malpjc

hi, i was thinking of using the h.s.b.c bank in australia as we have an account with them here in the uk,i thought it would be easy just to transfer between the 2 countries,i have not done any research into this as we have just started the ball rolling.have you any experiences of doing the same kind of thing,if yes was it successful or a pain in the bum,thanks

Paul&Ann-Marie

The impression we got was that opening an account in aus is a damn site easier if you had held an hsbc account in the uk for more than twelve months.

It's called the KYC rule. ( Know Your Customer ) and is required for your " 100 point check"

I have also been told ( by a guy i was speaking to yesterday from hsbc) that opening an account in aus is a piece of cake ( once you arrive ) . A valid passport ( i THINK with visa proof ) qualifies you automatically for 100 points ( only worth 70 in uk ) as long as you apply within the first 6 weeks of your arrival.
the process takes about half an hour and your account is open.

it is worth noting however that there is a " handling charge " for transactions made over the counter in aus so it is definately worthwhile setting up your account beforehand so that you have ATM cards and pin numbers upon arrival.

Paul

joh117

We had no problems spoke to HSBC International (I think in london) number will be somewhere on the forum if you search)

Filled it out got the ID passport (70 points) Credit Card (25 I think) and a UK driving licence (25 I think) then got our banks to write a letter saying they knew us as customers etc... Lloyds Tsb did it for free (Coventry Branch) and Natwest charge 15 quid ( I think)

Drew an International Bankers Draft for $2000 made payable to the HSBC (I think, It has been a while but the appication form will tell you)

Made an appointment at the HSBC in York so that they could go through the application and evidence the ID they sent it to london and we got a letter back within a month saying the account was open then we got the bank cards and pin numbers etc...

We then transfered our money into the account and could keep track through online banking.

Not many people have heard of the bank when you get here as they are not that big but so far the service I have had over the phone has been good. We went into the branch in Melbourne and applied for a visa debit card aswell so at least we can shop online and also if ever faced with the bank card not working at Petrol Stations (happens occasionally and there is usually an ATM but you may get charged for the withdrawal) we can at least pay by visa and sign for it.

We have most of our insurance with them and also our home loan and before anyone says anything about eggs in one basket we shopped around and they were the cheapest for insurance and we got the best deal with them on the home loan for our circumstances.

Hope this helps

Jo

rodmunch99

We have found the HSBC to be excellent and the charges are a lot less than the other rip-off banks here.
The only small downside has been that the HSBC eftpos(switch) card isn't accepted in all petrol stations - small inconvinience.

jensteve

We had no problems at all, we opened up uk account and at the same time she did a know your customer form and the all the bits needed for an ozzy account, its opened now and got cash in it waiting for us to arrive. Quite easy I thought to do, no big issues, she said if I do internet transfers I wont get charged, this I will have to read up on in the endless amounts of leaflets, and also she did a fax authorisation for our account here so we can manage it from over there. Couldn't ask for more really.

Jenny

Innyjim

No problems with HSBC. Opened an account online on the Aus HSBC web site www.hsbc.com.au
They email you the forms and the 100 point check. Went into local HSBC branch in the UK with ID. No problems. The guy in the bank in the UK didn't know what KYC was, but signed it anyway. I don't even bank with HSBC !!! Account now opened, money transferred and cards waiting for me in Aus. Beautiful !!

Linda Lushardi

Our HSBC branch manager advised us to get one of their visa cards (currently 0% interest for 6mths) and do all transactions via this method which counteracts that niggling problem. We find it is only a problem at Caltex servos.

joh117

We just got a visa debit card therefore you don't have a credit card as such so no debt. Same as visa delta and switch in the UK.

Jo

Slater

we had no trouble opening an account here with hsbc, we had to lodge a term deposit of $5000 for a visa card with a limit of $5000, the amount we spend on it is deducted monthly from our online savings account which pays somewhere around 4.75% interest. We were just told that our credit limit has been increased to $8000 per month so I guess we now have a credit rating here.



Slater

malpjc

thanks for all your replies