Internship in Luxembourg - is it better to switch account here or open a local account over there?

RostokMcSpoons

My daughter is shortly doing a six month internship in Luxembourg - is she better off switching her Lloyds account to one with better customer service (First Direct perhaps), or to one of the new Online accounts (Starling or Monese or similar)?, or should she just find a convenient nearby branch open an account over there?  She'll be paid in Euros and doesn't expect to be saving much of it that'll need converting back to Sterling, so really just needs decent access to cash via ATMs and a minimum of charges.

Any thoughts much appreciated!

penners324

Starling Euro account would work.

pbartlett

if it were me i would just open a local one.

eDicky

Using an account with Lloyds, First Direct, or any other main UK bank for receiving salary in euros and spending in euros would be an expensive mistake.

I would use both Starling Bank and a local account with a Luxembourg bank, for flexibility.

colsten

I would also suggest Starling Bank - they are absolutely ideal for people like your daughter. She should not use Lloyds or FD or any other traditional banks. She should also not use Monese or Revolut, as neither of these two currently have FSCS protection. I can't see any point in opening a local account for the short period she is there.

Another option might be a Wise multi-currency account, but again, they don't have any FSCS protection. They do offer superb service though.

born_again

Well FD will not open accounts for non uk customers.