sharon ann

Hi there everyone,

We're hoping to move to Brisbane April/May from Birmingham. We have accepted an offer on our house and that is progressing fine (I hope anyway!)

We are now looking to open a bank account to transfer the money from the sale of our house so we can access it in Brisbane easily.

Can anyone reccommend a bank? I have got an application form from the Commonwealth Bank but before I fill it I would be grateful for any comments/feedback.

Thanks a million

Sharon

wmoore

I've got a Commonwealth account and though I haven't 'used' it properly yet, they were very efficient in setting it up and have answered all of my queries promptly. I've got no reason not to recommend them.

walla

yep, commonwealth here too, been very helpful

lindseyden

We set up an HSBC account before we left UK but once here went with commonwealth as nearest HSBC is 40 mins away, Have no complaints at all about Commonwealth in fact they have been really helpful, their car insurance was the cheapest too.

Lindsey

sharon ann

Great thanks for replying,

I'll get my application sorted out and posted off. (Sorry my 4yr old daughter had to add that- she's amazed by it)

Sharon

ABCDiamond

Once you arrive you "may" want to look at other banks. A few people have posted about excessive charges on Commonwealth Bank (CBA) accounts versus no charges on the HSBC online account. However, some have mentioned that a few places will not accept the HSBC debit card.

When we returned to Australia, the Commonwealth would not give an immediate mortgage, but the St George bank did.

The latest thing I have heard about them is: A friend went to the CBA, and was refused a mortgage by the Manager, but, the CBA "mobile lender" was able to approve one, with exactly the same figures.
The CBA mobile lenders comment was: "the Managers do not know sufficient about mortgages".
That's something for everyone to remember.

For a "local" bank. I have heard that the Bank of Queensland is very good.

hevs

Mobil garages won't accept the card

As for there being no branches nearby, no worries, just use the post office for anything to do with HSBC

mamichelle

St George have a Multi Access card which is the equivalent to a switch card in the UK. Most bank cards you can't purchase things over the internet or phone. Don't know if they are just in Sydney though. I am with Commonwealth and they seem to be one of the only banks who have a $5 account keeping fee plus the transactions fees when you go over the free allowance of 15 transactions. I think National Australia bank has taken away transaction fees and you just pay a flat $5 (I could be wrong but that is what the ads suggest) A good savings account is Citibank Online Cash manager which has good interest rates and no account keeping fees - but transaction fees. Info can be found on their website. ING has a similar savings account. I don't know much about that.

hevs

www.ingdirect.com.au

Totally free banking (but best used for savings as there is no eftpos card)
I think its 5.25% on any amount in the account.

To pay for stuff over the phone here you need a visa card. Try here for fee free card (some companies charge $50 plus anual fees )

www.virginmoney.com.au

Is the HSBC bank still the only fee free normal bank??

ABCDiamond

I like the ANZ credit card. It has an annual fee of $48, but the reward points can be converted to Myers vouchers, amongst others, and we are getting about $50 back for every $10,000 spent on the card, so it covers the fees easily.
We rarely use a Debit card, using credit for everything, with an automatic payment to clear the credit card each month. That keeps the bank fees down. And with the savings in HSBC we get decent interest.

soapy©

We use all 3 banks mentioned here
Hsbc= not enough atms.
Commonwealth= atms everywhere
St george= easiest bank to deal with. Walked out with internet banking and my card after about 10 mins

hevs

But you can use anyones Or cash back at supermarkets, bunnings etc. Or the post office

mamichelle

I have heard Citibank is a good credit card. ANZ seemed to have capped their reward points but Citibank you get 2 points per dollar in Myer, Coles etc. Roll on my PR so I can get one. At the moment I am just using my St George card like a credit card which saves on the fees too....

soapy©

i have been charged for using other atms

andrew63

I use National Australia Bank - NAB
No problems at all.
Just a temp visa but got credit cards, mortgage, car loan.
Tons of ATMs, no issues, use the cards everywhere including NZ.
No bank charges at all because of the mortgage.

Andrew