How to get a bank account - if you're unbanked - basic bank accounts

dizziblonde

I don't have a passport - it expired last year and with a wedding coming up I wasn't going to pay out for one, then pay out for another less than 12 months later in my married name (and I didn't fancy 9 years of still having to travel as "Miss X"). Haven't got round to even thinking about getting one since the wedding either - since I haven't been abroad in the last 5-6 years and the only thing I've used it for is ID for CRB checks for work... it's a very very low priority (and an expense I can't really afford at the moment). Lots of people don't have passports - with the cost of them reaching stupid levels - are you really surprised?!

The other thing Halifax in particular are pretty fond of doing is bumping their current account customers down onto their basic accounts the second they're not putting some mythical amount of cash in - my account review date on their systems coincides with the time of year when often I'm not paying much in (seasonal nature of my work means I work some times in the year and have to save for the other times) and I go up and down the levels like a yo-yo - but thankfully keep my overdraft facility and cheque book since they're already arranged on there.

paulasx

KimYeovil wrote: »

What sort of person does not possess a passport? Surely every grown adult has one.

Although I have worked since I was 16, I have never been in a position to be able to afford to go on holiday, either in this country or abroad, and as such have never had a passport. What sort of person does that make me?

cm1981

of course banks have discretion, if you win the lottery and go to a bank that refused you a basic bank account with your 3.5m cheque they would welcome you with open arms. and offer you every account they have

WelshPaul

I don't know why Basic Bank accounts were even thought of, they are not available to everyone and most banks don't like offering them anyway!

A basic bank account should be available to everyone providing they can supply proof of identity, they should even be provided to bankruptees.

AngryDog

my gf applied at HSBC - shes been given an account, but they wont let her use it because she doesnt have proof of ID.

She has an ID Card (one of the offically accepted ones), Council tax bill, Job Centre information etc.

Sounds to me like they're just being a bit awkward?

Hermann

I have a relative who is in her Forties and has never had a bank account, never had a Passport, no driving licence and no utility bills (all household bills in her husbands name) not on the electoral register and uses no credit.

She is now due to recieve an inheritance and therefor now needs a bank account. It has so far proved impossible to get an account.

Most recent attempt was with the Nationwide. Just their most basic account was asked for and the staff starting going through the forms. When it got to ID and proof of address she was told they couldn't open any account because she didn't have appropriate documentation. Phoning Nationwide customer services got her no further.

Guess she's just left having to launder the money through someone elses account if the executor will play ball. Presumably the very thing these 'regulations' are supposed to stop!

So the safest customer of all, no credit required, no debts, just a hefty lump sum to deposit and invest is refused an account. No wonder the banks are in trouble.

Aaah hang on a minute ..... no credit required ..... all own cash ...... of course .... how are the bank going to fleece them .... makes sense now .... presence not required.

Hermann

cm1981 wrote: »

of course banks have discretion, if you win the lottery and go to a bank that refused you a basic bank account with your 3.5m cheque they would welcome you with open arms. and offer you every account they have

A relative has done the rounds with a few hundred thousand (inheritance) to open the account with ... still refused on ID grounds, suspect it would be the same with a few million lottery cheque, with perhaps one exception the lottery provide advisors who could probably get you an account in an instant.

Patr100

Hermann wrote: »

I have a relative who is in her Forties and has never had a bank account, never had a Passport, no driving licence and no utility bills (all household bills in her husbands name) not on the electoral register and uses no credit.

She is now due to recieve an inheritance and therefor now needs a bank account. It has so far proved impossible to get an account.

Most recent attempt was with the Nationwide. Just their most basic account was asked for and the staff starting going through the forms. When it got to ID and proof of address she was told they couldn't open any account because she didn't have appropriate documentation. Phoning Nationwide customer services got her no further.

Guess she's just left having to launder the money through someone elses account if the executor will play ball. Presumably the very thing these 'regulations' are supposed to stop!

So the safest customer of all, no credit required, no debts, just a hefty lump sum to deposit and invest is refused an account. No wonder the banks are in trouble.

Aaah hang on a minute ..... no credit required ..... all own cash ...... of course .... how are the bank going to fleece them .... makes sense now .... presence not required.

I so sympathise with your relative's problem.
If you get through life without requiring any debt in your name, not driven or recently gone abroad you do not exist to the banks.

alliballi

I asked for a basic bank acc with Abbey, and as I have an account with them already and it is not with collections, they refused me and gave me an account with £700 O/D, I only wanted basic account to pay my bills in online, so will just have to be careful with new acc, seemingly as you are all saying it is illegal to refuse a basic bank account to someone is that right or have I misunderstood??

Kaos_2

My partner went bankrupt 5 years ago and we tried all the major high street banks at the time asking for a basic bank acount and none would even consider the idea. We've got used to using my bank account for everything but finally, we have a friend who began working at a major bank who decided to get it sorted. She applied for a normal bank account for him, which was rejected. She then applied for the basic account and it was still rejected! This is a whole 5 years after going bankrupt (and 4 years after being discharged). Luckily our friend in the bank appealed the decision for us and finally he has a basic account but if our friend hadn't worked there it would be a very different story.