Question on opening a bank account in the UK

Hope I'm posting this in the right area as I'm unable to find the original post I was reading. I read on some post where someone had a HSBC bank account in the US as well as the UK. Would anyone be able to tell me if they felt since they had a HSBC account in the US that it was easier to open a HSBC bank account in the UK?  It's not that I would automatically choose HSBC but if opening an account here would make it easier in opening an account there then I would do it. I just want to see before we move from the US would it be easier to have done something here at the US side.

I know people have suggested HSBC because they're massive here in the UK and they have a small holding in the US so you could open up an account in the states and then transfer it over to the UK.  Also, they offer a Passport account for people just starting in the UK...

I had an HSBC account in England but not in America... and it was really easy to open.  They will probably start you out with a Solo card tho if you dont have any credit established in the UK.. which is fine, because i never came across a place that doesnt accept Solo but with Solo you wont have an overdraft.

Personally speaking, I would not go for HSBC's passport account. If you have sufficient information to open a passport account, you should have enough information to open a normal current account. The passport account charges £5 per month just for having it and you get locked into a contract of having to keep it for so many months.

Has anyone used any of the services that companies like Global Visas offer to open a bank account?

I'm already using them to process my HSMP paperwork and they offer an "On Arrival" package that includes starting a bank account with Barclays and other things like help finding a place to live, orrientation to London, cell phone set up etc.
I went ahead and went for the package because it was only £20 more and I'm doing this on my own rather than having a company move me I thought it might be easier...

I'll report back after I go through the process but wondering if anyone here has experience with this type of service.

Thanks!

Thank you for your replies

I had heard that opening a bank account in the UK was difficult. So I wanted to explore the possibility of opening an account here at the US side so when I would get to the UK I wouldn't have such a hard time.  I was on vacation recently in the UK checking out things before our move and I went into one bank asking about opening an account and they said I couldn't do it without a UK address (understandable) and utility bills in my name. Then when I went to check out rental properties I was asked if I had a bank account.
Errrr I couldn't open a bank account without an address and I can't rent a house without a bank account!!!! I understand where they are coming from but I feel I'm in a catch 22 situation.     Is the above info accurate?
TxBella where did you go to find out info on that arrrival package? Let me know how things go and good luck 

I had loads of problem opening a bank account when I first got here. I originally went to HSBC thinking it would be easier to open an account there but it was a terrible experience. To be fair to HSBC though, I think it was mostly just the person I was dealing with. She had no idea what was acceptable proof of ID, and she wasn't familiar with the different accounts, etc. She made it basically impossible for me to open ANY account! It was incredibly frustrating for me because I had started working, and as I didn't have a bank account, they cut me a check. But then no bank would cash the check without me having an account. Another catch 22.

I finally opened an account with Barclays and it was really simple. I just filled the online application form in and then had to go to my local branch with my passport and an electricity bill in my name and got a current account opened straight away. It does not have an overdraft, but I specifically asked for an account without an overdraft as to avoid any further hassle (by this point I was just incredibly desperate for a place to put my money!) but I still got the normal visa debit card.

Kayla
I'II definitely try Barclays, thanks.
If you don't mind me asking were you able to get an utility bill in your name without a bank account? Also are you renting and if so did you have a problem renting a property without a bank account?
Thanks

Hi Arloh, Just PMed you.

Here is the link for the service I'm referring to for anyone else reading the thread.
It looks like the price went up to 30GBP since last week.

http://www.globalvisas.com/arrivals.html

Sorry I didn't see this sooner! I'm one of those that has both US and UK HSBC accounts. The key here is that if you already have the US account, it's possible to open the UK account before leaving the US. I don't think it would help with opening a UK account after you arrive in the UK. The bottom line seems to be that all the identity confirmation can be done by the US branch, so that you don't run into the catch-22's described earlier.

I honestly don't know whether I would say it was easier. The process was a big pain for us because our local HSBC branch had NO idea what they were doing. There's also a lot of paperwork involved, and we ran into a bit of difficulty because of not having my work permit or entry clearance in hand at the time. But it does allow you to get through the bank account hassle before moving, and it's very helpful to have that bit sorted when you arrive.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

If you are coming over with a job in hand, you can also ask your job to write a letter for you stating that you will have a salaried position with them.  That helped me.  I started out with a Citibank account and they allowed me to use my work place address as my starting address as well.  It's not the best place to go to unless you live in central London but they have good online and phone services - I rarely go to a branch.

really?  my employer's letter got me nowhere.  even though the company had been banking with this particular bank for over 10 years. 

in the end what they wanted sounds simple (but took aggervation)
1- passport
2- utility bill (they liked the council one the best).

once i had those two items i had no issues.

Elynor,

When you opened your HSBC UK account before leaving was it a passport account or a current account?


-Tyler

Elynor,

When you opened your HSBC UK account before leaving was it a passport account or a current account?


-Tyler

It's a regular current account. I was not impressed by the passport account.

We originally opened a joint account with Barclay's. He has his own account, and I'm the only one who puts any money in the joint account, which he's rarely touched, so we're okay with that.