What's each bank's policy on taking Bank Giro Credits?

ShelfStacker_3

Just a thread because it's something that comes up each day at work, I have loads of non-customers who come up to me with a bill to pay and ask to pay it, and when informed of the fee ask if there's any other way they could do it. But I've got no idea about the other banks' policies (bar a few) so I haven't the faintest :S

Soooo anyone who works for a bank, as a cashier or whatever - what's the fee for paying a BGC if you're not a customer? Is it applicable if the sort code on it is one of the bank's own? Is there a charge if you are a customer? I'll try and update this post with any decent replies given...

Known
HSBC - fee of £5 for each credit taken for a non-customer, whether the bill is paid to an HSBC collection account or not. Non-customers can't use the counter at all between 11am and 2pm, even if they pay. Exceptions include M&S Money, John Lewis Financial Services, GM Card and bills payable to the DWP or HMRC. Won't accept non-HSBC cheques for anything other than the exceptions listed above or HSBC/First Direct credit cards.
NatWest - fee of £10 for each credit taken for a non-customer. Some with NatWest/RBS sort codes are taken for free, others are not. Won't accept non-NatWest cheques for non-NatWest credits.
Barclays - will only accept credits where there is a Barclays connection (e.g. sort code starting 2 or the bill holder is a customer of Barclays paying with cash or a Barclays cheque). No fee if these criteria are met.
Halifax, Nationwide, Abbey, Alliance and Leicester - Will not take BGCs, even for customers.

Unconfirmed
Lloyds TSB - £5 for each credit taken for a non-customer.

c0c0nuts

Hi there,
I work for Natwest and their charge is £10 per bill for non-customers.
There are a few companies who have set up agency agreements with RBS/Natwest for their customers to pay in fee free, these are mostly utility/debt collection companies and we accept Inland Revenue/RBS credits of certain sort codes and Natwest credit card payments.
Not all collection accounts are fee free, we find out when we swipe them whether there is a charge associated.
We will only accept cash or Natwest cheque.
There are no fees for existing customers, however we can still only accept cash or Natwest cheque if the BGC belongs to another bank.
I used to work at LTSB and if I recall correctly these were £5 each to non-customer. Though this may have changed?
HTH

ShelfStacker_3

Cheers for that, should come in handy Just need to find the full details of Lloyds and Barclays and that's pretty much it to be honest... and the Co-Op, if they even take the bloody things.

willo65

I also work at Natwest and we can take BGC's with another banks cheque as long as it is for c/card etc and not to a personal account.

EarthBoy

25 or 30 years ago Bank Giro Credits were quite an advanced form of payment. They were regarded as too innovative for a lot of people who insisted on paying their bills by posting off cheques. I used to smirk at them and think I was superior because I used to pay all my bills at the bank on pay day! I thought it was marvellous when telephone banking was introduced and I could pay all the bills with a phone call. Now that we all use internet banking I don't know how I'd manage without it!

ShelfStacker_3

I just despise BGCs. Bane of my life. Especially considering the whinging from Halifax/Abbey/A&L customers who have been told (usually by Halifax/Abbey/A&L) that because it has HSBC on it, they can pay it with us for free.

The day everyone moves to Direct Debit or FPS for bill payments will be a happy one indeed. I've always done that and wouldn't have it any other way.

realaledrinker

Why so? Surely this is a golden opportunity to sell HSBCs services to non customers (commission?): then they would be able to pay BGCs for free!

ShelfStacker_3

realaledrinker wrote: »

Why so? Surely this is a golden opportunity to sell HSBCs services to non customers (commission?): then they would be able to pay BGCs for free!

We try already, but few people (if any) want to. Also, considering that we don't want people paying BGCs (instead moving to DDs and bill payments/bank transfer), it makes little sense for us to encourage people to move to us on that basis.

Extant

Barclays official policy is to only accept credits for 2- sort codes or other BGCs where there is a Barclays connection - i.e. paid with a Barclays cheque, or our customers paying with cash.

There is some scope for managers to process what they wish to, but there is a credit acceptance policy that must be followed.

brightonman123

for hsbc, i say i have a first direct a/c.. never been asked for proof (a/c no, etc!) -

its a bleeding liberty though, chargingto pay money IN to an a/c that they operate!!

ShelfStacker_3

brightonman123 wrote: »

for hsbc, i say i have a first direct a/c.. never been asked for proof (a/c no, etc!) -

its a bleeding liberty though, chargingto pay money IN to an a/c that they operate!!

Surely it's equally a bleeding liberty using the services of a bank you don't bank with and then evading the fee?

Anyway, the credits aren't free to take. There's a LOT of processing involved, and more generally we don't want non-customers at our counter holding the queue up for people who actually do bank with us.