Problems Opening A New Basic Bank Account?
Debt Question Of The Week
I have been trying to open a new cash card account at the bank but they keep telling me I can’t have a basic bank account and that I must apply for a current one. Do I have to ?
- If you are trying to resolve your debt situation and want a neutral account, then a basic, instant access cash card account is the best option.
- Whichever neutral bank you approach, you should remember that you are the customer and the bank should be seeking to open the basic account that you are asking for.
- It isn’t clear whether bank staff have incentives for persuading clients to open current accounts, but you should maintain that it is only a basic cash card that you need, as a current account would involve a credit check.
- You do not need the overdraft facility or cheque book that comes with a current account either.
- Everyone has the right to have a basic card account.
Find out more about Basic Bank Accounts here.
For further debt advice, call Payplan on 0800 316 1833 or submit an online enquiry.
Comments 4
Hi Shalina
You could try asking your landlord or letting agency to provide you with a letter confirming your residency at the address. Failing that, do you have any recent Photo ID that would prove this?
Kind Regards
Paul
I am going to be starting a new job next week but need to open a bank account and have no photo identification and a dro in place. I have to get this sorted today any ideas?
Hi Julie Anne,
This could be tricky because banks do need some form of ID before they will open an account for you. I would suggest you take a look at our basic bank accounts list here: https://www.payplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Basic-Bank-Accounts-updated-Feb-2016.pdf
To save time, it might be worth ringing some of the banks on our list to see what ID they will accept?
For more info about basic bank accounts, see also: https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/basic-bank-accounts
I hope this helps!
Best regards,
Niall, PayPlan
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