Student banking in scotland??

cazmcco · 31-07-2009 12:10pm #1

Hey!!

I dont know if this is the place to put this, so feel free mods to move it!!!!

Im heading to scotland in September and im just trying to get everything sorted out and I have a number of questions!!!

Q1, What is the best bank for student banking in scotland?

Q2, Which banks will give a visa electron credit card to students? (No charges when flying with ryanair!!!!!)

and

Q3, Which is the cheapest phone network over there when taking into consideration a number of Irish calls and texts will be made regularly.

Thanks in advance!!!!

GAAman · 31-07-2009 4:17pm

Hey will try be some help

Royal bank of scotland own ulster bank so their student accounts should be somewhat similar have included their link below actually reading that they give up to £2700 overdraft whereas ulster bank only go up to like 1500 os so

http://www.rbs.co.uk/personal/students/scotland.ashx

Anyway with ulster bank you are automatically entitled to a credit card up to 350 quid (was told this by three different tellers in two different branches) so rbs might be similar there

As for the phone thing do what i do, i have a meteor phone and a vodafone phone i send txts online with meteor to people at home and use th voda one for day to day here, when roaming it costs nothing to receive txts but it does when being called/calling

crinkley · 04-08-2009 6:33pm

ring meteor on 1905 and ask to sign up for their special promotion for UK roaming. If you're on the T-Mobile netwrok while roaming in the UK it won't cost anything to receive a call so if people at home have free calss to meteor numbers it wont cost any party anything

StradBally · 12-08-2009 12:31am

Try putting your post into the college / university forum in http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk

cazmcco · 12-08-2009 12:36pm

Thanks a million stradbally for that link, it seems to be fairly helpful. ill be posting as soon as i can for more information about student banking over there!!!

Cheers!!!!

newyorkdoll · 17-08-2009 6:04pm

Hey!

I'm heading to Scotland too! Edinburgh to be exact!!

I've done a lot of research into the banks etc and I think Royal Bank of Scotland are the best. They give you a free railcard, a free one month bus pass in glasgow, aberdeen or edinburgh and they have very high interest free overdrafts and have student credit cards! Check out www.rbs.co.uk!

As for the phone situation it would be way cheaper to buy a phone out there. The carphone warehouse out there have very cheap phones. I actually saved 40 euro on a phone by buying it out there! The best english network is O2. Their coverage is excellent throughout the UK. They also have a pay as you go offer where for 1.99 pound a month you can send texts or call irish numbers for the same price as UK numbers ie 8p per text and 20-25p per minute! Its a lot cheaper than roaming!

Good luck!!

cazmcco · 17-08-2009 9:20pm

Hey!!

Im heading to edinburgh as well!!!

Thats great to know about the phones, ill def be buying a phone over there, I was just wondering what company was the best to go with.

As for banking, I was thinking about opening an account with RBS aswell. It seems to be the best and as well as this, I think that it is the bank on the college grounds, which makes it even handier!!!

Have you checked about whether you will be entitled to a student credit card? I was reading their website and others and they all say that the credit card is only available to UK students, (see http://www.rbs.co.uk/personal/students/scotland/g4/other-student-products/student-credit-card.ashx#tabs=section4 )
The Railcard and the months bus travel is very handy to have!!!

cheers!!!!:D

newyorkdoll · 17-08-2009 9:44pm

Where you going in edinburgh? Im going to Queen Margaret!! What are you going doing?

I don't know whether I'm entitled to the credit card or not! Somehow I think I'm better off not knowing!!!! I will definately abuse the use of it if I have one! But yes the railcard and bus passes will be superhandy!
The RBS seem to be the best!

madmac187 · 17-08-2009 9:58pm

cazmcco wrote: »

Hey!!

I dont know if this is the place to put this, so feel free mods to move it!!!!

Im heading to scotland in September and im just trying to get everything sorted out and I have a number of questions!!!

Q1, What is the best bank for student banking in scotland?

Q2, Which banks will give a visa electron credit card to students? (No charges when flying with ryanair!!!!!)

and

Q3, Which is the cheapest phone network over there when taking into consideration a number of Irish calls and texts will be made regularly.

Thanks in advance!!!!

Can anyone help me because I would like to know the same because I'm going to Queens in Belfast?

Anyone else going up there?

cazmcco · 18-08-2009 9:57am

Hey!!

Im heading over to heriot-watt to finish off my degree in civil engineering!

Haha, you prob are better off not knowing till you apply coz it annoyed me finding out!! I have an Irish one so im not so bad. Still its a bit crap for students going into first year that wouldn't have had the opportunity to get an Irish one.

Madmac187, if you have a look at the link that stradbally gave me in this thread a few posts back,it was a real help to me. Also have a look at this and this. I found this website a good help in trying to figure out about the bank accounts because im useless when it comes to business and banking!!!!

madmac187 · 18-08-2009 3:12pm

cazmcco wrote: »

Hey!!

Im heading over to heriot-watt to finish off my degree in civil engineering!

Haha, you prob are better off not knowing till you apply coz it annoyed me finding out!! I have an Irish one so im not so bad. Still its a bit crap for students going into first year that wouldn't have had the opportunity to get an Irish one.

Madmac187, if you have a look at the link that stradbally gave me in this thread a few posts back,it was a real help to me. Also have a look at this and this. I found this website a good help in trying to figure out about the bank accounts because im useless when it comes to business and banking!!!!

Thanks man got that. Anyone going to Belfast to Queens or am I on my own?

fatherjack · 28-08-2009 8:31pm

I completed my PGDE (Primary) in Dundee this year.

The RBS was on campus and v student friendly. They require a copy of your accommodation contract as a proof of your UK address to get your bank account. Avail of the free Solo debit card option with your ATM card as it's so widely used.

I also availed of the Bank of Scotland Visa Electron card by applying online for the Easycash account at:

http://www.bankofscotlandhalifax.co.uk/bankaccounts/easycash.asp

They don't even require proof of your address just proof of identity. I sent them a photocopy of my passport. No transaction fees with Visa Electron for Ryanair, Easyjet etc!!

I used o2 pay as you go when in the UK. I selected the 'International' option SIM and you get loads of free international minutes to landlines AND mobiles in Ireland and elsewhere, whenever you top up!!! (e.g. 100 free minutes with a £15 top up). When you select this tariff, you get a discounted rate of 5p/min to Irish LANDLINES (or 10p to int'l landlines) when u've used up your free minutes. Other options available too - see
http://www.o2.co.uk/explore/tariffs/paygo

Oh yes, you should use your free webtexts from your Irish mobile operator's website if your receive texts from home. Although the international text rate when roaming in the EU has now been capped at 13c so it's not too bad!

Best of luck! :-)

cazmcco · 28-08-2009 11:21pm

Thanks a million fatherjack,

I'm heading out there on Sunday for a few days to get some things sorted before lectures start.

I was presuming that ID, college acceptance and the SAAS letters were enough! Ill have to get a copy of the contract off the landlord on Monday or Tuesday.

Did you have to have an account opened up with bank of Scotland to avail of the visa electron card?

Thanks a million again!!!:D:D

fatherjack · 29-08-2009 12:50am

You're welcome - my Customer Service experience is working wonders!:D

Bring ur ID and SAAS letter but you will need a proof of your UK address to open an account with RBS (it's to stop criminals opening false accounts I think

- a utility bill would be fine as well I'd say but you probably haven't that sorted yet!). Make sure the name on the address proof (e.g. contract) matches that on your official ID (e.g. passport).

I opened the Easycash account with Bank of Scotland but only ever used the Visa Electron function. It's free anyway. I used to just transfer money using internet banking from my RBS account whenever I need to use the Visa Electron. Plus with Visa Electron you can only spend what you have - no spending money that you don't have as it won't allow you!! I wouldn't depend on just the Visa Electron for day to day spending as many shops etc don't accept it, which is why I opted for combined Solo / ATM card with RBS, which is accepted in most places (by the way some airlines - like Aer Arann, though not Ryanair - don't charge transaction fees if you use a Solo card for sterling payments when booking flights FROM the UK).

There are no ridiculous annual Government Levies on ATM / debit / credit cards in Scotland so don't worry about having more than one debit card.

Best of luck and enjoy bonnie Scotland!

P.S. Top tip for anyone moving to Scotland and going into houseshare in non-Uni accommodation. If setting up a service (e.g. broadband, gas etc.), make sure you don't just put your own name down as the billpayer. Most electricity, gas, TV suppliers etc allow a number of names on the bill. So if you need to call customer services, anyone in the house / flat can do so if there's a fault / query etc. Otherwise you have to be dependent on one person doing all the talking, which could be difficult if they're gone on holidays or after moving out!

Scottish students do not pay council tax but be prepared to receive a letter asking for maybe £1000. All you have to do is send a copy of your student IDs / uni letter to your council to avoid paying it.
Students do have to pay a TV license though (if you own the TV, if it's provided by the landlord you don't)

newyorkdoll · 29-08-2009 1:42am

Thanks for all the info above. I'm heading over to scotland aswell!!

And yeah the customer service experience is very good!!

fatherjack · 29-08-2009 10:26am

You're welcome!

You'll find that food shopping is v cheap with the current favorable exchange rate (88p to the euro) so expect to make great savings and the VAT rate remains at 15% until the end of this year (we pay 21.5%!). If you like a drink or two, it's much cheaper too. I enjoyed pints of Tennants for £1.80 (€2.05) on campus! If you're buyng rounds for a gang of people,expect to get change from a tenner!

(that's the way it is in Dundee anyway although Edinburgh is more touristy so avoid the local tourist traps & opt for student friendly places!)

Good luck!

pow wow · 09-09-2009 8:56am

Cazmcco, how did you get on? It's years since I did it (and the ID/proof of address checks were intense) so it'd be interesting to hear if that's changed recently.

Hope you had a nice time!

regob · 11-09-2009 1:09pm

i dont think i had any problems with mines i think it was just two forms of id

17-09-2009 6:41pm

I heard that you can't set up a student account in the UK if you are Iirsh.Is that true?

fatherjack · 17-09-2009 11:52pm

Yes it tends to be difficult to open a UK Student account as they come with extras such as overdrafts and other offers, which are dependent on the bank being able to access your credit status.

According to RBS, you need to be ordinarily resident in the UK for three years
(http://www.rbs.co.uk/personal/students/scotland/g1/student-current-account/apply.ashx ) for their student account, which is a shame given all the goodies such as a free rail card.

The Halifax account does not mention anything about the length of time you have to be resident in the UK but it doesn't really have any exciting features (http://www.halifax.co.uk/bankaccounts/studentcurrentaccount.asp )

Non-UK students normally have to opt for the very basic accounts as mentioned in earlier posts with basic ATM / Debit card functionality. These are not categorised as 'student' accounts. All account-holders must provide a proof of their UK address for most banks although the Bank of Scotland 'Easycash' account with the Visa Electron card only requires you to post them a copy of your passport, but not a proof of address.
(http://www.bankofscotlandhalifax.co.uk/bankaccounts/easycash.asp )

pow wow · 20-09-2009 3:57pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I heard that you can't set up a student account in the UK if you are Iirsh.Is that true?

No it's not true, although some do stipulate that you need to a British student. Including the bank that I bank with...and I'm Irish :rolleyes: It's not always enforced and you'll have no problems opening an account. My experience was in England though.

Madmac187 - all the banks will have booths during Freshers Week near the Lanyon Building opposite the SU. I think BOI had the best freebies last year.

cazmcco · 20-09-2009 8:03pm

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't gotten back in an age, just been on holidays and up to my eye balls with getting sorted. You know what its like!!!

Right, where do I start?!! (this is going to be long)!!!

Getting a bank account opened was the most important job and well also the most difficult!!!
The week I was over for a few days I tried to open the account with RBS. I had no luck though. I brought all the info and documents that I had at the time including my confirmation letter from the uni, the letter from SAAS, a copy of my lease contract and a few other things. I first went into the local branch where im living. There was no problem in applying to open the account, BUT i needed proof of my edinburgh address!!! They wouldnt take the lease as proof!! So i left it and they said to go back when I got the letter off the college when I registered. So I did. But again they wouldnt accept the letter as it was addressed to my home address in Ireland (my home address was in the bill head area, but both my home address and term address was listed in the main body of the letter where all my details were)!! When I went in last week after registering the person I was talking to was telling me to do a load of stuff such as getting some of the bills of the flat in my name and also suggested redirecting my banking letters such as my credit card etc to my edinburgh address for a couple of months!! Needless to say I wasn't to impressed on the last option.

Anyways the next day I went to the RBS branch in the college. And guess what? All I needed there was the official stamped letter from the college and my passport as photographic ID (both of which I brought into the local branch)!!!! I needed absolutely nothing else when opening the account in the student branch. I should mention that the local branch to me is also the local branch to another uni in the city, so I assumed that they would be used to opening accounts for students.

Theres a few things though that Irish students should be aware of:
1) Even though your only from across the water your still classed as an international student. This is one thing that makes it awkward to open an account. Your treated exactly the same as students from china, the USA etc.
2) International students (with RBS at least) cant set up a standard student account, unless they can lodge at least £5000 into their account on opening it. Otherwise its in between a student account and a normal account, no charges, but no gimmicks either.

As for the account, I was able to apply for the student credit card, but the fella that I was dealing with (who was Irish) said that the card that he would advise I got was the visa debit card. He said that its accepted almost everywhere and can be used to purchase online.

I haven't bothered to try get the electron credit card as iv found a way around a certain airlines charges. The fella that I was talking to in the bank said that he thinks with the card that iv ordered that you wont get charged. Ill let ye know when I use it!

When it came down to it, I chose the Vodafone network over here, simply because they had the cheapest phone in the shop the day that I went in!!! I did how ever figure out that T-Mobile is the cheapest phone network over here if your Irish phone is meteor. Change the network provider manually.

I think thats about all regarding opening a bank account over here. Let me know if theres any other questions!!!!

Student banking in scotland??

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