Essie

We are planning to open a Aussie bank account before we leave the UK. When we arrive in sydney we have to go to the bank and show a passport but we wont have a residential address straight away. We have a relative, can we use his address. Soembody we know who went back packing said we can ask the ban for our cards to be sent to the bank, is that something that can be done. The other thing is with getting a place, we are planning to find a flatshare, do you think if we offer six months rent in advance we will be accepted as my boyfriend has a job but was on secondment for two years. We can show that we have adequate funds to pay rent. We are planning a year in sydney at the moment as boyfriend is a permanant resident

old.sparkles

I opened bank account before leaving UK but did security in London to get basic EFTPOS card. Debit card was sent to the branch I was using at the time as mail wasn't secure where I was initially staying.

To get rental, I just paid normal deposit and showed bank statement to prove I had funds to pay

Beoz

I have one piece of advice. Don't bank with local banks.

Essie

we were going to use westpac. anyone you could recommand?
What is the best way tp transfer money as well.

Tramps_mate

I found NAB great!

Beoz

They are a local bank. Avoid

ABCD......

If you need a bank with a local branch, you will end up with a local bank. No real choice.
In my 20 years I have had accounts with all of the main banks. NAB comes out best for me, and I still bank with them. I closed my Westpac, CBA, St George and ANZ accounts for various reasons. I also have a HSBC account still.

All banks have problems, even HSBC, and too be honest HSBC have given me the biggest banking problem I ever had, but they also have given good service most of the time.

Beoz

How often do you need to go into a bank? I haven't in over a year.

jboz

I have Suncorp, been with them for years and never had any problems! the obvious downside is they take $5 a month account keeping fees but from what i am aware all banks in Aus do that! I also have westpac and ANZ credit cards and never had any problems with them either.

goldchoccycoin

Dear god - don't pay bank fees! Most banks will waive the fee if you have wages or similar regularly going into the account (usually $2k per month). I refuse to pay bank fees and never have in the 13 years I've been here (including NAB, ANZ and St George).

Beoz

Negative.

HSBC (why I don't bank locally) has none. I have a Comm bank account, festering away. They started trying to charge, so I went to close the account, so they waived the permanent fee on it. The only reason why I keep it open is because they have a coin counting machine. When the change bucket gets full I take it to the Comm Bank and get it counted. Other than that Comm Bank would be a distant memory.

moneypenny20

Never had any problems with Comm Bank, never had any charges, the people in the various branches I've gone in have been helpful and friendly and they've given great advice to my daughter when she needed it. No bank is perfect by any stretch of the imagination but they've been good to us. Now NatWest in the UK, that is another story....

Beoz

Yeah. Jboz may need to pay Suncorp a visit.

brits1

Hi open a bank account from the UK, The Commonwealth Bank was the one we used when we first migrated, just arrived in Perth went to the head bank in Perth with our passports and picked up our cards etc but I would use HSBC you can open an account in the UK for an overseas account in Aus and have your cards delivered to your address here in the UK and take them with you. Good luck

astera

I've had quite the opposite experience in the past. Local banks have been very professional, much more so than their counterparts in the UK or Singapore.

International banks in Australia, on the other hand, are completely tragic.