Britline £ account

[MrCanary]

I am sure there are many people on here who have bank accounts with Credit Agricole Britline. To those who do, may I ask if any of you has opened a CA pound account?

I had a communication from them telling me about their pound accounts and suggesting they are a good way of changing sterling to euros without incurring charges - and being able to do so when the exchange rate is favourable for the customer.

Now, if I have got this right, does it mean that when I move to France permanently, my UK pension can be paid into their pound account and sit there until I want to convert it - without costing me a penny?

And before anybody says to do so, yes I will be ringing them up this week and asking them - I just wondered if anyone on here was already using this service?

Thanks,

Mel                      

 

[Bob T]

If you open a Nationwide account while you are still in the UK and then change the address when you move to your French address, you can get money out on a Nationwide card without charge, at good rates, whenever you want. You can then have your pension paid into Nationwide and don't need to bother with CA Britline.

[MrCanary]

Thanks Bob, I will definitely look at that. However, I will still need to secure a cheap (or free) way of getting euros into my Britline account to pay bills such as builders, plumbers, EDF etc.

Any thoughts on that please?

Mel 

[allanb]

If it's the state pension you're talking about, you can get the Pension Service to pay it directly into any French bank account with no charges, and (if it's a euro account) I think the exchange rate will be as good as anything you could get privately.

Wouldn't this make sense when you move permanently to France?

[MrCanary]

Thanks allanb, yes that would. However, I am still a few years off my state pension. At the moment I am already in receipt of a professional pension and it is that I refer to.

Mel