Question for Revolut account holders - Unverified in particular

jasonwatkins

Firstly, I cannot open a full revolut account because I do not own a passport or driving licence.

But that isn't really my issue as I have a full current account at Santander for my every day banking.

I do have an unverified Revolut account (apparently!) that I opened in January this year but I completely forgot about.

What i'd like to do is use it as a sort of quasi-savings account by transferring money into it here and there and then, if need be, using it to buy something or to withdraw money. This, hopefully, wouldn't need to happen all that often though.

Their support has indicated that I could transfer money in, but not out. But then they've also indicated that they "couldn't guarantee the success" of ATM withdrawals or purchases either which didn't sound good.

So I was wondering if anyone has ever done something along these lines with an unverified account ?

[Deleted User]

Why would you put money into a non-interest earning account?

That makes no sense.

jasonwatkins

Because it's how I want to do it. And with the amount of money i'd be transferring in, the interest i would earn would be negligible.

And I'd also like the option of accessing the money whenever I wanted to access it as well.

eskbanker

I must admit that it seems baffling to me too - you have a full current account with Santander so can access your money whenever you need it, but you want to shift some somewhere else for no discernible purpose?

Having accounts with multiple banks is no bad thing if you're doing it to improve resilience against technical problems, etc, but it should go without saying that this approach only has value if you can definitely get access to your money, otherwise you're increasing, rather than decreasing, risk!

If you don't have adequate photo ID for Revolut then it's likely that you'll have difficulties opening accounts elsewhere too so you may need to stick with Santander - would a savings account with them meet whatever your actual requirement is?

jasonwatkins

Regarding the “no discernible purpose” comment, that was made pretty clear in the opening post

What i'd like to do is use it as a sort of quasi-savings account by transferring money into it here and there and then, if need be, using it to buy something or to withdraw money

Don’t worry about replying though, I’ll just contact Revolut directly. This thread will only stay off topic now so it’s not worth it.

eskbanker

Suit yourself - I suggested something to do if what you're looking for is a savings account (and there are plenty of other options at the likes of https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/savings/savings-accounts-best-interest/) but it just isn't clear how you're distinguishing between a savings account (that's actually suited to saving) and "a sort of quasi-savings account" (via an apparently unsuitable product with an institution whose criteria you don't meet), so if you have a clearer idea of what you're looking for then you'll stand a better chance of finding it....

Perhaps you'll see this as off-topic too, but it seems like a sort of quasi-answer to me

jasonwatkins

I'm very clear on what I want, but I will accept that "quasi-savings account" was probably the wrong term to use so I'm sorry if i was snippy.

Basically I just want something that's no different to a glass jar - something I can put money in and build up a balance and, if need be, use some of that balance to buy something.

And I want it to be a separate entity away from my normal current account.

The reason I'm asking about using this Revolut account is that it's already open, albeit with restrictions, and it will save the ballache of trying to open something else.

I hope that's made things clearer.

MonaLisaSmile

If a major bank like Santander were able to verify your identity without a passport or drivers license why not just open another account with another reputable institution? The likes of Lloyds, Halifax, Barclays, Nationwide etc? Many of them can just verify people electronically

jasonwatkins wrote: »

I'm very clear on what I want, but I will accept that "quasi-savings account" was probably the wrong term to use so I'm sorry if i was snippy.

Basically I just want something that's no different to a glass jar - something I can put money in and build up a balance and, if need be, use some of that balance to buy something.

And I want it to be a separate entity away from my normal current account.

The reason I'm asking about using this Revolut account is that it's already open, albeit with restrictions, and it will save the ballache of trying to open something else.

I hope that's made things clearer.

System

You are going to have an issue of anywhere with any of the online/app only services.

How about something like savings account with an ATM card - with a bank or building society that has branches close enough for an ID check if sought.

Virgin Money also offer a simple current account that offers some interest/debit card & has to be opened in branch.

jasonwatkins

I spoke to someone else at Revolut who confirmed once and for all that I cannot use the account in any capacity without it being verified and that the information I received earlier today was wrong.

The account has now been closed.

I am quite frankly astonished that I was given a full current account at Santander because of my identification "issues" but I'm certainly not complaining. I'm very aware of the situation regarding the challenger banks, as well as the high street banks.

I travelled for over 2 hours on a bus to get to the Virgin Money shop to try and open an account with them only to be told that none of my ID was acceptable - Metro also turned me down.

I might try for a fee-free prepaid card or, failing that, a basic bank account with someone.

Or, failing that, an actual glass jar

eskbanker

jasonwatkins wrote: »

I travelled for over 2 hours on a bus to get to the Virgin Money shop to try and open an account with them only to be told that none of my ID was acceptable - Metro also turned me down.

:eek:

This put me in mind of something I posted on another thread a while back, that may come in handy here too:

eskbanker wrote: »

While I agree with the principle of shopping around, I'd suggest that it would be far more efficient to research the various ID requirements online, as the vast majority of banks will list these on their websites, and even if OP has a wide range of branches where she lives, the days of walking in to open accounts without appointments are largely over so wandering around speculatively is likely to be laborious and time-consuming.

Some sites to start off with:

https://www.tsb.co.uk/current-accounts/faqs/identity/
https://www.barclays.co.uk/current-accounts/what-do-i-need-to-open-a-bank-account/
https://www.lloydsbank.com/legal/proof-of-identity.asp
https://www.halifax.co.uk/securityandprivacy/privacy/proving-your-identity/
https://www.bankofscotland.co.uk/securityandprivacy/privacy/proving-your-identity.html
https://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/PA_esf-ca-app-content/content/pws/content/personal/pdfs/help-us-to-identify-you.pdf
https://www.santander.co.uk/personal/support/customer-support/customer-identification-documents
https://personal.natwest.com/personal/current-accounts/what-do-you-need-to-open-a-current-account.html

Make sure that any ID is an exact match for the specified requirements rather than something that sounds approximately similar, and have a printout to hand if applying in branch....

Any particular reason not to get proper photo ID by the way, as that would make things so much easier?