Question on opening a bank account in the UK

If you don't have a utility bill yet you can always request a home visit.  However, not every bank will offer that option.     We were staying with my in-laws while we were waiting for our house sale to finalize so we could move in so no utilities would've been in my name...  That turned out to be the easiest route as everything's in a catch-22 otherwise.

i have never heard that!  which bank visited you in your home?

We have HSBC - they came & did a home visit for us.  Then again, we live in Yorkshire...  I don't know / can't guarantee they'll do it in London.  But, seeing as our mortgage & bank accounts (well me getting added on) were on the line...

wow!  how nice of them.  i couldn't get any bank to look at me.

I no longer recommend Global Visas to open a bank account through the On Arrival package. I've had some major problems with them.

It's good to see there are other options available.

Thanks for all your info guys, you've been very helpful.

Txbella sorry to hear that you had problems opening an account with the Global arrival package. I appreciate you popping in to let me know 

Just a quick follow-up question...

I found out that I was being transferred to the UK through my company last year, upon which time I opened up a State-side HSBC account.  There are no HSBC branches here in Michigan, but I figured it would be easier to have one in anticipation of the move.  Fast forward many months, and my company is starting work on my work permit for me to move in February.  The problem is that to open up a UK account at HSBC from the US, you have to have your Visa for a minimum of three months.  Just wondering if anyone has had a similar problem or if they had trouble opening up a UK HSBC from the States with no branches close by.  I'm starting to think I should just wait till I get there.

Also, has anyone had trouble getting a utility in their name if they're going to be in a flatshare where utilities are already established?

The problem is that to open up a UK account at HSBC from the US, you have to have your Visa for a minimum of three months. 

What?!! We had ours open and ready to go before we even had our visas. Unless they've made some major changes in the last year, that's nonsense. Try talking to someone else. We did spend a lot of time on the phone with the international accounts people in Buffalo, because although we were working with a local branch, they were clueless.