AJRussell

Spoilt in the UK with our choices but is there an aussie equivalent?

Looking to open up a bank account which is recommended and want to find out if there accounts with 'addons' like natwest gold advantage etc..

Thanks!

Icecube

Lots of possibilities. What do you want? Fee free?

http://www.moneysavingaussie.com/Pag...Australia.aspx

Or happy to pay a fee but for what sort of extras? All are possible

paulry

There aren't a lot of good Australia specific bank account comparison sites, the one above is about as good as it gets.

This account looks like a good fee free one with decent % interest returns. The only things it doesn't offer is a cheque book and the ability to make cash or cheque deposits.

This account looks good for those two missing missing features - again: fee free

OzTennis

As an aside, sadly Martin Lewis sold his business to moneysupermarket.com last year so now they are basically the same thing - you can go into MSE and end up with quotes on MS usually. I've always thought there's a good opportunity for a business to do similar to Martin in Australia.

paulry

Online, Martin was a bit late to the game so when I lived over there I already had preferred comparison sites over his, including:

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/s...mparisons.html

http://www.lovemoney.com/currentaccounts/

http://moneyfacts.co.uk/

etc

Looking again at the UK compare sites now, there seem to be loads of good alternatives whereas in Australia it's very limited. I think it could in part be because of the laid-back Aussie culture where they seem more willing to just just cough up and pay whereas us Brits make more of a principle of not buying into obvious rip offs/instances of poor value.

AJRussell

Thanks for the info,

Paulry, think its stemmed from all those WatchDogs on rip off Britain!

paulry

You're probably right. We could do with some of those here.

OzTennis

Yes, but rrespective of when Martin started, he is the most popular/trusted or whatever:

"As of February 2012 MSE was reportedly ranked the biggest consumer and personal finance site in the UK with over 13 million users each month".

Now if we can just get rid of those effin Meerkat and Welsh Opera singer ads.

AJRussell

Thanks for the site - im looking to something similiar to the Natwest Advantage account, pay £13 a month but get a travel insurance, mobile phone etc.. Not sure on the aussie market so dont know if these 'gimmicks' exist.

AJRussell

Drag this one back up, but does anyone know any accounts that offer free international transfers? (doubtful) I will be sending around £400 back to the UK each month to cover some *borrowed* money so trying to avoid forking out for the privilege..

Or is it best to just use a service like XE.com for international payments?

goldchoccycoin

Just use xe or tranzfers.com.au. It's quick and easy and they often have 'free' transfer deals for customers.

paulry

Tried opening these accounts in mid November. NAB is a nightmare. OH and I are still waiting for the PIN numbers to use our cards. The bank refuses to send them to our address because our post code is considered a high crime area. Told them there's no risk since we have the cards and we wont be putting any money into the account until we have PIN access but there's no convincing them it seems. Is a NAB account worth the hassle or should I just tell them to shove it?

Beoz

If you are eligible (ie they like your bank balance) HSBC offers a Premier account which does free transfers, at a good rate, instantly. I believe someone also mentioned Citibank does something similar.

As for comparison websites, there's a few around. Try this for starters

http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and...ing-money.aspx