CaliforniaBride

I've finally gotten around to buying some USD on XE but it seems I have screwed up MAJORLY! I called my UK bank who have told me that they cannot make a payment to XE unless I am present in the bank. Pretty impossible right now!

The person I spoke to at the UK bank told me that they don't have anyway for me to do this unless I am physically present in the bank, but to call back and speak to someone in their Swift Department who may be able to do this as a 'special favor'. I will call them but their operating hours are between 1am and 9am PT so that will have to wait until tomorrow. And I didn't like the sound of my chances, 'a special favor', 'a one off', didn't sound likely really.

In the meantime, has anyone ever had a similar problem? Any solutions? Note, I don't have internet banking at present.

Jerseygirl

I suppose the 'special favour' depends how much your account is worth to them.

TRPardoe

What's the Bank? It sounds like you got a moron on the phone.

I have an account at the Portman BS which has no online banking but if I send them my passbook and written instructions via Fedex they make a CHAPS payment to XE's account at Bank of America in London and I get the funds here in 3 business days.

Your Bank HAS to take written instructions from you. It is ridiculous to claim you have to be there in person.

Maz

I'll ditto that. My Dad always sends written instructions via snail-mail to his bank when he gets cash wired over to us. He's never had to be there in person.

Philgr

I had the identical problem with NatWest - I resolved it by speaking with the Branch Manager and persuading him that written instructions sent by Fedex were fine if he wanted to keep my account. He was pretty reasonable about it in the end but the folks that pick up in the call center are useless drones.

BritGuyTN

you can just use on-line banking with natwest....

Philgr

Not to transfer more than something like 10K Sterling a day and I was moving the proceeds of a house sale.

dukeynorton

This is stupid! I can understand it for large, large sums but I set it up online with HSBC just like you set up any other payee. I even sent them an e-mail making sure that this was the right thing to do and they agreed. What bank are you with?

The person you spoke to sounds like a right nob cheese!

Elvira

I pay XE Trade the same way as I pay my Visa bill - online.

Takes about 30 seconds.

BritGuyTN

I did that very thing, just staggered it over a period of a few days.

You also average out the enxchange rate.

Bit more of a pain in the arse, but less so than having a bun fight with the bank...

dukeynorton

Yeh me too! Piece of piss I think is the technical term.

Philgr

It's more than a few days when you're moving enough money to buy a house in the Bay Area - Why should anyone have to wait to get their own money just because the bank decides to make up dumb rules for their own benefit? If no one complains nothing ever gets changed.

tonyghiggins

In that case you do it by telephone, I had to do several transactions > 25k

This was with Natwest offshore though.

lansbury

I use NatWest for Swift transfers I just phone and request it and give the details. About an hour before they are going to make the transfer the Swift office calls me back and asks some questions about my account to satisfy themselves the instructions have come from me and then wire the cash to MoneyCorp.

Been doing it this way for a couple of years and quite a few transfers now.

tony126

I'm with the NatWest and have never had the slightest problem in transferring funds. Sounds like your manager was not up to par with XE. I do not have to phone anyone I just transfer funds from my account to London having set up the transaction with XE beforehand.