Kafkaesque problem for Brit in EU

buriram

Here is the problem:

My mum lives in Ireland. Gets a 40 quid/month occupational pension paid into an Abbey instant saver account in the UK.(Main pension paid to her in Ireland, no problems) Uses the money about twice a year when visiting relatives, so would like a decent rate of return on it. Just realised interest rate is very poor, and wants to change to another higher paying account.

She has lived in Ireland over 13 years, having opened the account before she moved. Abbey are giving her grief over the fact she isn't in the UK.

So a customer of over thirteen years who simply wants to upgrade/change accounts can't, well unable to without a great deal of hassle. They are perfectly happy to let her stay on a poorly paying account though.

Any ideas?

She wants a reasonable rate of interest, and a cashpoint card.

runciblespoon

You could look at offshore banks (those in Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey), which don't have a UK residency requirement. Often they accept transfers by BACS for their sterling accounts, so should be able to be paid for free from a UK source.

I don't know any with a cashpoint card, but it might be worth a look. Start here for a list:
http://www.moneyfacts.co.uk/offshore/default.aspx
She could alternatively keep her UK current account and transfer money when she wants to withdraw.

Be aware the depositor protection is not as good as the UK (75% of first £20K for IoM, nothing for Channel Islands).