allanb Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 I've come to the conclusion that I'm paying more bank charges than I need to, and also that I don't really need a physical bank branch to go to, as long as I can get cash from a machine. So I'm thinking of moving to one of the banks that exist on line only, some of which have very low charges (in some cases zero for basic services).As long as I pick one that has the same level of state guarantee as the "ordinary" banks, the only possible disadvantage I can see is in dealing with cash. If somebody gave me a large amount of cash I wouldn't be happy about keeping it under the mattress; on the other hand, nobody has yet done this and I can't think of any reason why anybody would. Similarly, if I needed more cash than the machine will deliver, I wouldn't know where to get it. But again, it's never happened yet. Is there anyone who has made this kind of change and would be willing to report on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert the InfoGipsy Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 I operated this way for years with First Direct, but they have access to the HSBC branch network for the (very rare) occasions when I needed to do anything in person. I wasn't aware of any similar operations in France; could you name some of the options, please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allanb Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 Three that I know of are Boursorama, Fortuneo, and Groupama. There is also ING Direct, which claims to be the biggest internet bank in the world; it's basically Dutch but has a French website and advertises in France, which suggests that its French accounts would be covered by the state guarantee - but I haven't checked this.I believe that AXA and AGF, although principally insurance companies, also offer internet banking services but I haven't investigated yet, and I don't know whether they offer current accounts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maude Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Yes we also have an Ing account which now is offering current account use.We have had problems trying to find an English speaker at Ing and apart from transferring money in by electronic transfer,cost about £25,we cant top up the current account.We are staying with La Post which we find is very easy,post offices in most places which makes paying in easier.Cost us about 70euros per year with card and chequebook. Maude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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