panicopractico

Hello!
I’ve asked advice from my Spanish friends about which bank to go with, and they told me to go with Caixa bank.
My wonder is, do they have an option for a non-resident account? Added bonus if I can start the process online, since I’m travelling to Spain next month anyway, so can finalise then!

Apologies for the silly question, but this info was not readily available on their website (perhaps because I’m using the mobile version of the site?)
Thank you in advance!

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst myself and BEVS moderate Europe. Please read the Site Rules Site Rules | British Expatriate Community adhere to them so that the site runs smoothly. Moderators are there to ensure that the rules of BE are maintained. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

MikeJ

We were with Caixa bank for some time and whereas it may be a fine bank if you are Spanish or Catalan speaking and resident, we found them very frustrating to deal with from the UK. Their web site, although it translates to English, is not very user friendly in that language. The most frustrating thing was that for security reasons they need to send a code by SMS which is input to confirm each transaction - and we could never get the system to recognise UK mobile numbers, despite many visits to the branch, even watching while they entered our number, it never worked for us. It was fine for routine direct debits etc but not for ad-hoc business. It does have the advantage that there are numerous branches all of which you can use as if it was your own - you do not have to have a 'home' bank.

We switched to Sabadell (which incidentally owns the TSB bank in the UK). It's perhaps not the best web site and it is in the process of being revamped, but it does have an English mobile app which seems very usable, and English speaking telephone banking.

dougal03

I agree MikeJ about Caixa bank, they couldn't imagine my life when I said I could not receive an SMS as I didn't have a working mobile phone!

Bad Leg

I've been with La Caixa for several years now (firstly as a non-resident) and have found them to be excellent. Their English website and phone apps are first class. If you don't yet need a Spanish account then consider opening a borderless account with Transferwise. You get free or low cost transfers or withdrawals (Mastercard debit) on your euro or sterling etc. accounts.

amideislas

Agreed. Not the cheapest, but we've had an excellent relationship, and they seem always pleased to serve our needs. Most speak many languages (in our case, German, English, no problem). Their online banking is comprehensive yet very easy to use, and their security mechanisms are very clever and again, simple. And in many languages. We recently purchased a villa, and laCaixa was not only helpful in every way, but their fees were incredibly reasonable (far less than a German or British bank). And there's a laCaixa branch and ATM in virtually every little village here.

Again, not the cheapest, but our experience has been excellent so far.

missile

You might find it more convenient to use a bank which has branches in both UK and Spain e.g. Santander.

Rosemary

I thought that they were totally separate and not linked to each other or has that changed.

Rosemary

missile

They are owned by the same parent company. They do operate independently, however there are advantages. For example, I am able to transfer without charge and draw funds on my UK Santander account in Euros at any Santander ATM in Spain.

This may or may not be of interest to OP?

Rosemary

Thanks for the explanation, I thought that they operated independently but did not know that they interacted in a way that was advantageous to customers so that could make a big difference.

Rosemary

bolton wanderer

Hi, do you need a Spanish bank account to pay utility bills for your property? or are you renting and just need to move money from the UK?

We use Sabadell to pay our utility bills (direct debits) but as non resident owners we pay €96 per year for this service (increases due!). if you can manage without needing direct debits then, as Missile has said, you can use a UK Santander account.

We also have a Santander 123 account in the UK and can get cash out of the local Santander ATM, with no charges and at the bank rate....not tourist rate!

HTH

johnnyone

Every time a bank thread comes up I vow to myself to change banks to avoid charges but then lose interest and stay with La Caixa although I do think their charges are high.
It's not just their "maintenance" charges but other add-ons such such international postage to send me statements, charges for our debit cards etc. that add up.
I do not want an on-line account nor do I transfer a monthly sum that may enable me to get free banking and unless those criteria are met I don't think there is a free banking account available. I am sure if I am wrong another poster will post otherwise.

Cape Blue

I've had La Caixa as a non-resident since 2002, always found them pretty helpful and the website works for me. Ended up insuring my property with them as well.

03721950

hi my la caixa online bank account not opening in london

Kenwoodlad

Working fine for me in Sheffield.