Bankaccount for Pensioners

chrissy21_2

Hello thanks in advance for this.

My question is - how easy is it for a pensioner aged 74 who doesnt have a bank account and debit card to get one.

My Father died in December and my Mother only has a savings account which they wont allow her to have either a debit card or a direct debit facility.

She is currently with Alliance and Leicester and although making several calls no-one ever calls back to sort this out. She wouldnt mind moving banks.

Again thanks in advance
Christine

jennifernil

Several banks offer Basic Bank Accounts, but I would have thought she could get a regular current account.

We are with Halifax, they seem fine. But she should approach one that has a convenient branch if she likes to use a branch.

A&L are now Santander, their reputation is not great on the customer service front.

margaretclare

Your Mum could get a normal current account with Alliance & Leicester - actually, it's now Santander.

Alternatively, she could open a current account with any bank, even with a building society like Nationwide. AFAIK there are no specially-designated separate 'bank accounts for pensioners' as the title of the thread implies.

She'd just need to go into the bank, take some ID, and take it from there. She'd need to produce a bill addressed to her - council tax, water, gas, electricity, and also some photo-ID. Bus pass, driving licence, passport, those kind of things. Bus pass will do if she hasn't any of the others. But she can't do this over the phone.

HTH

chrissy21_2

Thanks for that. I was just worried because some say you need to earn a minimum of £x to have a bank account.

Will check those out - thanks for the advice.

Christine

Farway

If convenient for her the Nationwide may be handy as their Debit card can be used to withdraw cash over the counter at the Post Office, so your mum may feel easier withdrawing face to face in a place she knows, like the Post Office

jennifernil

chrissy21 wrote: »

Thanks for that. I was just worried because some say you need to earn a minimum of £x to have a bank account.

Will check those out - thanks for the advice.

Christine

It's only some accounts that need a minimum deposit each month, there are plenty that don't.

Did your parents not have a joint account at all? That could easily become an account in her name only.

chrissy21_2

Thanks Farway that soundlike a good idea as there is a post office just around the corner and although she can't get their on her own with her being partially sighted I can certainly pop round to the cash machine for her.

Hi Jennifernil no my Dad had the bank account and was completely againt direct debits and debit cards etc. he never thought that he would leave Mum on her own due to her disabilities and he always thought that she would be the first one to pass. Life is so strange. Thanks for the advice though x

Savvy_Sue

chrissy21 wrote: »

Thanks Farway that soundlike a good idea as there is a post office just around the corner and although she can't get their on her own with her being partially sighted I can certainly pop round to the cash machine for her.

note that if she tells you her PIN, then she's in breach of her bank's T&C. Is she not going to be able to do this for herself, even if you have to take her? Would her writing cheques to you so you can get cash from your account a better bet? (you can get templates to help you fill in the the right spaces if that's an issue)

It's the ID which can be the problem: neither Mum nor Dad ever had a driving licence, and Dad only got a passport when he could get one for free - "The only time I've been abroad was when Winston Churchill sent me" - so until then he didn't have photo ID. Some banks found this hard to believe ...

My mother's experience of dealing with A&L is that they don't contact you and are a bit of a nightmare.

Farway

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

note that if she tells you her PIN, then she's in breach of her bank's T&C.

Agreed, but given she has never had a bank account, or written a cheque, and presumably has no idea what a PIN is, cannot walk to Post Office, never used a cash machine and is partially sighted so may not even be able to see cheques / keypad then her daughter knowing the PIN would seem the least of her troubles, especially if her memory is not too good and forgets PIN or writes it down somewhere

Savvy_Sue

Farway wrote: »

Agreed, but given she has never had a bank account, or written a cheque, and presumably has no idea what a PIN is, cannot walk to Post Office, never used a cash machine and is partially sighted so may not even be able to see cheques / keypad then her daughter knowing the PIN would seem the least of her troubles, especially if her memory is not too good and forgets PIN or writes it down somewhere

all very good points, but still IMO worth pointing out. There are other ways round it too: either daughter having Power of Attorney, or being a co-signatory without the account being a joint account. Whether the bank would issue a debit card to the Attorney or co-signatory is another question!