Credit Agricole - internet friendly?

[cabman]

I have just transferred some funds via MoneyBookers from UK to France for the first time.

I can see the debit from my UK bank account via the web.

Same for the processed funds out of my MoneyBookers account.

Where do I verify the balance of my French CA account?

Statements seem to turn up every three months or so.

Do I telephone them or simply wait until I next visit the branch in France?

What do you regulars do? 

[Shane]

You should have somewhere a web address for your local area Credit Agricole for example ours is www.ca-charente-perigord.fr and then in the top left hand corner it says "vos compte" and we put in our account number and we were given a pass number when we opened our account. We can view then our balance and view a statement. You get charged the minute you log into your account, not alot I seem to recall but even so I don't use it very often only when money is transferred from the uk.

[Nick Trollope]

Hello

You need to register with your branch to use the online facility. I have never been charged for it (CA Cotes d'Armor).

I think that the service is excellent - apart from the fact that you must register third-party accounts before you can send money to them, which I never bother to do, so I can't.

[Will]

Remember that Credit Agricole, in common with many French banks, is a chain of regional banks rather than a national organisation, so the charges, procedures and degree of internet friendliness are likely to vary considerably. I recall that last time I checked at my nearest branch, 'Credit Agricole Online' meant just a telephone number to ring .

[Ron Avery]

CA have got a lot more internet friendlier in the last year and now appear to embrace internet access as a help rather than a threat to their jobs!  Although HSBC it isn't.....  yet

Internet access is now free with a number of CA's including Nord Pyrenees, it used to be 50c a month for a maximum of 5 log-ins.  If you go to the Acceuil page of your CA page you should see a en-ligne section, you may have to register and wait for a password to come by post though.  Once you get your password, you can normally get in to your account quite quickly as it can remember your account number if you want it to,  and you just add your password.  Although every now and again it infuriatingly forgets your account number and you have to through the full log-in again.

[cabman]

It seems I have CA internet set up and didn't know it.

Trawled through original paperwork from CA account and found the code.

We are Credit Agricole Centre France, typed in code and comte, followed the links and Bingo!

Thank you everybody!

[Alane]

With Credit Agricole Calvados (www.ca-calvados.fr) I can check on my account via the internet - no problems. I asked for an online PIN which was sent to my home in the UK. There is no charge for the service. I think I can also make payments etc but have never had the need to try doing that.

Best Regards

Alan.

[maxsan]

Before I came to live in France some of the "regulars" on this forum informed all who cared to listen that CA Britline were the pits of the banking world.  I took a chance anyway and I have to say that they are nothing short of excellent. I use the online facility which is extremely good and they are always very helpful when I have a query. They even answer emails quickly!! 

[hoverfrog]

We have had no issues with Credit Acricole centre-ouest, apart from the french post! I requested a cheque book by phone which was apparently sent out on the 6th of December and still hasn't arrived

The online part is very good (as are the very regular and frequent statements - which seem to be duplicated as we have a joint account) and easy to access. I'm not sure the security of the website is as good as some of the online banking available in the UK, but it does for us and a current account!

Just what is it with french post?!? It would be quicker to walk, and not just to collect a cheque book from Limousin

[Me0wp00]

Hoverfrog,

We bank with CA Centre Ouest but the St Benoit branch and I ordered a cheque book for my dad when I was in there last, a week later it hadn't turned up and when they checked it had been requested but for some reason not printed by Limoges, so they reordered one and it arrived 2 days later, perhaps their system has been playing up. Another time we said we'd like it sent to the house and it got sent to the bank instead and sat there till I went in.

[Athene]

[quote]We have had no issues with Credit Acricole centre-ouest, apart from the french post! I requested a cheque book by phone which was apparently sent out on the 6th of December and still hasn't arrived T...[/quote]

They do not send our cheque books out by post from CA, we have to go in and get them. They send the card codes out but again you have to go in to get the cards. If you read one of the other line of posts here about banking frauds, it is all very worrying!