torrow Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Hi, What is the best UK bank for ex pats? Is there any UK bank with a mobile app that works without a UK sim inside the phone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuestHouse Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I'd recommend two banks, not one: If you have a problem with one then the other is a back-up. HSBC and TSB work well for me. TSB App works everywhere I've been. I don't use an HSBC App, rather access from my desk top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExpatJ Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 HSBC is good because it's easy to open accounts in any country you move too. On the negative side logging into and using your account is like under taking the pre- flight checks of a space shuttle flight- endless passwords, widgets and numbers that need to be entered and re entered in weird combinations - a real pain. Sent from my SM-N900 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetefldon Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 First Direct internet banking part of HSBC.Good App plus manage account via Internet from PC. Also excellent service via telephone. Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieH Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Santander, great app and 3% on your balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassde Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I use HSBC and Santander - good advice to have two banks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacChang Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Gosh Hsbc, that calculator thingy u need to carry around to log in.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tso310 Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Gosh Hsbc, that calculator thingy u need to carry around to log in.... Couldn't agree more. To be fair they are a decent bank. When someone cloned my bank card they spotted it before I did. They sorted it out quickly and no money was lost. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill014 Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 As long as you download the app outside of Thailand, HSBC's works extremely well. Their exchange rate is better than most, for instance yesterday, they gave me 54.65 on an online transfer, LloydsTSB only 52.46. That's nearly 22,000 baht difference! There is no HSBC personal banking in Thailand but, if you open a Jersey, UK or any other country account, you can see them all in their excellent "Global View". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacko45k Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 HSBC works for me, although I prefer to do things via my laptop. Their internet banking works okay and £4 international transfers are possible. Having a HSBC account in Thailand as well opens things up more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonShadow Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Gosh Hsbc, that calculator thingy u need to carry around to log in.... Couldn't agree more. To be fair they are a decent bank. When someone cloned my bank card they spotted it before I did. They sorted it out quickly and no money was lost. ...and that's precisely why they have that "calculator thingy'......frankly I stay well away from Phone banking (and yes I was an International Banker for 25+ years)......the amount of problems because phone users download all sorts of apps that interogate other apps makes it increasingly unsafe....use your PC and use a bank which double checks your identity HSBC offshore has worked well with me for many years.....and clear your cache!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris1101 Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Not a "bank" but enquire from Nationwide Building Society (UK). FlexPlus debit account, pay £10 a month and use any foreign ATM. Here in Thailand the local ATM will charge you 150/180 baht per withdrawal which cannot be avoided with foreign card but the Nationwide will not charge you a penny. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefox999uk Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 (edited) Halifax, and i use their Clarity card for withdrawls within the bank in Thailand....can not be beaten for value Take a look at this well known site http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money Have a Nice Day. Edited July 23, 2014 by firefox999uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franky Bear Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I use Bank of Scotland. can't complain. After reading this post i will open an HSBC when i'm next in the UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDM0712 Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 (edited) I have businessss and personal accounts with HSBC and no problems at all. And I regularly transfer money from the UK to Thailand and me is usually done within 24 hours. SDM Edited July 23, 2014 by SDM0712 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyborgx Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Lloyds TSB Offshore offer a service with 3 Currency accounts (USD/GBP/EUR) with Visa Debit cards for each, and if you are willing to keep a minimum of about $3500 in one of the accounts you can avoid the monthly charge. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineofentry Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 When you are used to it, logging on to HSBC with the little code generator is easy, you can transfer any amount to Thailand in sterling for £4.00 usually arrives in my SCB next day at Thai bank exchange rate, no other fees seem to be applied, that's it, works for me on laptop or mobile device. Main considerations are - setting up your payee account correctly, ensuring you transfer in sterling (GBP equivalent on menu) and notifying HSBC (all on line) that you are in Thailand and giving them your Thai contact number. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggg88 Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Good advice to always have 2 banks. I use First Direct (HSBC) and Nationwide but I also have a Caxton account with one of their International debit cards. I load the card online from my banks and use like any other card. The Thai banks still charge me 150Baht for cash withdrawals but the Caxton exchange rate is good and there are no other charges whatsoever. Nationwide used to offer free cash withdrawals abroad but that has stopped now, although they are still one of the cheapest. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETERTHEEATER Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 HSBC is good because it's easy to open accounts in any country you move too. On the negative side logging into and using your account is like under taking the pre- flight checks of a space shuttle flight- endless passwords, widgets and numbers that need to be entered and re entered in weird combinations - a real pain. Sent from my SM-N900 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app I don't know of any UK banks that accept expatriates unless they are UK residents with a registered UK address in which case they are not expats. It is possible to open an offshore sterling account with most major UK banks but the minimum balance is around 50k so, judging from the responses in this thread we have a lot of well heeled members........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jip99 Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Gosh Hsbc, that calculator thingy u need to carry around to log in.... Couldn't agree more. To be fair they are a decent bank. When someone cloned my bank card they spotted it before I did. They sorted it out quickly and no money was lost. ...and that's precisely why they have that "calculator thingy'......frankly I stay well away from Phone banking (and yes I was an International Banker for 25+ years)......the amount of problems because phone users download all sorts of apps that interogate other apps makes it increasingly unsafe....use your PC and use a bank which double checks your identity HSBC offshore has worked well with me for many years.....and clear your cache!! That calculator thingy requires all of 4 digits to be input and then 6 digits into the PC login. Not overly challenging in my opinion. For those who find it a bit difficult, try Halifax - they use a static sign on password and 3 random numbers/letters from your memorable information. Monday night 9pm (Thai time) I instructed a transfer from HSBC UK to Kasikorn. 08:07 Tuesday morning I received an sms from Kasikorn confirming that my account had been credited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefox999uk Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 HSBC is good because it's easy to open accounts in any country you move too. On the negative side logging into and using your account is like under taking the pre- flight checks of a space shuttle flight- endless passwords, widgets and numbers that need to be entered and re entered in weird combinations - a real pain. Sent from my SM-N900 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app I don't know of any UK banks that accept expatriates unless they are UK residents with a registered UK address in which case they are not expats. It is possible to open an offshore sterling account with most major UK banks but the minimum balance is around 50k so, judging from the responses in this thread we have a lot of well heeled members........ Wikipedia:- An expatriate (sometimes shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of the person's upbringing. The word comes from the Latin terms ex ("out of") and patria ("country, fatherland"). Have a Nice Day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon999 Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 HSBC is good because it's easy to open accounts in any country you move too. On the negative side logging into and using your account is like under taking the pre- flight checks of a space shuttle flight- endless passwords, widgets and numbers that need to be entered and re entered in weird combinations - a real pain. Sent from my SM-N900 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app I don't know of any UK banks that accept expatriates unless they are UK residents with a registered UK address in which case they are not expats. It is possible to open an offshore sterling account with most major UK banks but the minimum balance is around 50k so, judging from the responses in this thread we have a lot of well heeled members........ As long as you have a UK address then Nationwide will open an online Flexaccount for you. Just show your passport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jip99 Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 HSBC is good because it's easy to open accounts in any country you move too. On the negative side logging into and using your account is like under taking the pre- flight checks of a space shuttle flight- endless passwords, widgets and numbers that need to be entered and re entered in weird combinations - a real pain. Sent from my SM-N900 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app I don't know of any UK banks that accept expatriates unless they are UK residents with a registered UK address in which case they are not expats. It is possible to open an offshore sterling account with most major UK banks but the minimum balance is around 50k so, judging from the responses in this thread we have a lot of well heeled members........ As long as you have a UK address then Nationwide will open an online Flexaccount for you. Just show your passport. ... and provide address verification. That should then satisfy their Money Laundering Rules requirements. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExpatJ Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I opened my HSBC account in Indonesia with no UK address needed. I then used that account to open one in Singapore (where I have no residence) and Thailand (HSBC shut down here now) - In Indonesia opened a premier account which requires a 50.000$ deposit. Sent from my SM-N900 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alant Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 which of these banks will deliver new credit and debit cards to you in Thailand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyf Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 HSBC is good because it's easy to open accounts in any country you move too. On the negative side logging into and using your account is like under taking the pre- flight checks of a space shuttle flight- endless passwords, widgets and numbers that need to be entered and re entered in weird combinations - a real pain. Sent from my SM-N900 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app I don't know of any UK banks that accept expatriates unless they are UK residents with a registered UK address in which case they are not expats. It is possible to open an offshore sterling account with most major UK banks but the minimum balance is around 50k so, judging from the responses in this thread we have a lot of well heeled members........ You are right in what you say, well certainly with regard to HSBC. I bank with HSBC and when I gave up my flat I registered with an online postal service. When I changed the address on my bank account they picked it up as not being a physical address and I was called into the bank. They had to wait the best part of a year till I was next in the UK. The guy said that it was bank policy not to have accounts for people that did not actually live in the UK and that they may have to close the account. I explained the position I was in and as I had 2 pensions being paid into the account he did agree to keep it open. I had to supply details of my address and bank in Thailand. He did say that there was no guarantee that the account may not be closed in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontious Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 HSBC is good because it's easy to open accounts in any country you move too. On the negative side logging into and using your account is like under taking the pre- flight checks of a space shuttle flight- endless passwords, widgets and numbers that need to be entered and re entered in weird combinations - a real pain. Sent from my SM-N900 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app I don't know of any UK banks that accept expatriates unless they are UK residents with a registered UK address in which case they are not expats. It is possible to open an offshore sterling account with most major UK banks but the minimum balance is around 50k so, judging from the responses in this thread we have a lot of well heeled members........ I agree - I cannot find any UK mainland bank that will open a new account when residing in Thailand. (without lying). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rak sa_ngop Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 which of these banks will deliver new credit and debit cards to you in Thailand? Well I know of one that will NOT. Natwest bank kindly sent me a letter explaining that Thailand was on their blacklist. Not only will they not send by post, they will not trust any courier company to deliver (due to their bad experience). I notified them of a UK address to deliver to, and in the past I have asked them to send to one of their UK branches for me to pick up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Betong Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 (edited) which of these banks will deliver new credit and debit cards to you in Thailand? I have used FirstDirect for nearly twenty years. They post cards overseas and have done for well over 10 years. Recently they introduced a Foreign Transaction charge ontop of their standard ATM charges Along with the local bank charges it now costs nearly twenty quid a month to withdraw my state pension I am now in the process of trying to get the state pension paid directly into my local Bangkok Bank to avoid these extortionate charges ... Edited July 24, 2014 by John_Betong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineofentry Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Banks and Governments! Don't tell them anything unless YOU think it's safe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now