Barclays Bank to close UK accounts for British expats

[hotandsticky]

23 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

State Pension yes (But you can have it directly paid into your Thai account if you like) Private Pension it depends on your Pension provider, some guys have reported success, others have said their provider says No...

 

 

 

 

 

I would like to see evidence of the "No's".

 

A WISE account has a UK sort code and account number so there should be no barrier to a pension provider remitting it there.

 

At one time JCB pension fund refused to remit funds to a Thai bank account; WISE was the solution to that.

[Mike Teavee]

13 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

 

I would like to see evidence of the "No's".

 

A WISE account has a UK sort code and account number so there should be no barrier to a pension provider remitting it there.

 

At one time JCB pension fund refused to remit funds to a Thai bank account; WISE was the solution to that.

I don't have any evidence just recall a thread discussing it 

 

& somebody saying their private pension wouldn't allow them to pay to a Wise account,  I did ask the same question as it is just a UK Sort Code / Account number so I can't see why the couldn't pay directly to it & pointed out the article quoted early in the thread was > 8 years old when Wise didn't have their own Sortcodes / Account numbers...  Still best to check with your pension provider just in case. 

 

 

Ironically my pension is from my 26 years working at Barclays so if they do close my account (Which still says "Staff Account" despite me leaving them 10 years ago) then it will be their problem where to pay it when it becomes due in Feb 2026.

  

 

Edited September 25, 2023 by Mike Teavee

[robertson468]

1 hour ago, fulhamster said:

My private pension provider will only pay to a UK based account.

What would my options be ?

Try HSBC.  I bank with them and find them very good - up to now!

[dayo202]

57 minutes ago, Purdey said:

Halifax send me mail regularly. They asked me to confirm my address a few times and I did. I could bring all the money to Thailand but the interest here is cr*p. 

What documents did you show the Halifax for proof of your address ?

I guessing your address is in the UK ?????

[kimamey]

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I never even realised I could use my Thai address for my UK Lloyds bank account!  I've always used a family member's address for correspondence.  

I've got a Lloyds account and use my daughter's address. I have a very small Santander one as well and a Sainsbury's credit card. All my money from pensions and rent from a flat I own go into it and then I can send it here when needed. I've been meaning to check with Lloyds if this is ok. My address for my tax account is the same. 

 

I have thought of buying a place to use in the UK but I wouldn't want to use that address as I'd have to get my daughter to check for post all the time. It's easier to just get it sent to her.

[kwilco]

Another Brexit benefit?

[Purdey]

40 minutes ago, dayo202 said:

What documents did you show the Halifax for proof of your address ?

I guessing your address is in the UK ?????

I send them proof of address in Thailand, not the UK. It seems to satisfy them. The evidence is signed by my lawyer in English. It included my bank statement and a letter from my Singapore Bank.

Had the account over 40 years and been in Thailand over 36 years. They always write to my Thai address if they need to contact me.

If Halifax ever decides to close the account, I will get them to send the money to a Thai bank.

[kwilco]

you can have an account outside if...

 

"

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."

 

Barclays Bank

Edited September 25, 2023 by kwilco

[transam]

17 minutes ago, kwilco said:

Another Brexit benefit?

Go away, yet another stupid post.............????

[kwilco]

Just now, transam said:

Go away, yet another stupid post.............????

Banks in EU re obliged oto recognise account holders in other countries.

[Surasak]

2 hours ago, Goat said:

Probably a result of the Brexit.

I see the economy is tanking similar to Russia's.

England the only country in history where the people actually voted to have sanctions placed on themselves.

Yes they did, but it was lies and damned lies which won the day at that time. I can say I voted against it, but a lot of good that did.

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, Mike Teavee said:

As I posted in another thread, Barclays is currently allowing some customers to keep their accounts:-

 

Under the latest closures, those with cash ISAs and fixed-rate bonds will be able to keep their accounts unless they live in Estonia, Italy, the Netherlands or Slovakia.

The same rule applies to mortgage and loan holders with the UK wing of the bank. However, existing home loan customers will not be able to remortgage when their term ends.

 

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/barclays-debank-british-expats-134809331.html?guccounter=1

 

Remains to be seen whether they'll let people with a Stocks & Shares ISA keep their accounts (Guess I'll wait to see if they write to me saying they're going to close my account). 

 

 

 

Well that does it for me. I'm moving all my Barclays money to my Coutts account.

[HK MacPhooey]

1 hour ago, Goat said:

Probably a result of the Brexit.

I see the economy is tanking similar to Russia's.

England the only country in history where the people actually voted to have sanctions placed on themselves.

Nothing to do with Brexit - if anything these repressive international banking rules (that assume we're all drug dealer and money launderers) probably were introduced by and thrust upon the UK by the unelected EU dictators. Unfortunately the Remoaners throughout all the British Government, Establishment and Civil Service are doing all they can to put the UK back into the EU      

[Hamus Yaigh]

Only Barclays? What about other banks?

[quake]

1 hour ago, Gandtee said:

I closed my account with HSBC years ago after repeated problems and the stress of speaking to people in a far off country with their English difficult to understand. thank goodness I did.

Was it an Indian call center by chance.  

[quake]

6 minutes ago, HK MacPhooey said:

Nothing to do with Brexit - if anything these repressive international banking rules (that assume we're all drug dealer and money launderers) probably were introduced by and thrust upon the UK by the unelected EU dictators. Unfortunately the Remoaners throughout all the British Government, Establishment and Civil Service are doing all they can to put the UK back into the EU      

Hear Hear. 

[Mario Cosmopolite]

3 hours ago, Geordieabroad said:

It's already happened, in April Barclays informed me i had till August 30th to take my balances to zero and close my accounts which i obviously did. A nice thank you from Barclays after 35 years of banking with them

Last month I had to contact Amex Card Services about a matter, which I dealt Ith through their online Chat quite successfully. Afterwards the CSR sent me a message " we note you have had an Amex card for 46 years. Thank you so much for being a long-term customer". I wrote back that their thanks was not appreciated when they had just advised me they would be cancelling my card because I lived outside UK. I got a boiler plate reply that it was changed business practices....

[brewsterbudgen]

17 minutes ago, Hamus Yaigh said:

Only Barclays? What about other banks?

The article is just about Barclays.  Doesn't seem to affect other UK banks, or there'd be threads on the Forum about it!

[Oink]

Nothing to do with Brexit.

The notice to close accounts clearly states that Barclays have chosen to close the acounts of customers with address outside the UK. Nothing to do with any banking legislation. At the same time as issuing the letter debanking you, they made anouncements of more branch closures and staff redundancies. They just want to do away with the cost of physical banks and staff handling customers and everone to use cards and QR codes which they then skim of a % of everything you spend.

[rgrdns]

Hi,

So far i know for the last 2 years, some banks in the Netherlands and Belgium are closing accounts from customers who have a domicilie outside the EER (Europe)

Regards

[bangkokspurs]

16 minutes ago, Mario Cosmopolite said:

Last month I had to contact Amex Card Services about a matter, which I dealt Ith through their online Chat quite successfully. Afterwards the CSR sent me a message " we note you have had an Amex card for 46 years. Thank you so much for being a long-term customer". I wrote back that their thanks was not appreciated when they had just advised me they would be cancelling my card because I lived outside UK. I got a boiler plate reply that it was changed business practices....

 

[bangkokspurs]

1 minute ago, bangkokspurs said:

 

Mario

I have never been contacted by AMEX about them closing my card, been living here over twenty years, used to get monthly bills through the door now just online so they know i live in Thailand.

When is this supposed to happen, to be honest its the only card i use.   

[geisha]

7 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Never tell a bank where you live use the account to withdraw/transfer or use the "ATM" card here maintain a UK address at all costs its not rocket science ????

So keeping your account there is for what purpose, to keep the savings/ investments ??

[hotandsticky]

2 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

I don't have any evidence just recall a thread discussing it 

 

& somebody saying their private pension wouldn't allow them to pay to a Wise account,  I did ask the same question as it is just a UK Sort Code / Account number so I can't see why the couldn't pay directly to it & pointed out the article quoted early in the thread was > 8 years old when Wise didn't have their own Sortcodes / Account numbers...  Still best to check with your pension provider just in case. 

 

 

Ironically my pension is from my 26 years working at Barclays so if they do close my account (Which still says "Staff Account" despite me leaving them 10 years ago) then it will be their problem where to pay it when it becomes due in Feb 2026.

  

 

Ha Ha. My pension is from 31 years with HSBC. These days I doubt that past employment counts for anything; if I should ever manage to get through and actually talk to anyone I doubt that they would recognise that the third digit of my bank accounts is a "9" (identifying as a 'staff account').

[sammieuk1]

2 minutes ago, geisha said:

So keeping your account there is for what purpose, to keep the savings/ investments ??

Have any UK pensions paid into it then transfer it thorough a third party would be "wise" for starters and anything else you may require a UK account for now or in the future ????

[xtrnuno41]

Is there someone who is already involved with Wise account?

I red, you can put your money on an account, even getting 3.19% interest.

Everybody can send it to your Wise account, there is a card, there are apps.

Red Wise isnt a bank, however doing business with Barclays and JP Morgan.

And therefor protected with money guarantee of 100000 euro, instead of 25000 euro in Thailand.

Then the account is international, so no codes about abroad money?

Is Wise a solution?

 

[retarius]

I don't know any US or UK banks that allow accounts to be opened with foreign addresses, although you can open accounts with Citibank using a Thai address.

I opened my NatWest account when I was a student about 55 years ago, and used my parent's address as I was moving around all the time. I changed it to my son's address when my parents passed away. 

[transam]

2 minutes ago, retarius said:

I don't know any US or UK banks that allow accounts to be opened with foreign addresses, although you can open accounts with Citibank using a Thai address.

I opened my NatWest account when I was a student about 55 years ago, and used my parent's address as I was moving around all the time. I changed it to my son's address when my parents passed away. 

Have you tried them all...?

[Sigmund]

Bully arrogant attitude of a brit bank,  that reflects unfortunately the attitude of the brits often.

[jesimps]

4 hours ago, Goat said:

Probably a result of the Brexit.

I see the economy is tanking similar to Russia's.

England the only country in history where the people actually voted to have sanctions placed on themselves.

Utter garbage! Being an expat using online banking from Thailand has beggar all to do with Brexit. I wish you remainers (lefties) would get over it and bow to the democratic will of the people.