Keeping UK Bank accounts open and Uk address questions

[erincowell]

I want to keep my uk bank accounts open for a while to cover things that may still need doing or paying in the uk. Have people done this and what have you done about having a UK address. After your house is sold address for accounts will have to be changed?

 

What did you do ? Also were you able to still use internet banking for your UK accounts once you were in Australia?

 

My current account is the Halifax and they seem particularly uninformed and unhelpful when I briefly spoke to them.

 

Any advice very gladly received - as contract exchange about to take place on house in next week.:arghh:

[Guest Francine]

I want to keep my uk bank accounts open for a while to cover things that may still need doing or paying in the uk. Have people done this and what have you done about having a UK address. After your house is sold address for accounts will have to be changed?

 

What did you do ? Also were you able to still use internet banking for your UK accounts once you were in Australia?

 

My current account is the Halifax and they seem particularly uninformed and unhelpful when I briefly spoke to them.

 

Any advice very gladly received - as contract exchange about to take place on house in next week.:arghh:

 

 

I'd be interested in any responses to these questions too.

[pintpot]

I've just changed everything to the outlaws' address....not so easy if you don't have family etc in the UK

[emmaroo]

I'm with the Halifax and they were fine with me just changing my address to Oz one. I have no issues and just use the account like I was still in the UK!

[Guest]

You can notify them you are moving overseas and give them your Aus address to send post to. Just switch over to online statements etc and you should hardly get anything post wise then.

 

You can also leave it open longer term to use. We shall keep an account open once in Aus to use for online shopping in UK and buying presents from Amazon UK etc for people in UK. Shall transfer funds a few times a year to cover this.

[Shazza110]

Hi, I bank with the Royal Bank of Scotland and have kept my account open. I brought my card reader and bank card with me so I can still use on line banking. I kept my address the same but requested no post sent to this address. We are renting our house out in the UK. I am going to write to the bank to change my address to my address in Australia. I have no problems at all. I find it useful to keep the bank account open as I can arrange to my flowers for my family for birthdays and buy music for my ipod using may card. Some things I give my sisters address to send correspondence to. Good luck

[nicolac34]

I'm with HSBC. I changed my address with them to my Oz address, internet banking is no problem and I still use the cards to pay for stuff in pounds (we keep funds in our UK account).

 

Partnership Credit Card - kept this open as well, have used my parents address in the UK as the billing address - not sure why, could have changed it to here. Administer it online no problem.

 

Post Office Credit Card - kept this for overseas transactions as they don't charge a commission on overseas transactions and we aren't eligible for an Oz credit card yet. Changed this address to our Oz address and we get our statements out here (albeit quite late!) so we also administer this online with no issue.

 

The only problem I've found is an overzealous post office administrator who keeps cancelling my card due to 'suspect' transactions - mainly because we only use it to book flights! An expensive phone call to their call centre usually solves the problem.

 

So in summary, no problems at all really with changing addresses to Oz addresses and administering the accounts from here!

[erincowell]

You can notify them you are moving overseas and give them your Aus address to send post to. Just switch over to online statements etc and you should hardly get anything post wise then.

 

You can also leave it open longer term to use. We shall keep an account open once in Aus to use for online shopping in UK and buying presents from Amazon UK etc for people in UK. Shall transfer funds a few times a year to cover this.

 

Well that is all a relief - thank you. The "bank advisor" at the Halifax told me it would be IMPOSSIBLE. No way ever etc etc. I cannot use online banking even - IF I AM NOT a uk resident. I have to have a UK address. If your new cards are forwarded through mail to UK by relatives etc and there is a security issue (stolen bla bla) the Halifax would not help with the account AT ALL. She kept saying fraud and that Australia does not allow you to access online banking to UK banks and definately the Halifax don't! I would absolutely definately have to talk to her colleagues about offshore banking!!! Halifax will definately NOT SEND ANY MAIL TO AN AUSTRALIAN ADDRESS - she said many times over the phone.

 

Nobody has had any problem with online banking back to their UK accounts????

 

Have I encountered new rules OR the BEST/WORST Halifax advisor ever ? I now wish I had not asked them. I will just close out my ISA as I know you can't have those if you are not resident and say no more.

 

I don't need this - I am already a tad frizzed about the speed at which we are moving .

 

So (she said in a paranoid way) : I just leave my accounts open, find a UK address to use or just give them an Australian address? That will work? What if you need a new card etc - any experience with that.

 

I have got to meet this woman in person tomorrow - I hope she has some different words then for me.

 

Why MEeeeeeeee

[nicolac34]

Oh dear, sounds like you got a right busy body! Our friend has Halifax - he's had no issue accessing his online banking, so no idea what she's on about. He's probably left his address as UK as he's only here on a WHV so can't comment on that.

 

Not sure about cards being posted out, but HSBC post everything else out here so I really can't see that being an issue.

 

Maybe consider changing banks?!

[Guest tandcmum]

i am just changing my address to my parents one and carrying on as normal, hopefully that will be okay, it's only a basic account anyway not one which has to have minimum amount deposited every month or anything, we have a few little bits we need to keep paying for a little while too

[winter1]

Erincowell wrote

Have I encountered new rules OR the BEST/WORST Halifax advisor ever ? I now wish I had not asked them. I will just close out my ISA as I know you can't have those if you are not resident and say no more.

 

You Don't need to close your ISAs the rules are quite clear I believe you are also allowed to transfer them, but you cannot add any more to it. Transferring them may be difficult in practice as you have to provide proof of identity etc to a new provider unless you already have accounts with them.

Although remember an ISA has to be put on your Australian Tax return as the interest is not tax free in Australia.

[erincowell]

I have had my appointment at the bank and after a long time with watching adviser on the phone , the end result is as you have all said. I can keep my accounts open and access them from Australia. Even after I evetually change to an Australian address.

 

Thank goodness for the forums! Thank you one and all.

[Slean Wolfhead]

I have had my appointment at the bank and after a long time with watching adviser on the phone , the end result is as you have all said. I can keep my accounts open and access them from Australia. Even after I evetually change to an Australian address.

 

Thank goodness for the forums! Thank you one and all.

 

One thing you may wish to consider is your Halifax account registered mobile phone number if you're getting a new Aussie phone.

The Halifax do SMS confirmations for online transfers and large payments, so even if you leave your account postal address as the UK, you need to register an up to date mobile number to receive the SMS and get the code, which you then type into the Halifax website to confirm the transaction.

Aussie mobiles do work internationally with the +61 suffix on your Halifax account...but the Halifax have a 7 day activation wait on changed mobile numbers to combat fraud, so you might want to set that up a week before you need to use the online banking for anything major.

 

I had a similar runaround and it's no fun ringing them in the middle of the night from Australia to talk to somebody.

[MARYROSE02]

So long as you change your address to Australia you should be OK. I have internet accounts with both Smile and Nationwide and the only problem I have is if I want to get money from my Nationwide cash ISA account. I have to physically mail them my passbook with a letter.

 

Other than that, i use my Smile Visa Debit to pay for everything in OZ although I am subject to charges. My rent from my UK home goes into my account and I use the card to 'withdraw' from it. Not cash but paying for goods and services. If I ever have a large amount of money in there I can send an email using the secure mailing system and they will transfer the money to my Aussie account.

 

You may have to submit tax returns to either or both the relevant Tax Offices. I do returns in both countries.

[Guest windy1]

I believe the postion on this subject is more complex and potentially more problematical than these posts imply.

 

Having just looked at the online application forms for several big name high street banks and buliding socieites, it is a condition of all of them that applicants must be UK residents.

 

The implications of becoming non-resident whilst the account is open is not spelt out in the T& C's, except that if you are not UK resident, you are in breach of their conditionds and they have every right to close the account.

 

Therefore it seems to me the reason many people don't have a problem is one or more of the following.

 

- they make sure they have an account with a bank they feel will "cooperate" before they become non-resident

- they give another uk address in a similar (family) name and leave it at that.

- they do not explicitly tell the bank that they are going to become non-resident

- they say they are "going abroad" on a visa (whatever) to give the impression that their absence is temporary

 

I approached my own bank in the branch and got different stories. First they told me I could not maintain my account if I went abroad permanently. When I asked what I was supposed to do with my UK company pensions paid monthly in sterling and they said , in that case you can!

 

With these mixedmesages, I wrote to the head office and they said I would have to move to an offshore "international" division of the bank, so end of free banking etc. Don't know about debit cards, chequebooks etc.

 

Any other experiences to share?