Changing bank account whilst abroad and Metro Bank

Graham1982

Hello all:

On phone typing so making initial message brief:

Barclays Blue Rewards changing in April means that I will be looking to change banks. Problem is I work abroad.

Can you open an account whilst abroad legally online?

Also of all the banks that are rated as good for cash incentives and rewards etc, Metro Bank never figures.

I was intrigued by them when they arrived in my then local town. Are they good/bad/other/finished?

Thanks

Graham

eskbanker

Current accounts with UK banks will typically only be available to UK residents - are you permanently resident abroad or do you retain a UK address (where mail can be opened)?

Graham1982

Hello eskbanker:

I have a postal address in UK i.e. my friend's address, very trustworthy and honest. 

PRAISETHESUN

Many banks won't offer accounts to non-residents - it's not illegal per se, but the current state of things mean it isn't a particularly attractive business environment for them to do so. In theory there's nothing to stop you opening an account from overseas using your friend's UK address, but this would technically be fraudulent (since your stating an address you don't actually live at). It also won't help if you get asked to send in ID or sign and return paperwork, etc. Might be easier to just downgrade the Blue Rewards so you don't get charged any fees, and wait until you return to the UK to get things sorted (assuming the move overseas isn't permanent).

eskbanker

Graham1982 said:

Hello eskbanker:

I have a postal address in UK i.e. my friend's address, very trustworthy and honest. 

But is that declared as your residence or just used as a correspondence address?  It's obviously not a good idea to make any false declarations and any inconsistencies between applications and existing data held on credit files, electoral roll, etc, can cause all sorts of grief, so the main thing to ensure is any new application is consistent with what's already on record elsewhere.

maxsteam

It's certainly not fraudulent to use a trusted friend's address for correspondence and it's certainly not illegal to open an account while overseas but a UK address is necessary to open a UK bank account. Some high street banks may ask you to visit a branch to open an account. I suggest that you look at some of the online banks, like Starling. Fineco are an Italian bank who will let UK customers open an account and they offer some services (like currency exchange at decent rates) which will be useful for anyone who travels a lot so they are definitely also worth looking at. You will probably need a bank or credit card statement with a UK address on it, or something similar, whichever bank you use, but that's not insurmountable. A UK passport and driving licence will also help, as might a UK phone number. The documents can be photographed and submitted online.

The best way to find out if you can open an account with a particular bank is to actually try the process and see how far you can get today. If you find that it's necessary to obtain a certain document (like the bank or credit card statement mentioned above), you may need to try again another day before being successful.

You should be aware that, if a bank so wished, they could easily find out that you are overseas by looking at your IP address when you visit their website. It's certainly easier to open a UK account while in UK, but I expect that it is possible, with the correct documents and a UK address, to do it while overseas.

Once you have opened an account and used it for a while, you should be able to ask the bank to change their record of your address and phone number to your overseas address and phone number.

I will advise anyone not to bother chasing cash incentives and reward schemes but to choose the bank that is most suited to personal needs and circumstances. 

[Deleted User]

As others have alluded to - why not just downgrade from Blue Rewards until you're back in the UK?
Metro's big selling point is their good branch service, which won't (currently) apply to you.

Graham1982

Thank you all, I will probably just turn off Blue Rewards and then get a new account in the future when I return to the UK. I will be coming back in the long-term and in the short-term for holidays.

Thank you all.