Opening A US Bank Account

happyzippy01

Hi!

I’m looking for some info about opening a US bank account from the UK. In January I am moving to the US to work and will need a bank account there. It would be good to get the account set up so it will be ready when I arrive in the country, do does anybody know of a easy way to set that up from the UK?

I have been to HSBC, who will open an account for me in the US, however they charge £100 just to do that, which seem s a bit steep just to open an account. Which other high street banks have connections or partners in the US that may also offer this service?

Any info very welcome!
Thanks

stoneman

Citibank in the U.K. have a U.S. dollar account, but they are a nightmare to deal with. Foreign call centres:eek:
I have a U.S. bank account as I get paid by some of my customers in dollars and I holiday in Vegas quite a bit, so wanted to avoid the changing dollars to pounds, then back again to dollars thing.
OK, here is what you do. as soon as you arrive in the U.S. go to your local Bank of America branch with 2 forms of ID and proof of address in the U.S.
They will open your account then and there, print out your ATM card, sort out your pin number, set up your on-line banking with username and password. All in branch!!! Fee free as well, and if you have some cheques to put in at the same time they will let you draw on them right away. Bloody marvelous, that is how banks should treat their customers, not like here.
I did all of this and only had an address in the U.K.
I deposited $3,000 in cheques in, and they let me draw $2,000 out straight away. you would have thought they would have learned by now, but no.:rolleyes:
The only reason I mentioned BOA is because most other banks wanted to charge us a monthly fee to maintain the account.

Happy_saver_4

stoneman wrote: »

...............................
OK, here is what you do. as soon as you arrive in the U.S. go to your local Bank of America branch with 2 forms of ID and proof of address in the U.S.
They will open your account then and there, print out your ATM card, sort out your pin number, set up your on-line banking with username and password. All in branch!!! Fee free as well, and if you have some cheques to put in at the same time they will let you draw on them right away. Bloody marvelous, that is how banks should treat their customers, not like here.
I did all of this and only had an address in the U.K.
..........

Sounds like good info but the two red items seem contradictory?

stoneman

As the OP is moving to the U.S. I put in that he/she should be prepared to take his proof of U.S. address along with him. Of course if he/she does not have anything like that early on, proof of U.K. address would work as well.

steveo3002

does it need to be 2x photo i.d

i only have a uk address , but how would they mail stuff like replacement cards etc or dont they mind dealing with overseas accounts

what account did you ask for

stoneman

steveo3002 wrote: »

does it need to be 2x photo i.d

i only have a uk address , but how would they mail stuff like replacement cards etc or dont they mind dealing with overseas accounts

what account did you ask for

Take everything you have, passport, driving licence, current U.K. bank statement(less than 1 month), utility bill etc. They give you a temporary plastic debit card there and then, you can use it to buy from shops and get money out of holes in the walls. They then send you a permanent card with your name printed on it to your U.K. address, got mine about 4 weeks later.
I have just a normal checking account and a regular saver, so I move my left over money from checking to saving until I go back, then move it over online.
One other cool thing that you can do with BOA on line. You enter all of your U.K. savings, current, ISA, etc details with user name and passwords and they store it all for you in 1 place so you can see your total worth, it evens stores your flying miles and shares, god forbid anyone ever getting hold of your BOA log in details though :eek:

happyzippy01

stoneman wrote: »

Take everything you have, passport, driving licence, current U.K. bank statement(less than 1 month), utility bill etc. They give you a temporary plastic debit card there and then, you can use it to buy from shops and get money out of holes in the walls. They then send you a permanent card with your name printed on it to your U.K. address, got mine about 4 weeks later.
I have just a normal checking account and a regular saver, so I move my left over money from checking to saving until I go back, then move it over online.
One other cool thing that you can do with BOA on line. You enter all of your U.K. savings, current, ISA, etc details with user name and passwords and they store it all for you in 1 place so you can see your total worth, it evens stores your flying miles and shares, god forbid anyone ever getting hold of your BOA log in details though :eek:

Thanks for the info.
So you think Bank Of America would be the easiest bank to deal with?

When I 1st arrive I will be staying with family for the 1st few weeks- so I can probably just use that address. However I will not have a Social Security Number or any utility bills etc. I can provide my passport and Uk driving lisence, however not much else.
For peace of mind I was hoping to set up the account before i go, however as I said HSBC charge £100 for that.
Citi Bank not having any branches etc sounds a bit nightmarish. Does anybody know of any other international banks that have branches in the UK and USA?

stoneman

happyzippy01 wrote: »

Thanks for the info.
So you think Bank Of America would be the easiest bank to deal with?

When I 1st arrive I will be staying with family for the 1st few weeks- so I can probably just use that address. However I will not have a Social Security Number or any utility bills etc. I can provide my passport and Uk driving lisence, however not much else.
For peace of mind I was hoping to set up the account before i go, however as I said HSBC charge £100 for that.
Citi Bank not having any branches etc sounds a bit nightmarish. Does anybody know of any other international banks that have branches in the UK and USA?

Give them a call from this country first, that's what I did. I am sure they will be able to sort something out for you, but you will need to go there in person when you arrive to sign up for everything.
I walked into BOA with 2 forms of ID and proof of address in the U.K. and walked out 1/2 hour later with $2,000 in my hand, a debit card, on line banking, cheque book, account number, the lot. Damn fine outfit if you ask me:T
BTW citibank do have branches here, but they are all in London, but you never need to go into a branch, and unless you have a faultless credit history you have no chance IMHO