Barclays french solution

[redlancer]

Done a search but didn't find much on this so appologies if its been done before.

Out situation will be Misses and kids living in france, while i'll commute and work in UK.

Prior to going out want to set up a French or Euro account.

My situation will mean i'll need one that's cheap as chips for transfering money from UK.  But could also do with one that won't cost the earth in France, forgoton how good free banking is.

Couldn't find any info re the Barclay's one apart from it stating that free cash point in whole of France.

Is this an accout that could also set up direct debits etc in France i.e. a French bank account in principle.

Any experience on this would be helpfull

We are moving to Rhone alps area

 

 

 

[Beryl]

Moneybookers works well for me re transferring money from sterling to euros. Quick, cheap and easy and the exchange rate is good IMO.

If you have an euro account with a UK bank, this can prove very costly.

The La Poste bank had a few recommendations recently and I am considering them myself. I don't know anything about Credit Agricole Brit Line except that they have English speaking advisors.

[redlancer]

[quote user="beryl"]

Moneybookers works well for me re transferring money from sterling to euros. Quick, cheap and easy and the exchange rate is good IMO.

If you have an euro account with a UK bank, this can prove very costly.

The La Poste bank had a few recommendations recently and I am considering them myself. I don't know anything about Credit Agricole Brit Line except that they have English speaking advisors.

[/quote]

 

didn't know if this was a "UK" account so to speak

Was going to look at :La Poste, just thought if Barclays had a "french" account it might be easier to set up from over here.  Free cash points would be usefull.

 

[Renaud]

Barclays ... French ... Solution

Reminds me of a friend (who is a printer) who once wrote for me:

Fast ... Cheap ... Good

and said "you can only ever have two out of the three".

[Ron Avery]

If you have a UK address still, open up a Nationwide account, you can take money out of ATMs in euros in France for free.

If you just want a French bank account then go to Calais and open up one, there is little to choose costwise unless you want the comfort of an English speaking banker then use  CA Britline with whom I believe that you can open up an account without going to France, but if you are not going to be near Calvados its a long way to go to pay in money as its not easy from any other region's CA or other French banks

 

[Will]

I think Britline may be an exception to the general rule of French banking that you cannot service an account from other regions (which applies to other banks apart from CA though a few banks, including Banque Postale (as the Post Office banking service is now known) are properly national.

Banque Postale gets a lot of support on forums like this, but as always there are certain points to bear in mind. Small post offices in France are being closed, just as they are in Britain. Post Office staff will know the basic banking procedures, but they may not be so well trained or as familiar in things like foreign transfers as the main banks. And in France, as it used to be in rural England, the village postmaster or mistress is the major source of local gossip - I'm not sure that I would want my finances circulated among the neighbours. The word on the street is that Banque Postale is rather slower than most when dealing with non-French currency transactions. On the other hand, the charges are supposed to be less than some other banks.

[redlancer]

[quote user="Ron Avery"]

If you have a UK address still, open up a Nationwide account, you can take money out of ATMs in euros in France for free.

If you just want a French bank account then go to Calais and open up one, there is little to choose costwise unless you want the comfort of an English speaking banker then use  CA Britline with whom I believe that you can open up an account without going to France, but if you are not going to be near Calvados its a long way to go to pay in money as its not easy from any other region's CA or other French banks

 

[/quote]

thanks

As said going to Rhone/Alpes and fly from Liverpool s.   So from what you've said Britline is off no use?  Did get the feel they charged you re cash machines outside of thier area didn't spot the depositing funds bit.

Need a French account to set up DD and for renting a property.

Off out there Feb to do a full recy but thought if i could get account sorted prior it would be an advantaged.

 

 

[redlancer]

[quote user="Will "]

I think Britline may be an exception to the general rule of French banking that you cannot service an account from other regions (which applies to other banks apart from CA though a few banks, including Banque Postale (as the Post Office banking service is now known) are properly national.

Banque Postale gets a lot of support on forums like this, but as always there are certain points to bear in mind. Small post offices in France are being closed, just as they are in Britain. Post Office staff will know the basic banking procedures, but they may not be so well trained or as familiar in things like foreign transfers as the main banks. And in France, as it used to be in rural England, the village postmaster or mistress is the major source of local gossip - I'm not sure that I would want my fiances circulated among the neighbours. The word on the street is that Banque Postale is rather slower than most when dealing with non-French currency transactions. On the other hand, the charges are supposed to be less than some other banks.

[/quote]

 

thanks

supose its what ment by slow

as for finances its only for depositing part of my salary every month for me wife to live off, i'm after something to get us off the ground and until we say buy a property

[Will]

I hope Mrs Will doesn't spot the typo about circulating my fiancés among the local community - naturally enough the spell checker didn't pick it up and Redlancer had already quoted it before I could edit.

The best advice I can give is to wait until you have an address in France (either rented or bought) then open an account at a nearby bank. If you know the town near where you are going to live then many French banks will let you open a compte étranger. You will probably have to do this in person, but you use for British address for the time being. Choose a bank branch that you feel happy with - I think there is probably more variation between branches of the same bank when it comes down to 'good' or 'bad' than there is between different banks.

[Teamedup]

We used Barclays when we first came, there were only two branches  and as far as I know in the area you want, and there are still only two branches. One in Lyons and the other in Grenoble.

I thought that transferring the money from the sale of  our UK house from Barclays to Barclays would be easy, but it wasn't at all and we had to fight to get our money credited to our account in France, and that was just the 'good' bit. It got far worse.

I think that Nationwide or these transfer companies sound the best bet.

[Jc]

To have a "compte etrangere" you must have an address and pay tax outside France.

[jb in 24]

We have recently opened a bank account with Barclays in Bergerac. Although we went into the branch thay were quite happy for us to do it from the uk. Your local branch will put you in touch with Barclays international in France. We have however found Moneycorp cheaper to transfer money through and they also give a better rate of exchange

[Sunshine]

We have banked with Barclays in the Uk for more years than I have had hot dinners, and we can not recommend them.  Transfering money from this account to our French bank account (not Barclays) was impossible.  They would not transfer the money until the day they received the instruction.  It had to be the original signed letter (no faxes or emails) giving the EXACT amount of sterling, this is very difficult when we did not know the exchange.   As we live in France we did not know when they would receive the letter, and if we were out by 1p they would not transfer the money.  We could not transfer the funds on-line.  They told us Barclays International are not part of Barclays UK!  and complaints made no difference.  They were as friendly and helpful as ever!

I have seen adverts for the Barclays at bergerac.  Is it barclays UK?....

We have a French bank account and they bend over backwards to help us.  we tried to call them late one afternoon but the office was closed, the next day we had a call back at 9am asking if they could help us.  Its a very personnal service and they do everything to help us.   Unlike the UK banks!

 

[Dave Plumb]

[:'(]When I first needed a french bank acc I tried barclays frence solutions and found them very helpfull but expensive, after chatting  got the charges down to a good price by not using the solutions account but one of there other accounts with lots of  promises of how easy it would be untill I needed to open the account from GB, they wanted so much stuf they said was due to moneylaundering it would have taken me a month to sort out, this included letters from my UK bank confirming I exist and a good customer, utility bills, written confirmation of my passport and more and more so  decided once having chosen my own little micro climat position in France  popped over made an appointment with one of the local banks ( Credit Mutual ) and had the account set up within half an hour of chatting with the manager and still cheaper than Barklays. I transfer large amounts of money over by 'currency direct ' when the exchange is good, takes approx 3 days, small amounts i take over and deposit or just spend when there, can track my account over the internet and they send all my statements to me in GB and as they are local to me I can pop in and chat with them if needed, face to face without driving for miles oops Km if I need to,  So have a look at your local banks when youve found your micro climate position and compare them.

If anything I found it funny/strange with all the security, when I did pop in for my cheque book and cash card  I gave my identity number and they told me who I was and where I lived then handed me my stuff, lucky no one had intersepted my mail and had my ident number or the card and cheque book would have been burning a hole in someone elses pocket.

 

 

[powerdesal]

Virtually the same experience as Dave Plumb, walked into CIN in Villedieu Les Poeles and asked if I could open an account, didn't have a house in France at the time, I was on holiday. The reaction in the bank was "why ever not?". Cash deposit and account opened, they may have taken a copy of my passport but I can't remember. Superb service, friendly and helpful. Internet access but obviously at a cost ( what is free banking ? [8-)] ). Their English is better than my French which helps a lot.

Its the only bank I have ever been in where the manager(ess) rushes to open the door for you!!!! and where I have been invited to a cocktail party in the bank offices ( within days of opening the account).

All subsequent dealings with CIN have been trouble free, including getting a mortgage and opening a savings account. Fixed rate mortgage at 4.1% for the full 10 year period.

I usually send a bank draft directly to the bank, by DHL, in euros, but then I'm not transferring funds from UK. The draft costs me about 7 pounds sterling equivalent and the DHL fee is about 80 pence equivalent, and its hand delivered, 3 to 6 days depending on week ends.

My summary, local banks rule OK.

[redlancer]

thanks

Going over in Feb so will sort out an account then, seems local branch is the option.

 

 

[cooperlola]

I don't have any long term experience of them but Caisse d'Epargne offered my newly-resident-in-France English friends no bank charges for their first year. That adds up to a few euros on the costs of Cartes Blues alone.  They were also incredibly kind and helpful but did want proof of a French address.  Good value house insurance too, and all sorted in about 30 minutes.

[Jc]

My Credit Lyonnaise account was opened even quicker but I did get there just before they closed for lunch.