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bixy
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Just received a letter telling me that my cash card will be replaced by a card+ which will not be able to be used to withdraw money outside the UK. Well that defeats the whole point of having the card. It will be able to be used for making purchases. We use the card to put money into our current account here, and from there it mainly goes to pay direct debits and the like, so the ability to make purchases is not a great deal of use. The letter also points out that any charges incurred by N/wide when we use our card to make purchases will be passed on to us. I wonder why they have taken this step. This is bound to affect a large number of ex-pats.

Patrick

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Well it has been too good to be true for many years now, especially compared to the "service" recieved from French banks.

I use my card all the time for purchases but not much for cash, just to keep a float in my wallet which mainly gets spent on baguettes, the odd coffee or newspaper or purchases under the €10 plafond.

Oh and for the water bills and taxes fonciers*es bills as the tresor public will allow card use only for les impôts.

I think that this will rock the boat for many people but it really is no different to the old days when one had to open and feed an account in advance in other countries when working or travelling.

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I tried searching for references to the Card+ but couldn't anything on Nationwide's site.  However, I did find a posting similar to yours on a Spanish related site.

Not good news. I'd be wanting to review whether to stay with Nationwide.

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A few questions if you dont mind.

Is your card registered at a French address?

Do you use it ever to make purchases in the UK?

Do you have money paid into the account every month?

It is possible that they are only going to appy this to overseas customers given that their unique selling point for UK customers is the (effectively) free use of the card abroad for both purchases and cash withdrawals, for most customers this benefit represents a small proportion of the useage wheareas those of us living abroad are ripping the ar5e out of it.

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I have just looked on the Nationwide site and the nothing appears to have changed .

 The following information is courtesy of NationWide Building society web site today 4th March 2010

Nationwide continues to offer "commission-free" foreign transactions.

"Commission-free" means that we do not add any additional charges for exchanging currency which are designed to generate profit for the Society. We do, however, pass on any fee we incur from our card scheme providers for processing transactions in certain currencies (generally those outside of the European Economic Area and Turkey and Israel) other than sterling.

P.S Don't panic Derek!! [:D]

 

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I can shed some light on this after having had a long conversation with Nationwide.

They have credit scored all flex accounts with Experian. If yours fails, you get the letter and the " Card +". If it passes you get the upgraded or "full" Flex a/c with  a card that lets you withdraw cash. I could not believe that I would fail a credit check, knowing my past credit record, unless the French address alone is enough to tip it. However, the lady on the 'phone re - did my credit score there and then and surprise, it passed and I was upgraded. I don't know why and the lady at Nationwide cannot see any details of the creit record - they just work on the Experian rating, with no appeals procedure, even if, like me you have had a trouble free a/c for ages, their credit card and significant investments with them.

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I think they are just tidying up their range of accounts.

I have had a Flexaccount since it started, back in the days when Nationwide were only a simple building society. In those days they didn't have a debit card, just a cash card. I still have that card with the Flex Account, but they have for years been trying to persuade me to upgrade. I never did largely because I didn't need another debit card, but also because in repeated tests against my wife's Nationwide debit card the cash card always gave a slightly better exchange rate.

The Cashcard account was introduced a few years ago, when  the banks were leaned on by the Government to introduce simple accounts for the Great Unbanked, It was part of their plan to get rid of cash payment of pension at the Post Office counters. This account was never really intended for use by people grand enough to travel abroad [:D], so I suppose it's a  natural progression to migrate the posh folk to full Flexaccounts,  whilst cutting back on the services available for the basic Cashcard account.

We seem to get one of these scares every spring about the end of the Nationwide's foreign benefits.

 

 

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Aha!

The OP does not have a flex account [I]

I have had mine for nigh on 30 years, I think at the start I only had a cheque guarantee card, I am still on my original cheque book and do use it occasionally, it must give them a shock when they have to process one!

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I though the same as I read the thread Chancer.

If they downgrade mine I'll take my overdraft elsewhere, that'll teach em ! [:D][:D][:D]

Seriously though I have wondered what the effect on ones credit rating might be if out of the system. Mine was triple squeaky clean perfect when we left UK and I still use my 2 UK credit cards fairly regularly, not out of need but as a convenience and to keep a repayment record going. I think if you went totally dormant for a few years you'd slip down in the ratings although at the end of the day, committed to living in France and not anticipating being in need of any loans or mortgages from UK, the truth is that it's not really of any practical significance but on the basis that one can never say never and that I have the means and opportunity to remain finacially active in UK, why not?

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Chancer, the answers to your questions are: yes, no yes, and I do have a flex account. I also have a very large sum of money invested in various accounts with Nationwide so I can see no reason why my credit rating would have been downgraded. I have never had any debt/credit problems. It's true that I only ever use my flex account to withdraw cash here in France. It will be interesting to see whether other people get one of these letters.

Patrick

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Thanks Bixy.

My card runs out in November so I will keep my fingers crossed.

My Flex account is still registered at my UK address, I do still make fairly regular purchases and some cash withdrawals there and I have a monthly rental income paid into it.

On the other hand my credit rating must be very low, I have never used the overdraft that I have with them and my credit card (with another company) wasnt used at all for 4 years until they threatened to downgrade it and now gets used once a year.

I notice that they have tightened up the requirements to get a Flex account, you now have to have your salary paid in to open one, there may even be a minimum figure, I guess if you fall outside of their parameters they will now downgrade your account.

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  • 2 weeks later...

[quote user="bixy"]Just received a letter telling me that my cash card will be replaced by a card+ which will not be able to be used to withdraw money outside the UK. Well that defeats the whole point of having the card. It will be able to be used for making purchases. We use the card to put money into our current account here, and from there it mainly goes to pay direct debits and the like, so the ability to make purchases is not a great deal of use. The letter also points out that any charges incurred by N/wide when we use our card to make purchases will be passed on to us. I wonder why they have taken this step. This is bound to affect a large number of ex-pats.

Patrick
[/quote]

From Todays "Money saving Expert" (17th March 2009) 

Nationwide cash card customers will no longer be able to use their plastic to withdraw cash overseas from this June. The building society is axing the benefit in a move which could hamper summer holiday spending plans. On the flip side, users will soon be able to make purchases with the card, something not currently possible

The move does not affect those with the society's more common FlexAccount, which comes with a Visa debit card, who can continue to use their card anywhere in the world to withdraw cash or make purchases.

This seems to clarify the situation.

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Thanks for that NickP, we have a Visa debit card with our Flexaccount. I withdrew some cash last night from an ATM, and wondered if it would actually give me anything, having been reading the thread a week or so ago. I'd wondered if we'd have to pay for a card at my French bank; at the moment we pay transfer money into Nationwide from our main English bank account, withdraw as and when needed, and pay chunks into the French account for bills etc. Now I know exactly what's what. ;o)
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[quote user="gardengirl "]at the moment we pay transfer money into Nationwide from our main English bank account, withdraw as and when needed, and pay chunks into the French account for bills etc.[/quote]As do we, and I suspect a significant number of others. It would certainly be a major PITA to lose the faclity particularly for those with limited resources and/or incomes such as pensions for whom the ability to transfer say 3 or 6 months money in a block might not be an option.

God bless Nationwide [;-)]

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As the OP thought I would add a follow up. We have just returned from the UK where I went into a branch of NW to see about upgrading to the Visa debit card. You can't, I was told because it would mean opening a new account and you can't do that because you are not UK resident. I would be interested to know Graham and Brenda how you managed to get this upgrade. All in all the visit was a complete waste of time. There were other matters that I was told I could only progress in a branch - got absolutely nowhere. I shall be writing them a letter...

Patrick

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I have had a Flex a/c for a long time. I 'phoned the number on the original letter. The lady said I couldn't upgrade but then said I could once she redid the credit ref check. Later in the conversation she also said that I had had a debit card some years ago. I vaguely remember changing to a cash card at some time as that was all I needed. Perhaps that had more influence than the credit check - I don't know.

I recommend you 'phone the number on the letter (don't mention going into the branch) and ask to upgrade. If they say no, then ask why not.

Good luck,
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  • 4 months later...

Request for Graham & Brenda :

 

Hi, could you possibly post the telephone number provided in the letter? 

It affects me but I never received a letter and have only just found out about this problem by searching the Nationwide website (I must have missed this post back in March)

This seems to be another kick in the teeth from Nationwide - first I thought I would have to start paying to get hold of my money from November - but now it seems I won't be able to get to my money at all once the new card arrives!!!! .

(sorry couldn't get the quote to work)

 

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Update:

Had an email from Nationwide to say it was not possible to obtain a debit card with a foreign address as the credit check required would not work.

Rang the number kindly provided by Graham and Brenda and, with the help from a nice call centre lady in Wakefield, managed to obtain approval for the debit card. It would appear that Nationwide will accept the credit check on a previous address, as long as there is relevant data from the previous 6 years. So as we only moved 4 years ago, the credit check went through.

I am considering moving my UK bank account details to a holding address in the UK (relative's address) so as to have more flexibility in the future. After all, I never receive much post from them as I do everything on-line, and one bank I used to use insisted this was the only option. Apparently, having done a bit of research, this is the norm in the US in order to maintain a credit score.

Any views on this?

 

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