Polish AirBnB guests stuck in UK due to Covid need UK bankk account - help

rubberduck2010

We have an AirBnB guest staying with us from Poland. She is staying here while we are in lock down but needs to set up a UK bank account. She wants a free account with no minimum pay in, no special deals etc. Just to be able to make her time here easier! 

I found an HSBC account that fits the job, but it requires a meeting in branch. The branches are open, but not taking appointments. 

Can anyone suggest what she can do? Are there any online options? I checked out First Direct, as they have such a good reputation, however the can’t apply as its for UK residents only. 

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated! 

penners324

They'll need a basic account I suspect. Most banks offer them.
Or try Revolut, they're likely to accept them.

mwarby

Monzo or Starling would both be good options too, both do all signup via app

george9071

As she isn't a UK resident, i wouldn't bother with the high street banks, i would 100% try one of the online banks, there is loads of choices out there now for example, monzo, starling (been with both of these and they are good), there is also revolut and N26. There is so many choices.

colsten

george9071 said:

As she isn't a UK resident, i wouldn't bother with the high street banks, i would 100% try one of the online banks, there is loads of choices out there now for example, monzo, starling (been with both of these and they are good), there is also revolut and N26. There is so many choices.

As she is stuck in a UK AirBnB, she has a UK address, and therefore she is a UK resident. Which is just as well, as at least some of the accounts you mention are only available to UK residents.

OP, please note that Revolut does not have FSCS/equivalent protection. Not sure whether N26 are still trading in the UK, as they have announced their withdrawal from the UK market. Starling and Monzo are 'good'. She will, however, have to notify them when she no longer has a UK address, and she may well have to close the account then.

There is also Transferwise Borderless, which doesn't have residency restrictions but it does not have FSCS/equivalent protection, so I would discard it whilst there are accounts with the FSCS option.

born_again

>>As she is stuck in a UK AirBnB, she has a UK address, and therefore she is a UK resident. <<

This issue is going to be length of stay. Pretty much all banks will ask how long have you lived at address and will be checking credit history.
Non Uk person is not going to show up. So they will have to prove UK residence. The question is why do they need a UK bank account?

Are Poland not repatriating stranded nationals?

Seems they are.
https://www.poland.travel/en/travel-inspirations/poland-launches-repatriation-flights

callum9999

colsten said:

george9071 said:

As she isn't a UK resident, i wouldn't bother with the high street banks, i would 100% try one of the online banks, there is loads of choices out there now for example, monzo, starling (been with both of these and they are good), there is also revolut and N26. There is so many choices.

As she is stuck in a UK AirBnB, she has a UK address, and therefore she is a UK resident. Which is just as well, as at least some of the accounts you mention are only available to UK residents.

OP, please note that Revolut does not have FSCS/equivalent protection. Not sure whether N26 are still trading in the UK, as they have announced their withdrawal from the UK market. Starling and Monzo are 'good'. She will, however, have to notify them when she no longer has a UK address, and she may well have to close the account then.

There is also Transferwise Borderless, which doesn't have residency restrictions but it does not have FSCS/equivalent protection, so I would discard it whilst there are accounts with the FSCS option.

I'm not aware of a single bank, organisation or government department who would consider someone temporarily staying in a UK hotel a "resident" - are you?

You can try and pretend to be a resident if you have an address of course, but it doesn't make you one!

colsten

Anyone with a UK address is a UK resident. I have not seen a minimum length of stay requirement for a UK bank account. Yes, you might have to provide proof of address (in addition to proof of ID, e.g. an EEA ID card or passport), but that can be obtained if the person requiring the account is desperate.

For the xenophobes: all EEA citizens still have full Freedom of Movement, and right to settle in the UK, at least until the end of 2020.

jonesMUFCforever

Presumably she came to UK with a Polish bank account - why would she need a UK bank account unless she is going to be a UK resident? To access funds she could initiate a bank transfer to the OP's UK account.
At the present time she does not have a UK address so opening a bank account with a high street bank will be extremely difficult as posters have said - they are not interviewing customers face to face.

Most UK banks do have an application process to open basic bank accounts for EU citizens - this is done online and not in branch. Choose a bank and look at their process from their website.

Chino

jonesMUFCforever said:

At the present time she does not have a UK address

Didn't you read the OP?

rubberduck2010 said:

We have an AirBnB guest staying with us from Poland. She is staying here while we are in lock down

colsten

IvanDP said:

Although I am a little biased, I would recommend Monese.
Although not a bank, for your guests needs, they would be ideal.
No proof of address needed, just ID and an address to send the card to.
https://monese.com/

Monese is not FSCS/equivalent protected. I wish people who recommend these sort of accounts would mention this.