chase1

Hey!

Good evening

I have just moved over to Lille with the family and we have been going through the overly complicated and very bureaucratic French banking system. I finally have an account with the French Barclays as they were the first people able to see me. However I can not seem to draw money using my bank card.

My online banking is showing money in the current account but no money on the visa. surely they are one and the same account?

Can anybody point me to a previous thread or help?

Is anybody else with Barclays Fr also having problems with companies recognising their IBAn and BIC on their RIB? Barclays France is currently going through a takeover which means no companies are recognising my bank details.

Thanks in advance

EuroTrash

Hi
What message do you get on the ATM screen when you try to use your card?

The only thing I can think of offhand is, do you have to go through a security procedure to activate your card before you can use it? I have never had to do this with a card from a French bank but I have a dim and distant memory that when you get a new UK bank card you used to have to dial a phone number and enter a passcode to activate the card before you could use it.

Anyway a word with the bank should soon get it sorted, hopefully they are open this morning and you will have time to pop in.

Welcome to France

cyrian

Hi,
French banking is very different from UK banking.
Do you have a debit card or credit card - immediate payment or deferred payment?
French cards can have weekly and monthly limits even if you have money in your account. I didn't realise this initially and couldn't understand why my card wouldn't work.
You don't get free withdrawals at other banks.
You may have various insurances included in your account if you are paying a monthly fee.
You need to read your terms and conditions.
As suggested, go and talk with the bank and ask for details of conditions.
HTH

Tweedpipe

Welcome to the forum.
The advise already given may well help. I hope so. However I can't help asking why you chose French Barclays, was it following a number of sincere recommendations?
A few here will say using Barclays was a Godsend. Many other users will utter the exclamation, "Oh my God!"
I can't positively advise either way except to say that most reviews that I've read have been bad. And if you've read through previous banking threads on this French forum, you will quickly realise that in general the phrase "a good French bank" is an oxymoron.
You may have been tempted by Barclays alleged excellent on-line banking facilities, but in my long experience with French banks, the most important features are the following:
i) The bank has a convenient branch close to your location.
ii) Open an account during a rdv with one of the bank's advisers. Get to know and trust that person. If they don't speak English (and why should they?) go along to the rdv with a friend who can translate well.
iii) Having an on-line UK affiliated bank here with a virtual adviser is imho no substitute to having a real bank 'conseillere' who you can sit down and talk to, and if necessary explain problems and concerns.

It's a true eye-opener to experience how overly complicated and very bureaucratic the French system in general can be, but this alas is one of the non rose-coloured experiences of living in France.
I hope you can get your bank card anomaly sorted rapidly. And that's really peanuts compared to some of the 'delights' in store. Hopefully you won't need to telephone for a plumber for some considerable time, and tear your hair out in frustration after broken appointments etc. We are now on our 7th plumber, and although he's only average, he comes when he says he will.
Bon courage.

petitefrancaise

OP, have you already used your card to withdraw money? The limits on withdrawals are very low in France so you may have reached your limit.

FWIW, after having had accounts with 2 large french banks, we got a Barclays.fr one and they were absolutely brilliant. It helps to get to know your bank manager, ours was great. French bank branches seem to be a law unto themselves with little/no oversight from the bank itself.

Chatter Static

Withdrawal and spending limits these days tend to be tiered on the type of card you have.

chase1

Thank you for all the replies I have had, it is very much appreciated.

My account is a regular Barclays account with an international card. I haven't been able to spend anything on it as of yet. The message I get on the cash machine is "amount refused, please choose another amount" even for an amount as low as 20euro.

I have transferred £1500 to start with from my British account and it is showing in my French current account on on-line banking. For some reason my Visa card has been separated from my current account so even though I'm showing a balance of 1500E it is showing a balance of 0.00 on the actual card on a separate line.

To answer a question asked earlier, the only reason I went with Barclays is because they were the first people that were able to see me, all the banks seemed to be offering the same deals. Im starting to wish I went with Britline or just plain old credit mutuel.

Unfortunately the bank decided they were just going to take a random day off today after Lille Braderie so I will have to wait until tomorrow to book an appointment with my advisor. If she is not in I guess I will get the 'its not my job/problem" line from her colleagues, that seems to be a very common French response.

again cheers for the replies.

EuroTrash

If you can't get an immediate solution/appointment and you need cash, the staff can usually be persuaded to let you withdraw money over the counter. You will need ID to do that so make sure you take your passport.
I have a bad habit of losing my bank cards, done it three times now, and each time CA have obliged.

Silly question but it is an ATM card isn't it and not a credit card/deferred payment card that you can only use for purchases? They didn't by any chance issue 2 cards did they, and you have picked up the wrong one? Seems unlikely but you never know. Have you tried to make an online purchase with it? you could try purchasing a low value item from Amazon to see what happens.

dmu

In our CA, if the ATM indicates that I've taken out more than the week's limit (400€?), the human teller will check the account on the computer and give me a plastic card for the sum required, and the ATM issues the bank notes without more ado. The worst part of the procedure is having to queue up beforehand!

Novocastrian

Sounds like a pre-paid debit/credit card to me. Try transferring some euros on to the card online first.

EuroTrash

Yes I think it must be something like this. Otherwise why would there be a separate line for the card? there isn't usually is there. I was thinking that the line for the card might show what you've spent on it over the month ie a deferred payment card, but as you say it could also show what you have loaded onto a prepaid credit card. Either way it doesn't sound like a "normal" debit card that you can use in an ATM.

Chatter Static

What banks still give cash over the counter here? I thought all banks had gone cashless i.e. if you need more than a cash machine would normally dispense or you have reached your cards weekly monthly limit then the teller/receptionist will give you a special blank card to put in the cash machine which dispenses the amount in question.

dmu

Correct, as per post #9

EuroTrash

My bank has fixed "windows" during the week when the cashiers have access to the safe, from memory it's Tuesday and Friday mornings and Wednesday afternoons.
(And they can actually give you cash outside of those times if they really want - one afternoon many years ago the entire CA ATM system went down, nobody could get any money out, and desperate customers were ushered one at a time into a room hidden away at the back of the bank and handed their cash.)

petitefrancaise

Just spoke to a friend who is a former Barclays FR employee.

Normally, if the card has been posted out - the problem would be that you haven't activated the card by calling them or going into the branch.