Has anyone come across good banking services abroad that they wish Irish banks would offer? I've listed some below and would love to hear others.
Temporary ATM cards:
I'm surprised we still have to wait so long to get ATM cards after opening an account. I opened an account in America with Bank of America (BoA) 7 years ago and they gave me a temporary card on the spot. They posted the permanent one within days. It was very handy because it meant I could access the account instantly.
Better ATMs:
BoA also have automated cash & cheque lodgments at many/most ATMs - now you can even lodge a cheque by sending a photo via the app!! In Europe I've seen ATMs that offer free coin counting and lodgment at no charge - just dump the coins in and it goes directly into your account. In Belgium I nearly fainted when an ATM asked which combinations of notes I wanted, i.e. €5/€10 etc. I've never seen €10 offered at an Irish ATM.
Better apps:
The BoA app connects to Passbook on the iPhone so you can see your balance instantly in real time and it alerts you when there's a transaction or your balance goes below a defined amount (chosen by you). You can also add a free service that monitors your transactions for scams.
Cheque services:
BoA offer a surprisingly handy online cheque system where they will issue & post a cheque on your behalf for free - very good if you don't have cheques and need to pay ASAP. You can also view images of cheques that you've deposited and I *think* you can view images of your cheques that others have cashed.
Opening hours:
Opening hours here are very restrictive. Metrobank in the UK opens 362 days a year, 8-8 Mon-Fri, 8-6 Sat and 11-5 Sun & Bank Holidays!
I would happily pay quarterly fees to a bank providing the above.
Temporary ATM cards:
I'm surprised we still have to wait so long to get ATM cards after opening an account. I opened an account in America with Bank of America (BoA) 7 years ago and they gave me a temporary card on the spot. They posted the permanent one within days. It was very handy because it meant I could access the account instantly.
Better ATMs:
BoA also have automated cash & cheque lodgments at many/most ATMs - now you can even lodge a cheque by sending a photo via the app!! In Europe I've seen ATMs that offer free coin counting and lodgment at no charge - just dump the coins in and it goes directly into your account. In Belgium I nearly fainted when an ATM asked which combinations of notes I wanted, i.e. €5/€10 etc. I've never seen €10 offered at an Irish ATM.
Better apps:
The BoA app connects to Passbook on the iPhone so you can see your balance instantly in real time and it alerts you when there's a transaction or your balance goes below a defined amount (chosen by you). You can also add a free service that monitors your transactions for scams.
Cheque services:
BoA offer a surprisingly handy online cheque system where they will issue & post a cheque on your behalf for free - very good if you don't have cheques and need to pay ASAP. You can also view images of cheques that you've deposited and I *think* you can view images of your cheques that others have cashed.
Opening hours:
Opening hours here are very restrictive. Metrobank in the UK opens 362 days a year, 8-8 Mon-Fri, 8-6 Sat and 11-5 Sun & Bank Holidays!
I would happily pay quarterly fees to a bank providing the above.