Replace Post Office Card Account with Basic Bank Account - Without going into branch

BigBlueSky

xylophone wrote: »

How about having the pension paid into a savings account with ATM card?

https://www.ybs.co.uk/savings/easy-access/index.html

Thanks - I might find out if the 'Instant Saver' account they already have at Santander has an option of a cash card to take money out at the Post Office. It is a really old account from Abbey National days.

Although if we got them a current account I could help them with their bills and have them set up by Direct Debit (as they are paying them all via cash at the Post Office at the moment) - as they always have done.

EarthBoy

xylophone wrote: »

How about having the pension paid into a savings account with ATM card?

https://www.ybs.co.uk/savings/easy-access/index.html

Yorkshire Building Society no longer offers any accounts with an ATM card.

p00hsticks

BigBlueSky wrote: »

Thanks - I might find out if the 'Instant Saver' account they already have at Santander has an option of a cash card to take money out at the Post Office. It is a really old account from Abbey National days.

Even if it does, you've still got to get the money into the account for them to be able to take it out - and if it's a savings account I doubt if DWP wil be able to pay directly into it.

EarthBoy

p00hsticks wrote: »

Even if it does, you've still got to get the money into the account for them to be able to take it out - and if it's a savings account I doubt if DWP wil be able to pay directly into it.

How will the DWP know if nobody tells them? When you send payments to any account you don't get any notification telling you whether it's a current account or a savings account. As long as the account accepts BACS payments and faster payments, then as long as you use the right sort code and account number (and reference, if needed) the payment should go through.

You can check if the sort code accepts BACS and faster payments here:

http://www.fasterpayments.org.uk/sort-code-checker

Stuart_W

I sympathise with your situation, as I have had similarly minded cash-based relatives reluctant to change.

Rather than the YBS savings account mentioned, to keep cash-based post office focussed banking going, which seems like a key issue here, you might want to look at Co-op Bank's Smart Saver account. You can apply online without needing to register for online banking. Fully paper-based statements available, instant withdrawals and deposits at the post office counter along with ability to check balance too.

https://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/assets/pdf/bank/savings/smartsaver/smart-saver-welcome-guide.pdf

You are right though that if you can persuade a switch to direct debit, big savings on bills become possible so a current account would be better. It depends if this is a habit that can be changed.