Basic bank account best for pensioner & their state pension?

mac.d

Said pensioner hasn't had a bank account for 20 years, and have been using the post office to get their pension up to now. They have no ID, only a birth certificate and struggled to open a bank account when they tried to do so a few years back. Will it be easier to try and open one of the basic bank accounts that are available? They just need an account to pay their pension into with a card that lets them withdraw it from a cash machine.

Neil_Jones

Ideally something like a modern driving licence or a passport would be ideal, but according to the main site "Benefit entitlement letters, including pensions, disability payments and Universal Credit (or benefits such as income support and jobseeker's allowance if you've not yet been moved onto Universal Credit)" could achieve the same effect.

Proof of address can be any utility bill - gas/electric, council tax, water, etc.

This might be of interest:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/basic-bank-accounts/

You can get a general idea of what counts as proof of anything on the Government website, this does make mention of birth certificate

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/proof-of-identity-checklist/proof-of-identity-checklist#proof-of-identity-checklist-for-individuals

PRAISETHESUN

Pretty much every bank advertises what forms of ID they accept. Look up the banks you're interested in and see if the ID you have available will be enough to meet their requirements. 

xylophone

I wonder would it be worth an application for the Virgin Current Account?
https://uk.virginmoney.com/current-accounts/pca/apply

I notice that even if he does not qualify, they could offer the M Account (basic)
https://uk.virginmoney.com/current-accounts/m-account

In terms of identification, is he on the Electoral Roll?

He will certainly have a letter from DWP concerning his state pension.

Does he have utility/council tax bills?

mac.d

Most banks just state passport/driving licence and are geared towards online ID checks. Got details from one bank so far, so looks like council tax, birth certificate and pension letter should be enough. Thanks all.

kuepper

Co-op has a simple current account called Cashminder https://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/currentaccounts

jonesMUFCforever

Most banks also use electronic verification for ID.
If the OP is on the electoral roll it might be that no additional ID is required.

For most accounts the ID required to open a Basic or any other type is exactly the same. Basic accounts are only offered to those who do not qualify for a full account.

RobM99

Recently opened a basic account with Metro, just with a driving licence.

colsten

Does the pensioner have access to the internet, and would they be comfortable with online banking? Do they need Branch access and/or banking services at the PO? Does anyone have POA for them?

born_again

colsten said:

Does the pensioner have access to the internet, and would they be comfortable with online banking? Do they need Branch access and/or banking services at the PO? Does anyone have POA for them?

All good questions.
As well as you do not apply for a basic bank account. It is offered when they feel that your credit history (no offense implied) is not good enough for a normal account.

jbuchanangb

Two days ago a pensioner of my acquaintance logged on to HSBC's web site and opened a standard bank account by just answering all the questions and pressing the button. I witnessed this process. No identity documents were requested. At one point in the process there was an announced 30 second delay for a credit reference check, which presumably also performed some sort of identity check. It couldn't have been easier. I assume that since the name, date of birth, address history, and electoral roll data in the credit reference agency matched the applicant's details, that was sufficient.
As soon as the account is fully open the pensioner intends to phone the DWP and change the destination account for the pension to the HSBC account.