Daffyduck Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 Hi all, We've got our flights booked for the move in January. Had intended to open an account with ANZ this week in preparation. I can't seem to find anything online about opening an account before you arrive now, with ANZ or any other bank. Had something changed and these accounts aren't available anymore? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 Yes, it has changed. As a temporary measure, open an account with Wise. https://wise.com/ Your Wise account will let you convert your money at a better rate than the banks, then you can use their card for spending, and then transfer the balance into an Australian bank once you've opened one, without further fees. It's not a big deal, really. You're not going to close your UK bank account anyway -- you'll find it's very useful for holidays and gifts for family in the future -- so just bring your debit and credit cards and use them as normal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daffyduck Posted October 9, 2022 Author Share Posted October 9, 2022 Thanks, was thinking I was going senile for a bit there and imagining things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 I think the rules have changed but i think you can still open an on line ANZ Access Advantage account before you move. It doesn't sound much different to years ago when we did it, you can pay money in but cannot withdraw until you are here and visited a Branch in person to verify your ID. '' The bank has made its Access Advantage account available to applicants outside of Australia, as well as its Online Saver. You can apply online using your personal details, ID documents and your country’s equivalent of the Tax Identification Number. Your account will be set up, but to use it for withdrawals, transfers or payments, you must visit an ANZ branch in person for an ID check once you arrive in Australia⁶. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMcKie Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 I was also able to open an account prior to moving but for NAB. I had to go into the branch to verify details before receiving the card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon the Hat Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 Yeah I did it with NAB last year. Just be clear you cannot withdraw any of the money before you show your ID in branch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie-C Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 Came over 2 weeks ago. We tried spent hours on the phone and online trying to open an ANZ account. Tried Commonwealth to no avail. NAB used to let you have one without withdrawals but had taken away the facility. Our son had an account he rarely uses so I used Wise to put cash in.( Wise we’re much quicker than any currency exchanger even though we had opened accounts before we came) We used this temporarily. When we arrived we opened a bank account and got the cards etc 2 weeks later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 51 minutes ago, Allie-C said: Came over 2 weeks ago. We tried spent hours on the phone and online trying to open an ANZ account. Tried Commonwealth to no avail. NAB used to let you have one without withdrawals but had taken away the facility. If it makes anyone feel any better, ALL the accounts were "without withdrawals", even when all the banks offered them. By law, the banks aren't allowed to give you a transactional bank account if you're not in Australia and able to verify your identity. So all they were really doing was offering you an account in name only, to get your money -- which they wouldn't give back to you until you'd gone through the identity checks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 3 hours ago, Marisawright said: If it makes anyone feel any better, ALL the accounts were "without withdrawals", even when all the banks offered them. By law, the banks aren't allowed to give you a transactional bank account if you're not in Australia and able to verify your identity. So all they were really doing was offering you an account in name only, to get your money -- which they wouldn't give back to you until you'd gone through the identity checks. Not sure what you mean by ''makes anyone feel better' but it sure as hell made us feel better when we opened ours wayyyy prior to our move and could send funds when exchange rates went up ,lol, and leave it if rates dropped . All in ,doing that secured us an extra few thousand $$$$ for when we arrived which certainly came in useful. Cal x 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 2 hours ago, calNgary said: Not sure what you mean by ''makes anyone feel better' but it sure as hell made us feel better when we opened ours wayyyy prior to our move and could send funds when exchange rates went up True, but you can do that with a company like Wise just as easily, or even by putting money into an Australian $ account in the UK. I'm just pointing out it's not that big a deal that the banks don't offer it any more, since what they offered was very limited anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon the Hat Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 (edited) Oh another point, with NAB I was able to add my card to apple wallet the day I showed my ID in the branch rather than waiting 2 weeks for it to arrive. Was very handy. Edited October 12, 2022 by Jon the Hat 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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