they'll thank you when your cards arrive ???? 

[Stocky]

On 5/20/2023 at 8:38 PM, Moonlover said:

 

Ah, so it's an assumption, not a verified fact. Thank you for your honest answer.

I think the following FAQ and Answer is pretty conclusive.

 

Quote

Can I have an address outside the UK and keep my accounts open?

 

You'll only be able to have an address outside the UK and keep your accounts open if:

• You’re a UK Crown employee, or you’re the spouse or civil partner of a UK Crown employee
• The address outside the UK on your account is for someone who manages your account for you (for example, someone who has power of attorney), or for someone who’s set up to receive information on your behalf (for example, an accountant or lawyer)
• You’re outside the UK on a temporary basis for six months or less and will be moving back to the UK.

Alternatively you can supply them a 'UK address' and make sure nothing raises their suspicions. 

 

.

Edited May 22, 2023 by Stocky

[nglodnig]

46 minutes ago, Stocky said:

Alternatively you can supply them a 'UK address' and make sure nothing raises their suspicions. 

 

Which would be a fake in my case - and the criteria for validating the address include for example utility bills and credit cards in YOUR NAME for that address. 

 

Impossible to achieve. I've been checking all the "big four" international off-shore bank account offerings - they all want you to give them big bucks and leave it in your account forever. No thanks.