idun Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 OK, so one is being reduced as to how much can pay by cheque in France.Well folks, I use currency fair regularly and they have changed their bank details. I put these new details onto our online french bank account and yet could NOT make a transfer...... apparently I have to wait for four days for this new payee to be accepted.Just how can things work if a payment is due and one's bank REFUSES to accept the new payee for several days. I am told it is down to 'security' but businesses need to run, people need their money........... GRRRRRRRRRR!I have had THREE hair tearing out things that have come to light since 12 noon today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 This has been the case for quite a while...a couple of years I think, and in the past I too found it irritating though now I have learned to live with it.On the positive side it does mean that if someone hacks into your account they can't transfer funds out of it straightaway before you have a chance to notice.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Agree about learning to live with it.I wanted to add my husband as a beneficiary on my bank account so that I could put money in it as a virement. He is also a client of the same bank. Had to use a code they sent via sms to get his name added. Then waited 2 days for them to OK the request.Of course you can't always predict who you'd want to pay at short notice but I now always plan ahead. For example, if I have to buy something substantial, I set up the necessary procedure well in advance.That's not my biggest gripe. What really, really annoys me is when you can't do a virement for more than 3000 euros with my bank. Even when I go in to do it, the limit is still only 6000 euros and I have to pay a 3-euro fee.In fact, I wrote to Macron about the banking system in France but I don't expect he ever saw my message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Yes that is one of the worst, but up to now I could bypass that by paying a cheque into one account from another (in Béziers my two banks are next door to each other).The other day I wanted to put a sum into my Livret A in the Banque Populaire from the account in Crédit Agricôle into which the proceeds of my flat sale had been transferred, and I was able to write a substantial cheque in order to do it.In future I won't be able to do that, not to transfer more than 6000€.How is one supposed to manage transactions such large purchases of a house or car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Buying a car! Très compliquè, as they themselves admitted. Had to transfer funds around on line, using a credit card from my Hello bank for a deposit to secure the car of my choice. Then had to go into the regular bank complete with explanation, bill from garage and even then, the clerk messed up the transfer. So a second visit and no end of faffing around before the payment went through.I was talking to my kiné who had to buy 2 LPG machines at a total cost of about 70 000 euros and he said he was tearing his hair out. As he lived in Lyon and had a German bank account, he eventually paid from the German account to avoid the hassle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritinBretagne Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Why are you only allowed to make firemen’s of €3000? My limit is €15000 a day and if I need to pay more I arrange it with my bank. I suggest it’s your bank you need to talk to, not the president. Last time I paid cash into my UK bank I was told that I would have to wait five working days before I could use the money. Now that’s what I call bizarre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 BinB wrote : Why are you only allowed to make firemen’s of €3000? My limit is €15000 a day and if I need to pay more I arrange it with my bank. I suggest it’s your bank you need to talk to, not the president. Whilst I appreciate that BinB's post has been hijacked by the ever present horror of predictive text which rends his post nonsensical .. he is quite right when he says that it is your Bank which is at fault as regards a daily transfer limit. Other Banks are more generous in their daily allowances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Same with paying cash into your UK bank. Never had a problem. Even when paying it in with cheques. If the bank has a delay on cheques they often recommend doing separate transactions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lehaut Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 On the plus side, if someone hacks your account or you voluntarily add an incorrect payee to your account, you do have a grace period to check the info before you make the payment. Those that have been duped in the UK appear to have transfered huge sums as soon as the new payee has been added. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Oh dear, I wasn't quite clear about the limit for virements. The limit of 3000 euros is for if I want to do it on line and without incurring a charge. If I go to the counter, the limit done by the counter person is 6000 euros per virement and the charge is 3 euros. If I make an appointment and do it with a conseiller, the limit is, not sure but can probably empty my account[:D]When I said I wrote to the president, I meant that I wrote about the banking system in general, not about the amount that I, mint, can or cannot take out...duh.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 [quote user="Lehaut"]On the plus side, if someone hacks your account or you voluntarily add an incorrect payee to your account, you do have a grace period to check the info before you make the payment. Those that have been duped in the UK appear to have transfered huge sums as soon as the new payee has been added.[/quote]Good point, lehaut. I wasn't complaining but explaining what happened to me. As I also said, you just get used to it.Even my Nationwide people are careful. If I use my credit card to pay for something that looks "peculiar" to them, they block my card and ring me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 The variation between french banks for virement limits - could that be because each regional group is individually run, makes its own rules?eg ours was CA Pyrenees Gascogne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 One problem is that one is not always near the issuing bank.When I bought the flat I have just sold I was 150 kms away from Béziers but needed to transfer funds to the Notaire in the Ariège. I couldn't just pop into my branch..On the question of daily limits plafonds seehttps://billetdebanque.panorabanques.com/banque/les-plafonds-des-virements/I notice that there is no limit with Boursorama so I am tempted to migrate my Livret A to my account with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Mint, have to agree about Nationwide. It was they, who, within 2 hours, spotted an odd use of my card (to get cash, I don't believe I've ever used it to get cash) and phoned me ... yes, it had been stolen, without my knowledge - distraction technique. So kudos to them for that, even if they won't increase my credit limit (always pay it off in full), or allow me to do things online I'd like to do with my account. And the replacement card arrived quickly, without charge, the cash fee reimbursed etc. Getting a new card from CA took ages, and cost me to replace it! Do they want our business I always ask myself when I look at the services on offer by CA. And no, I'm not going to change accounts, it is just far, far too complicated!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Un autre Gallois Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Hi - Nationwide have informed me that I have a facility (must be with a card reader) to make CHAPS transfers, costing £20 each, of unlimited amount from my Flex account! Additionally there is a facility to pay several amounts of £10,000 each per day "Speedy Payment" via a debit card. They will not, however, let me have a credit card (non resident and not transporting a card with me when moving here!).UaGallois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted October 31, 2018 Author Share Posted October 31, 2018 I will never 'get' french banks. Unless one takes next to no services from them and has a very very basic card, then they are expensive.I am not happy about this latest with my bank and frankly, WHY should I get organised to spend MY money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 [quote user="Un autre Gallois"]Hi - Nationwide have informed me that I have a facility (must be with a card reader) to make CHAPS transfers, costing £20 each, of unlimited amount from my Flex account! Additionally there is a facility to pay several amounts of £10,000 each per day "Speedy Payment" via a debit card. They will not, however, let me have a credit card (non resident and not transporting a card with me when moving here!).UaGallois[/quote]Yes, I have used the 10 grand per day many, many times. Have been known to do it 7 days on the trot to pay for a second-hand car, but that was a fair few years ago. I was too tight to pay the 20 quid[:D]I use the credit card for almost all everyday expenses and thus in effect change a few hundred pounds a month into euros sans charge. Also, it spreads the ups and downs of the exchange rate evenly. Although, if the rate is particularly bad, I pay in euros from the French carte bleue or cheque. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 [quote user="idun"]I am not happy about this latest with my bank and frankly, WHY should I get organised to spend MY money. [/quote]Id, I understand your point about its being your money. However, once you hand your money over to the bank, the bank then has the responsibility of keeping that money safe. If they could justify limiting access to your money in order to keep it safe from thieves, surely that has to be a good thing?As to having to get organised, doesn't that apply when you use Currency Fair or another FX company? You have to make sure that cleared funds are in the account before you can exchange money and then send it onwards? If I think I detact the trend to be going up for sterling, I put some money into my CF account and I change on a day (usually within days or even a few weeks) when I think the rate is favourable. But, as I have said many times before, that day is NEVER the correct day to exhange, the correct day being the day before or the day after!Norman, by looking at your link, I have learned a new French term, blanchiment d'argent[:)] Of course, once I have seen it, it makes perfect sense, blanchisserie being a laundry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted October 31, 2018 Author Share Posted October 31, 2018 LOL I know that I sounded like some sort of 'newbie' to France, having a moan about french stuff[Www]. But, I reckon I was just participating in the national french pastime of 'rale'ing'[:-))]French banks, I reckon I could write a book about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 I have to say that I find Boursorama (my THIRD bank [:$] )much cheaper and with far fewer restrictions than the others, but the one problem is that you can't pay in cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Not much use for those who live in France and eschew the smartphone, but this is to be my next bank for dealing with the day-to-day of spending time and money in France.https://monzo.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard51 Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Isn't the whole point of moving away from Chqs and cash to save administration costs and so reduce your bills! simple really.Too many old fogies here not able to adjust to the new world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritinBretagne Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 [quote user="mint"]Oh dear, I wasn't quite clear about the limit for virements. The limit of 3000 euros is for if I want to do it on line and without incurring a charge. If I go to the counter, the limit done by the counter person is 6000 euros per virement and the charge is 3 euros. If I make an appointment and do it with a conseiller, the limit is, not sure but can probably empty my account[:D]When I said I wrote to the president, I meant that I wrote about the banking system in general, not about the amount that I, mint, can or cannot take out...duh..[/quote]My comment about writing to your bank manager not the President was tongue in cheek. Double duh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 [quote user="mint"][quote user="Un autre Gallois"]Hi - Nationwide have informed me that I have a facility (must be with a card reader) to make CHAPS transfers, costing £20 each, of unlimited amount from my Flex account! Additionally there is a facility to pay several amounts of £10,000 each per day "Speedy Payment" via a debit card. They will not, however, let me have a credit card (non resident and not transporting a card with me when moving here!).UaGallois[/quote]Yes, I have used the 10 grand per day many, many times. Have been known to do it 7 days on the trot to pay for a second-hand car, but that was a fair few years ago. I was too tight to pay the 20 quid[:D]I use the credit card for almost all everyday expenses and thus in effect change a few hundred pounds a month into euros sans charge. Also, it spreads the ups and downs of the exchange rate evenly. Although, if the rate is particularly bad, I pay in euros from the French carte bleue or cheque.[/quote]Gallois, I accept the Nationwide Banking does have it's limitations, hence why they are no longer my main UK bank, and Mint, you have taken the words right out of my mouth, you use your NW card exactly as I do ... much easier than transferring money. I used NW when we first came here to transfer the proceeds of our flat sale, as I had then no easier alternative, now, I try to keep sufficient at both ends (as it were), so very little gets transferred across. I have been in the (lucky, sad?) position of having had family deaths since we came to France which have helped in the UK, and the sale of our first bought property here in France only 2 years ago, to help out at this end ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard51 Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Can I assume that your accountants are only used for your business "transactions"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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