Going abroad for a few months

sdt1986 · 26 July 2011 at 2:54PM

I'm off to work abroad for a few months (Fr) it is for an English company and they require I have an English bank account for my wage to go into. I currently have a Santander current account and a Yorkshire bank readycash account. I’m guessing I have to pay about £2 or so on every transaction and have to put up with the conversion rates, is there an alternative or cheaper method to do this?

Also my biggest fear is that my Santander account is in credit and fine but I have an abbey account with £750 overdraft on it, my fear is they link the two accounts and start nabbing the cash, is this possible, can they actually do that?

Any other financial tips for managing my money abroad would be appreciated as well. Thanks

stilltheone · 26 July 2011 at 3:54PM

sdt1986 wrote: »

I'm off to work abroad for a few months (Fr) it is for an English company and they require I have an English bank account for my wage to go into. I currently have a Santander current account and a Yorkshire bank readycash account. I’m guessing I have to pay about £2 or so on every transaction and have to put up with the conversion rates, is there an alternative or cheaper method to do this?

Also my biggest fear is that my Santander account is in credit and fine but I have an abbey account with £750 overdraft on it, my fear is they link the two accounts and start nabbing the cash, is this possible, can they actually do that?

Any other financial tips for managing my money abroad would be appreciated as well. Thanks

Set up online access and transfer spending money on to a Travelex Cash Passport Globe Prepaid Mastercard or apply for an account such as the Metro Bank

Another alternative is to apply for a Halifax Clarity CC, use that for your spending and clear the balances as you go.

knightstyle · 26 July 2011 at 7:57PM

We are in a similar position and use a Halifax clarity card for everything, even cash withdrawals made just before the statement date to minimise interest. Works well but you can only withdraw £300 a day. No limit on purchases though.