Which UK Bank

[koratwanderer]

I've never been charged by Nationwide for Thai ATM withdrawals from my Flexaccount, and I withdraw about 2-3 times per month.

They always quote the exchange rate on the online statement, so you know exactly how much you've withdrawn.

[JonR]

Though Nationwide do not directly charge you they do pass on the 'Visa' transaction charge, in the case of Thailand 1%, this is not shown independently on your statement. Below are extracts taken from the Nationwide website.

Visa charges when making foreign transactions
For details of charges on foreign transaction and an 'A-Z list of countries', where you can find out if you'll be charged in the country you're visiting,

Third party charges

Nationwide continues to offer "commission-free" foreign transactions.

"Commission-free" means that we do not add any additional charges for exchanging currency which are designed to generate profit for the Society. We do, however, pass on any fee we incur from our card scheme providers for processing transactions in certain currencies (generally those outside of the European Economic Area and Turkey and Israel) other than sterling.

The fee is currently 1.00% and it will be included in the sterling amount shown on your statement.
The list below provides details of the countries for which a fee is charged. To check if you will be charged, please search for the country you are visiting by using the A-Z list. Unless stated otherwise a fee will be charged.

A-Z list of countries

Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Tenerife - No fee charged
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau Island
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey - No fee charged
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu

[almodeller]

Try Moneycorp.com in the UK they do do international transfers and you can set up a monthly Direct debit with them. They used to charge 8 pounds for a dd transfer but it was converted into Baht on a real time basis.They also do international transfers from SOME UK bank accounts. You will have to get a card or become a member (free) to use their services

[koratwanderer]

JonR,

I believe that the statement you have copied from their website only applies to Visa transactions, i.e. purchases or cash advance, not to cash withdrawals.

For example, my most recent cash withdrawal was 10,000 baht @ 51.038 = 195.93 GBP, which is exactly what my account was debited. Had it included a 1% charge, the amount debited would have been 197.89 GBP, even so that's not bad compared to other banks.

When I used to use Natwest Bank, I would have been charged approx 9.00 GBP for that transaction. That's why I now use Nationwide. 

[JonR]

KW,

From what i've read I believe it also applies to cash withdrawals using a debit card with a Visa symbol. Anyway whether it does or not i've also been happy with their service, much better than when i previously used my barclay's debit card.

regards,

Jon

Foreign Transactions
Purchases and cash machine withdrawals

If you carry out a transaction using your card in a currency other than sterling, it will be converted to sterling on the day the transaction is processed by our card scheme providers at a wholesale rate of exchange, which may vary daily. For an indication of that exchange rate, you can see the Visa wholesale rate of exchange at www.visaeurope.com/fxcalculator. This is an "indication" because transactions are processed when the retailer passes them on to the scheme provider, which is generally not on the same day the transaction took place.

Third party charges
Nationwide continues to offer "commission-free" foreign transactions.

"Commission-free" means that we do not add any additional charges for exchanging currency which are designed to generate profit for the Society. We do, however, pass on any fee we incur from our card scheme providers for processing transactions in certain currencies (generally those outside of the European Economic Area and Turkey and Israel) other than sterling.

The fee is currently 1.00% and it will be included in the sterling amount shown on your statement.

[misterpaul]

Is anybody awake out there? Yes you are getting charged by Nationwide, it is included in the exchange rate. The rate is 1% but is still a lot better than other banks. And yes the Yellow bank is the only place to withdraw money without charge, even though they ask you if you accept that you will not be charged. Bizarre

[jaysnet]

Dear all,

Just to let you know, I received a letter from the Nationwide the other day, saying my card (who my wife has) and the account will soon be updated. However, the new agreement will mean the new card will not be able to be used abroad.

It would seem the Nationwide are changing their policy, and I'm assuming this is going to affect everyone who uses this bank while in Thailand.

 

It's well worth checking out, and if I find or receive more details, I'll post here.

Thanks,

Jason.

[thiga]

If you have more than 50k hsbc premier account.they say.Use your HSBC Premier international debit card at cash machines worldwide without any ATM transaction fee from HSBC**. Withdraw up to ?1,000 per day. http://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/personal/hsbcpremier/worldwide-assistance;jsessionid=0000xbT8FVTI8j_GoXH6soxRaDM:14f64qmvd  regards thiga