G77

I know FX companies have been done to death, but most of them seem to need you to call up to get a rate/organise the transaction.... Are there any good companies that let you check the rate and do the transaction online without having to mess about ringing them up?

Looks as though I can do it online via HSBC, but the rate is dreadful - presume you have to ring them up to get a more competitive rate....

Edna Bucket

Today the HSBC were offering 2.032 compared to Moneycorp at 2.025 (scrolling banner, usually less than that anyway)

G77

Did you find the HSBC rate via the online banking or is that via ringing them? Whenever I've looked via online banking, the rate has always been shocking!

G77

Just rang up HSBC to transfer a small amount to keep my Canadian account out of overdraft - the UK call centre has no visibility of the Canadian accounts.... nightmare trying to give him all the right info, no idea if it was correct or not! Probably disappear into the ether now!

Surely there must be one FX house that has online transfers?

Biiiiink

I've always had to call them - it got more and more difficult to get their proper wholesale rate when you couldn't ring your branch directly, and for me now it's all but impossible from Canada. I'm too mean to call their 0845 number so use whichever 0800 I can find via Skype and ask them to transfer me. No-one in Bangalore knows what I'm on about, the line quality is bad at my end and bad at theirs, they don't give appropriate responses to online messages via my account either (but they're wonderfully written in Victorian English!) and tell me to pop into my UK branch. I managed to get 1 live (hah!) rate for my latest transfer last year, but by the time I needed to check it again to commit, it was impossible. I gave up and went with HIFX.

HSBC UK have a "send money abroad now" service on their website but I've never tried it - you can only use it on weekdays, and only until 3pm UK time - useless for me, that's when I get out of bed... I don't know what their rates/charges are for that.

G77

This is what I tried to use - it however couldn't find HSBC Windsor - so I ended up ringing them and they couldn't find it either! God knows if the transfer will go through..... They also said that it costs £15 to do it online and £10 if you call them to do it

Edna Bucket

I have HSBC accounts in the UK and Canada and I transfer money between the two by doing it online

G77

Must be Premier accounts then? You can't do that easy if you have normal accounts like me....