dazbevo Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Hi All, can any of you guys offer any advice on opening a oz bank account before we leave the uk,ive looked at a couple and wonder if they are as bad as those over here? also little advise on transfering money would be helpful,cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tivolistuff Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Hi Oz banks are pretty much the same as UK banks. The big 4 are Westpac, NAB, Commonwealth, and ANZ. The smaller ones are St Georges, Bank of Queensland and probably some others. They are all pretty much of a muchness, just like the UK.. They all charge you (on standard accounts) for using the competitions ATM's grrrrrrrr. Some have Indian call centres, double grrrrrrr. They don't open on weekends and usually close before you finish work on week days. Although I have seen some Westpac's in large shopping centres open on a Saturday. Most shopping centres have all 4 banks ATM's available so you dont often need to use a competitor and most small towns will have at least a Westpac and NAB available (in my experience). I chose NAB and so far have been ok. We got a Visa/ Debit account which does allow free use of other ATM's so long as you put $5k in and out of the account per month. So its a bit of a pain having to keep swapping money around accounts but worth it on shoe leather when you cant find a branch to get money from. I know the Commonwealth and Westpac have a presence in London so you can set up an account before you leave and transfer money in to them from the UK. I have seen some branches of HSBC in shopping centres so it may be an idea to check with them before you leave (but few and far between.) PS This is NSW, could be different in other states! good luck Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JoanneHattersley Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 I love Bankwest. We were originally with CBA but left them after being stung for mega charges. We were not impressed with them. Bankwest are brill. No charges and we get 10% on our savings if we leave it in the acct for a year. Only hassle is that they are new here in the eastern coast of Oz. Our nearest branch to us is in the city but I can handle that for no bank charges! I think they are more well known in Perth and the west side. Also they are very keen to help out people that are not PR yet. They are one of the few in my opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sheena Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 hiya, we have a few westpac accounts and they are brill! pay about $5 per month for the acoounts which is nothing really! cant fault them sheena :wubclub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckbuchanan Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 We opened an account with the Commonwealth Bank in London. The people we dealt with for our move were fantastic. Since getting here I would say that their performance is fairly typical for a bank, but we have good contacts through their emigration service who have always been very helpful. We still call them or email them directly and they reply the same day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Robert Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Hi All,can any of you guys offer any advice on opening a oz bank account before we leave the uk,ive looked at a couple and wonder if they are as bad as those over here? also little advise on transfering money would be helpful,cheers HSBC Online Savings Account. Bank online savings accounts | HSBC Australia No monthly account keeping fee. Unlimited free HSBC ATM transactions (But they only have a few in Australia). Five free ATM transactions per month, at any other banks ATM. Unlimited free transactions at Post Offices throughout Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazbevo Posted August 23, 2008 Author Share Posted August 23, 2008 thanks everyone! can i also ask about who to transfer money with its seems a bit confusing daz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 2kidsonecat Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 Hi dazbevo, Try www.hifx.co.uk we used them and they are fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Robert Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 I used HSBC when I transferred mine, but I did negotiate directly with my UK HSBC Bank Manager, and got a much better rate than normal. I was also transfering to a HSBC account in Australia. The interbank rate when I exchanged was 2.81420 and I got 2.795 from HSBC. The first rate that HSBC quoted me was 2.70, which was the interbank rate + 4%, the normal tourist rate I think. 12th December 2002, in case you are wondering about the rate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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