Sooty and Sweep

Hello,

Just a heads up, it seems the Nationwide have put out an internal memo, I do not know whether this has been made public yet, or whether it will be, but I thought I would let you all know what I have been told today by a work colleague.

He went into the branch earlier this week, to change his address in the UK, told them he will have no UK address for a couple of months, so could they stop any mail for a couple of months. He has gone paperless, but they cannot stop all junk, so they may or may not send junk out to his old address in the UK, until he provides them with a new UK address. He then went on to say he may be going to live in Canada next year and would like to give the Nationwide his permanent address in his new adopted home Canada. They in the first instance said this was not possible; you must have a permanent UK address. After ten minutes of letting them politely know that he has just spent the last four months changing all of his DD’s, and details over to the Nationwide from HSBC, and he only opened the Flex account for the foreign address option, and that he was planning to have his pension paid into his Flex account while living abroad. Did they say that if he had come in to open a Flex account just to use as an account to use while living abroad they would have said no. But because he has transferred all of his mishmash over to the Flex account, and also he will never use the account outside the rules like going overdrawn, then maybe it might be possible, but it is not common practice. So be careful.

They are trying to clamp down on sending paper post to people with only a foreign address, as they cannot know how safe the mail is outside the UK.

It seems they are trying to put off people from opening the Flex account, only to then use the account when you have migrated to another country and to use it as a current account while based in a foreign country. Also beware, I have just read you cannot withdraw money out of any branch based account with the Nationwide over the internet, as you must walk into then branch, so even though you can pay money into the account over the net, and you can see the account over the net. You must travel from where ever you have migrated to just to withdraw cash from an account say for example your Nationwide fixed rate cash ISA.

Thanks.

stuckinblighty

We keep getting different advice from the nationwide about my flexi account and using it abroad.
Can we access the account over the internet from Aus and transfer funds from different accounts ? I gather you cant do this with the Halifax but im still unsure about the Nationwide

The NW have also introduced a swipe card facilty that gives you a pin number that you have to enter before doing any transactions over the net ?!?! seems like one big ball ache to me

Lee

woogle

As far as I know, you can have your e-savings & access it over the net here just to move money into your flex account & then you can use your flex account card here. It's treated the same as a visa card here, so you can pay over the phone for things, but like a visa, you can't get cash back when you buy things, say at the supermarket. You can easily use it at the ATM's though, so there's no problem.
I have my account on joint names with my mum in the uk, so mail goes to her address anyway. She's posted me the new card reader, but I'm a bit too chicken to try & use it ! Can't seem to get my head round it & can't find any proper "instructions for idiots"

FRAYNE

We opened our account when we were in Uk,we access our e-savings and flex account on line,and use our cards here,we also changed our address when we got here and all our mail from nationwide now comes to OZ.
Janet

Sooty and Sweep

Like i said originally, i understand they are trying to rid themselves of Flex account holders with only overseas addresses.

LouiseR

They should be able to stop the junk. Under the Mail Preference Service you can decline any junk mail from anyone you have dealings with. I work in a building society very similar to Nationwide and its just a matter of ticking a box.
I hate junk mail!!

suebrennan

I have 4 different nationwide a/c's. You can go paperless for all types of accounts except credit card. They know I am here but insist on sending that statement and new cards etc to a UK account. I get one of my friends to deal with it. I had to cancel my credit card recently and order a replacement and they refused to send it to me directly. I did not force the issue as there are a whole heap of us who have accounts and don't live in the UK and maybe in the future NW may decide that it does not want that business. Personally I have found the accounts a lifeline on many occasions and the 24 hr helpline great.

Sooty and Sweep

You can go paperless with credit cards, well i have one and i have.

Thats it you see, sending out cards new and replacement to overseas addressess, not too safe, same as controlling costs associated to the Flex account. My gut feeling is, we will see an end to overseas account holders with only overseas addressess pretty soon.

The costs they swallow may out way the rewards they see as retaining the overseas customer. I myself will be gutted if this is the case, and will be looking for another institution who can handle my English financial affairs, while living abroad.

Any suggestions should the Nationwide dump the expats? Also can they?