ectomorph

I know this is all a bit subjective but does anyone have any recommendations as far as banking in australia goes ? We are still in canada and was thinking of either opening a westpac account for pre-migrants before arrival or opening an HSBC account here in Canada and then transferring it to an australian HSBC account once in aus. Anyone have experience with either of these two banks or other suggestions I would love to hear from you

Poppy 2

Six weeks before we left, I applied to HSBC, filled in the application, sent certified copies of passport, birth certificate and a credit card bill for proof of address and then sent it to their offices in Isle of White who deal with International Applications. About a week later they said they needed more ID, it wasn't them, it was Australia HSBC, what ID is better than those above. I eventually found my driving licence, sent that, by this time a few weeks had gone by and then I was in the queue for Customs at Heathrow leaving for Oz and I got a call on my mobile saying they had declined my application because my driving licence didn't have a photo on it. I was furious although it wasn't their fault in Isle Of White, I think they couldn't believe it either. So needless to say I wouldn't recommend them. When we got here, I went to St George, they are in every high street and it only took 5 days to get cards and if need be, they can give you a cashpoint card immediately. It was only the visas which is like our switch card that took 5 days and the staff have always been very helpful and I haven't paid any bank charges yet.
Good luck

ectomorph

Thanks for that.

DrWho

We're with Westpac and have had no real dramas with them... Easy to open before arrival... Easy to activate when you get here...

Swerv-o

I went with HSBC - I found the syetem for opening an account from the UK seamless and straightforward. It took about 4-6 weeks from receiving all the forms. The account is opened immediately, and you can use it with full services (internet & telephone banking) from day 1 to access and move your money. It isn't held in abayence until you arrive and check in with a local branch.

They offer a good rate of interest (4.75%) on the balance of your account, which you will start to accrue from the day that you deposit your money. The best thing however is that they don't charge any fees for running your account. They will send an EFTPOS card to you in the UK, along with a cheque book and relevant PIN numbers.

You can have 5 fee free transactions at other peoples ATMs, and all transactions at HSBC ATMs are fee free too. If there isn't an ATM nearby, then you can withdraw money at the post office. You can also do most other day to day transactions at the post office too - paying in cheques etc.

When I applied for mine, it had to go through the HSBC International Office at Canada Square in Canary Wharf. Not sure about the previous posters Isle of White experience. You had to provide 100 points of identification made up from the list that they gave. This included driving licences, passports, bills, existing bank statements etc.

I hope this helps.

S

ectomorph

thanks, we are actually in Canada and there are several branches of HSBC in town, not sure though if we can open an aussie account from there. Opening a westpac account, as per other posters message seems quicker and I read the website, looks straight forward enough.

wafc

I'm also with Westpac and opened the accounts before I left the UK, it was very simple and they have been fine so far.

brido

We've opened one with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia,straight forward,easy to do,and our id was returned quickly but we've still not activated it yet as we're still in dreary Glasgow.