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paying UK £ cheque into french Credit Lyonnais acc in france?


bigjimbishop

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Hi Cant comment on credit lyonnaise but we pay UK cheques into our credit agricole bank quite often with no problems at all, its the usual proceedure fill in the slip sign the back of the cheque. the charge for the service depends on the amount of the cheque.

We have also pyed UK cheques into Banque populaire so I would imagine most french banks will be the same.

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I have a feeling that your bank will refuse to take this if it is not a recognised bank cheque and in sterling too. Personally I would send it back to the UK and pay it into an account there if you don't need to touch it and wait until a better time to transfer. I tried to pay in a Nat West Euro cheque here in CMB and they refused first time until they had rung round to see exactly what it was. You may have better luck trying a large city bank rather than the sticks too here.
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  • 2 weeks later...

My experience is that French bank charges on foreign checks are very high and so maintain and english bank account that can be managed by post (and phone and internet) for just such occurances (although I've not been so lucky to get a present from the inland revenue - yet!)

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  • 2 weeks later...

We've just asked this very question in our local BNP branch.  Email reply (yes really!) is....

Bonjour,

Vous pouvez l'encaisser à la BNP mais il faut compter 3 semaines environ
pour qu'il soit crédité sur votre compte.
Cordialement.

So, kind of half helpful.  Nice subjunctive, though.   

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The charges from my bank for a paying in a foreign cheque.........

 commission d’encaissement : 1,196‰ mini 17,53

+ frais de port forfait 18,69

Commission de change quand le chèque est libellé dans une autre devise que EUR, voir frais et commission diverses.

So a minimum of 36 euros plus a deduction for converting into euros.

Seems reasonable!

FRAIS ET COMMISSIONS SUR AUTRES OPERATIONS ETRANGER

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I'd stick with the idea of framing it if I were you.

In our experience, the moment you bank a UK Inland Revenue cheque, they start hunting you down with the aim of getting every penny back - and more - under any pretext they can think of. You can expect another unexpectedly large tax bill to land on your mat within two months of getting your own money back.

Bank it only if you don't mind having a big target painted on your back.

And if you must bank it, don't for heaven's sake spend it. You'll find it so much harder to repay, if you do.

Patrick
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And even more frustrating and annoying, last year we took a deposit from someone living in Germany with a euro account and paid 23 euros to have a German euro cheque paid into our French account.  So much for a single currency!!!
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[quote]I'd stick with the idea of framing it if I were you.In our experience, the moment you bank a UK Inland Revenue cheque, they start hunting you down with the aim of getting every penny back - and more -...[/quote]

Sorry Patrick, but what a load of old tosh.  If you live in France and have paid UK income tax on a pension or savings interest after you moved to France, you are entitled to it back, and many of us have received it back under the double taxation agreement.  Like many other residents in France, I am now officially exempt from UK income tax, having completed the correct forms and procedure.   I had the money from Bootle paid into my UK current account and then transferred to France when needed.  So how does that make me a  target for the UK income tax people???. 

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I'd like to send a UK cheque to my parents (Banque Populaire acc), around £200, my bank charges me £21 for the transfer, I've never done that before, any idea how much Banque Pop. would charge my parents at the other end ? and what sort of rates would they get the cheque at ? Also, what is the French equivalent of our Nationwide ? (i.e no fees charge, and commercial rate exchange - currently 1.50- instead of tourist rate- when purchasing goods). Thanks in advance
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Vraititi, I think that if you got your parents to tell you their IBAN and SWIFT codes for their account it would be cheaper to transfer money directly into their account. These codes are usually on the RIB. I can't remember what this is called, could be WorldPay and it may depend on your bank as to which system they use.

In theory if you tell your bank that you don't want your parents to pay charges then they shouldn't, if this is done with the properly using the SWIFT and IBAN numbers.

 

I don't think that there is anything like Nationwide in France. La Poste is fine and cheap for some things though.

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Yes, TU, thanks but my bank charges £21 flat fee for a transfer (of approx. £200), so when on reading this thread I realised that it was possible for a French bank acc holder Of Banque Pop. to cash in a UK cheque (which I did not know) I thought 'well, maybe it's cheaper that way', obviously I must be wrong ! (I thought it might only be a tenner). Any idea of cost those who've tried before ?
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I'd say a transfer should cost about a tenner. I'm with the HSBC in France and the UK and they would charge £9 to do such a small transfer and it would take  6 working days to get through.

Which is a great pity as it only costs me 3.99 euros to send up to 1250 euros per transaction by this method from France to the UK. And it only takes three working days to get through.

 

 

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I think that most french banks charge about this amount for these specific small transfers these days.

It was shortly after the euro came into being they were told that a transfer in the euro zone shouldn't cost anymore than an internal transfer. Or along those lines. The clauses were that the SWIFT and IBAN codes had to be precise and the transfer up to 1250 euros. I always transfer money to the UK in euros and never get charged by my UK bank either.

 

I have never asked how this works with regards to transferring to the UK as it isn't in the euro zone. Also I have never checked if this is a general EU directive that has some inclusion of the UK in these regulations. At the moment I am at last taking advantage of one bank charge that is reasonably priced.  

 

I am with the HSBC in both countries. But am pretty sure that the BNParibas only charges 4 euros too.

Sounds like your bank charges a lot.

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Here is a tip which saves money. I do it often.

Open a deposit account with La Poste. (Compte de Livret). Pay in sterling cheques by sending them to Bordeaux by post. (free envelope). Wait 3 weeks on average. You will find your account is credited in full without charge and at the commercial rates of the day. Simple.

PS Don't tell everyone or they will change the rules!!

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