Best Bank?
 

Anyone, best experiences?
I ask, we are going home, but want an Australian based bank account to keep open for a couple of years, while we are away. One we can easily communicate with online, change of address, money transfers, be even better if it had a branch in the UK? We were wondering maybe the HSBC.
Any thoughts of who to go with?
I ask because we have been with the Heritage was B/S now a bank. To be honest they were fine, but have a 5k limit on online money transfers, but worst of all, and we only found out this week. But they have a maximum of ten transactions at ATM's other than there own in one calendar month.
When I say transactions I mean balance enquiries. My son always uses Heritage ATM's to make a withdrawal, but one evening he was awaiting his wages to clear, so kept checking his account at a Westpac ATM, where you can as a Heritage member obtain free transactions, Westpac never charge. But the Heritage say if you use the Westpac ATM more than ten times in one calendar month to make withdrawals or just to check your balance, well over ten and you get charged $1.75 per balance check. My son managed 35 balance checks at a Westpac ATM in one month, no cash withdrawals at all. So to be honest, its put me off the Heritage. So we are all moving to a new bank.
Any thoughts most welcome. Want one which is easily managed from the UK online. Thanks for any thoughts.

Re: Best Bank?
 

HSBC
ING

Re: Best Bank?
 

I would definitely get out of the Heritage. They make everything as difficult as possible, hate to do things by email (prefering snail mail!) and only if branches in Queensland. A friend has had numerous problems with getting new ATM cards and PIN numbers - needed them sent to the UK so he could access the money in his account, the Heritage acted as if it was being sent to the moon :blink:

Westpac have been much better when dealing from the UK, both setting up the account and managing online. I've also had an ANZ account for years and found them easy to deal with when I've been travelling back home. :thumbup:

Re: Best Bank?
 

Not sure why people put up with this crap. Sounds like you want international banking with no ATM fees.

HSBC.

Yep. Your typical high street may not have a HSBC ATM but I bet there's a St George or Westpac ...... they a fee free.

Re: Best Bank?
 

Thankyou, my thoughts are HSBC.

Re: Best Bank?
 

I know, its terrible really, he got charged $43.75 just to see if he had any cash to spend. He did not even print out a docket, just onscreen viewing.
Thanks for the reply.

Re: Best Bank?
 

Cheers Polly.
I think we are going to go with the HSBC. It seems a pretty decent transaction account, very few fee's. Then open a RaboDirect for any savings linking it to the HSBC account.
The Heritage, well its a term and condition, any ATM withdrawals or balance summary's onscreen at a non Heritage ATM, if you go over ten in a calendar month, its $1.75 a pop. Just to view onscreen your balance.
Thanks for the reply.

Re: Best Bank?
 

No experience with HSBC, but defintiely ditch the Heritage. Both myself and my friends only ended up with them because our then partners were brain=washed Queenslanders who believed the Heritage were fantastic. Their charges, as you say, are crazy and their service is ^^(%^& :ohmy: Their final straw with me was when they told my then mother-in-law (in her local branch) all the details of how much I had in my account and what I had recently spent. :confused::eek:I didn't even bank at that branch and they didn't ask me before disclosing personal financial info. :eek::eek:

Re: Best Bank?
 

ING

Great online service and you can use any ATM for free (even those dodgy ones in 24 hr shops/pubs)

Re: Best Bank?
 

Cheers.
Just worries me no branch. We often go into branch to request a statement to be printed, just for change of address in the UK.
Ing would have to post one out, and I guess they would charge for adhoc?
Thanks again

Re: Best Bank?
 

Polly.
Have some great memories of Australia, we just chose the wrong state.
When we leave, we will come back to Oz, but we will never come back to Qld. The Heritage is very Quenslandy, it kind of represents how we feel about Qld.
When I called them last night to make a complaint, they said, "oh well we will pass it on upstairs to a higher manager, he will take a look and take on board your thoughts. But that's all we can do, rules are rules and it has always been like that with that account. Goodbye".
In their defence it is there in B&W. They did offer to send us the book outlining the term and condition. Which I thought was fair enough.

Re: Best Bank?
 

Never requested one actually. You can still get them sent hard copy regularly for free if you want. We get hard copies sent 6 monthly and can download a pdf from the website if needed and never had any problems using them.

Re: Best Bank?
 

For a number of reasons I dumped the Combank a few months ago. They can get their $billions profit from elsewhere.

I don't actually need a physical branch so went with ING who have been a breath of fresh air in comparison. Not only free ATM's but also free Pay Wave too. Savings account interest is always one of the highest.

They don't currently have a credit card but one is on the way.

Re: Best Bank?
 

Free Pay Wave ...... do banks charge for that?

I dumped Commonwealth 20 years ago ....... OK I tell a small lie. .... I kept an account running. The branch up the road from me has a coin counter, and every 6 months or so I turn up with all the coins I fling in a draw at the end of the day. They want you to have an account to use the coin counter.

Re: Best Bank?
 

I don't get it either - Yet as soon as you suggest changing your bank to somebody, they suck air in through their teeth as iff you have burned the constitution.

You may also want to look at Citibank - Also offering a fee free and very international service.


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