Work in Ireland - Get Paid in Euros - Live in the UK - HELP!

RadioJim

Hoping soemone out there has some sound advice - this is doing my head in on the figuring out the best way forward... free pint in Dublin to anyone that can help!

I'm about to start work for an Irish company in Dublin. I will mix up my attendance in Dublin with commute, stayovers and remote working - I live in the UK.

I've opened a Barclays Euro account for my wage to be paid into. 

My plan is to move / exchange a specific amount of money into my UK account (but only the top amount neccessary ofr bills etc in the UK) leaving as much in the Euro account until there is a great exchange rate and then move as much into the UK account as possible. Question 1 - that's the right thing to do right?

Question 2 - I'll be in Dublin spending money on food and drink mostly, what is the best way forward on how to spend money in Dublin? The Barclays Euro account does not come with debit / credit card. Do I get an Irish Credit / debit card if possible? Do I get one of the cards you take on holiday with you normally that you top up? Help!?!

Need advice urgently! Appreciate anything you can offer.

Thanks in advance.

Neil49

My initial thoughts are that you could open a Starling account which allows you to switch between GBP and Euro at a competitive rate.

Everything is online only but you can use contactless for all your transactions and monitor usage through the app.

You can open an account pretty quickly if necessary. Read more at

https://www.starlingbank.com/

RadioJim

Going to look into this Neil - realluy appreciat eyou taking the time to respond with an idea. Appreciate it.

eDicky

Avoid Barclays Bank for euros and top-up cards for spending.

Open your Starling Bank GBP account, then the EUR account. The debit card serves both.

dsab

Open a basic Irish Account for the Salary to be paid into. Research that before your move as most Banks in the Republic of Ireland charge monthly or quarterly fees for current accounts, and there are only limited options for free accounts. Thankfully there are only 3 or 4 retail banks around.

I would get a Halifax clarity card in the UK for any Euro spending, as it is commission free and using the official exchange rate at the time of the purchase. Getting a Creditcard in Ireland won't be straightforward due to the lack of Irish Credit history.

Don't use any of the retail banks to transfer money between IE and UK accounts. Use Wise for that, as it will save you a lot of money over time and the money arrives usually in your UK account within minutes with no currency conversion fees etc.