US bank accounts

[lawlesslovewdw]

Can british residents open a usa bank account without owning a home in USA?

 

[kristieuk]

I don't know for definite, but I think the answer is no. What you can do is open a $ currency account based in the UK - several banks offer this, although there are generally associated charges or other requirements.

We have recently opened a Citibank $ account www.citibank.co.uk. As long as you pay in your salary, or maintain an equivalent $ balance of £2000, there are no charges

If you are HSBC Premier account holder, you can open one without much difficulty, but as a normal HSBC customer, there are charges for having the account, and for writing cheques etc.

Hope that helps a little.

 

[kristieuk]

Actually, this may be completely wrong - there is a thread on the UK Planning board by Penlanspice regarding changing currency now - I have just read they opened a SunTrust account in Orlando, so maybe you could get some more details about that. Sorry!

 

[gilld]

I don't know for definite, but I think the answer is no. What you can do is open a $ currency account based in the UK - several banks offer this, although there are generally associated charges or other requirements.

We have recently opened a Citibank $ account www.citibank.co.uk. As long as you pay in your salary, or maintain an equivalent $ balance of £2000, there are no charges

If you are HSBC Premier account holder, you can open one without much difficulty, but as a normal HSBC customer, there are charges for having the account, and for writing cheques etc.

Hope that helps a little.

We have an HSBC Premier Account and CC - in what way does that make ir easier to open an American/$ account?

 

[Frances999]

We have an HSBC Premier Account and CC - in what way does that make ir easier to open an American/$ account?

Gill - just contact your relationships manager to arrange international banking with HSBC. We sorted it out last year and it is really very straightforward and a great way to open a $USD account.

 

[kristieuk]

*duplicate post*

 

[kristieuk]

*duplicate post*

 

[kristieuk]

When we enquired about opening a $ account with HSBC who we both bank with, they gave us a list of all the charges associated with it - I think there is a charge of £20 per cheque written, and £30 a month just for having the account open.

If you have a Premier account, there are no charges at all as I recall. It was also just a case of contacting your direct contact person who sorts everything out for you. It was just a lot less complicated, but we didn't quite reach the required credentials for having a Premier account which had just been increased - so it was the Citibank account for us!

 

[gilld]

Thanks, Kirstie and Frances, we'll give her a call and find out more. It should help with the DVC points rental income as well.

 

[Andrew Bichard]

Can british residents open a usa bank account without owning a home in USA?

Yes. My wife has an account in the USA which we use mainly for paying our DVC dues.

Unfortunately, because we don't have a US billing address, we cannot have a US credit card, and Disney won't accept checks (cheques) drawn on that account either. We ended up having to draw cash from the account from an ATM every day to pay for our room with cash.

Andrew

 

[TinkTatoo]

I have an account in the USA with Wachovia which I opened when we were there in 2004. You just need your passport and about $200 to open the account with.

I use it to pay our DVC dues and transfer funds into it when the rate is good as it saves us having to carry cash or travelers cheques when we are on holiday. I have a Visa debit card (which I have used on line to pay my DVC dues) and a check book and have not had any problems using these.

 

[Pootle]

We have a US 'Checking' Account with Washington Mutual Bank. We opened it in 2001, they send us monthly statements and it's free. They also provided a cheque book, paying-in slips and envelopes.

The only downside is the Visa check/cash card has to be ordered and collected at the branch as they won't post these overseas.

The Manager is the same now as in 2001 and waves when he sees us - it seems a bit more personal which surprised me, but then, my experience is limited so I could be completely wrong .

 

[angel659]

This is an interesting thread. We want to move out to Florida in 5-6 years time as soon as I am qualified Nurse and finished 2 years practice this is where I want to go. I wonder if owning a USA bank account would help us with moving out there or at least getting a USA mortgage if we decide to buy a villa in the near future.

 

[Netty]

michelle, this site may help you with any questions you need answering! We would love to live in Canada!
http://britishexpats.com/forum/

 

[Chris and Pooh]

Can british residents open a usa bank account without owning a home in USA?

We have a Suntrust account which we opened in 2003 to pay our DVC dues etc it is a basic Checking account with a Visa debit card and what is also handy is that there is a major branch opposite DTD. You can open an account with $100 and a passport, they will provide you with a check book, paying in book and will send debit cards to your UK address and statements, but be aware they also charge $5 per month for the latter to do so, so unless you require a hardcopy from the bank, insist on an electronic statement only which you can print off yourself for nothing

 

[minnie29uk]

Hi!
I have a Wachovia bank account.I do have a Florida villa,but none of my paperwork or records with them has my US address - I doubt they would know it.
I pay all bills online.All statements come to UK.
I do have a check book and the visa credit card mensioned above.So I must admit,its nice not to have to get travellers cheques each trip now.

When the exchange rate is favourable - you can start saving for your next holiday!!!

Lynn