# Banks to avoid in Dubai



## GarethandYvonne

From personal experience:
HSBC - rubbish. All telephone banking is through a call centre in India. The line is ALWAYS poor, you can't undersatnd them and they give conflicting information. This is after you've entered all your data of course!

Citibank: A joke. Took me 2 months to get my direct debit card. Website works when it wants to and sometimes will even not admit you with all correct log on information.

Just opened with Emirates NBD and very early days yet but seems ok.

Just had to blow some steam off after yeat another wasted 30 mins on the inaptly named HSBC telephone help line.
:boxing:


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## wandabug

I have been with Emirates for years and have had no problems (other than the usual Dubai problems). I like that there are so many branches.


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## jkhanom

do they credit search you if you open a bank in dubai?


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## Riz1

jkhanom said:


> do they credit search you if you open a bank in dubai?


Not for savings accounts. Don't know about current account


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## jkhanom

what kind of accounts do you need when you're over there


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## Luna11

Had bad experiences with HSBC, MASHREQ and EMIRATES NBD. Bad customer service, bank overcharging and bank changing terms of mortgages. I am yet to find a good bank after 5 years in the country.


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## Confiture

HSBC have been great with us.

Everything online apart from 2 trips to Jebel Ali for f2f stuff.


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## wandabug

jkhanom said:


> what kind of accounts do you need when you're over there


You will need a current acc with a cheque book - they are still using cheques over here for everything! They don't do a credit check.


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## jkhanom

thanks for the info, so am i right in thinking you can get credit cards without credit searches?


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## Tropicana

jkhanom said:


> thanks for the info, so am i right in thinking you can get credit cards without credit searches?


The only credit check they do is checking your salary.


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## teuchter

GarethandYvonne said:


> From personal experience:
> HSBC - rubbish. All telephone banking is through a call centre in India. The line is ALWAYS poor, you can't undersatnd them and they give conflicting information. This is after you've entered all your data of course!
> 
> Citibank: A joke. Took me 2 months to get my direct debit card. Website works when it wants to and sometimes will even not admit you with all correct log on information.
> 
> Just opened with Emirates NBD and very early days yet but seems ok.
> 
> Just had to blow some steam off after yeat another wasted 30 mins on the inaptly named HSBC telephone help line.
> :boxing:


I'm with you on HSBC - never dealt with such an incompetent bunch of monkeys - my litany of woes with them would take far too long to type out. (One memorable incident involved a fraudulent ATM transaction in Dubai of AED45,000(!) on my account when I was on holiday in Indonesia (show me an ATM anywhere that will spit out 45K on demand!)...took 8 months of daily phone calls/weekly emails/regular visits to their customer service (sic) centre to resolve that one. Then there was the time they 'accidentally' cancelled my credit card; then completely 'lost' my account in their system; then issued me with a new credit card; then sent me 4 different PIN numbers for the same card - of course, the first three numbers I keyed in turned out to be the wrong ones, so the card got swallowed and so the whole process began again...)

Suffice to say, the two years I was with them (as a 'Premier' customer, would you believe) was a constant nightmare - to be avoided at all costs. Many of my colleagues have similar HSBC horror stories.

Mashreq were slightly better, although they were never able to explain random charges to my account.

Have been with ADCB for the past three years now and have absolutely no complaints whatsoever. Great staff and brilliant service too!

teuchter


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## petty_sweater

teuchter said:


> I'm with you on HSBC - never dealt with such an incompetent bunch of monkeys - my litany of woes with them would take far too long to type out. (One memorable incident involved a fraudulent ATM transaction in Dubai of AED45,000(!) on my account when I was on holiday in Indonesia (show me an ATM anywhere that will spit out 45K on demand!)...took 8 months of daily phone calls/weekly emails/regular visits to their customer service (sic) centre to resolve that one. Then there was the time they 'accidentally' cancelled my credit card; then completely 'lost' my account in their system; then issued me with a new credit card; then sent me 4 different PIN numbers for the same card - of course, the first three numbers I keyed in turned out to be the wrong ones, so the card got swallowed and so the whole process began again...)
> 
> Suffice to say, the two years I was with them (as a 'Premier' customer, would you believe) was a constant nightmare - to be avoided at all costs. Many of my colleagues have similar HSBC horror stories.
> 
> Mashreq were slightly better, although they were never able to explain random charges to my account.
> 
> Have been with ADCB for the past three years now and have absolutely no complaints whatsoever. Great staff and brilliant service too!
> 
> teuchter


I am with u on ADCB I have been with them for 3 years and no complaints!


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## dubai_warrior

Mashreq - Theives !!

Emirates HBD - Rude, bad customer service, always trying to add those "extra" costs ....

RAKBank: Pretty good .. haven't heard anything bad about them yet............

Been with Citibank for 5 years .... seems ok so far .....!!!

Very Imp:

Make sure that you do not have your credit card and your bank account in the same bank. Reduces a lot of hassle for you on the long run (hidden charges from ur account etc for your credit card)... Yes, you will have to make a trip every month to the teller's for paying your credit card bills... but still worth it !!!

I personally have bank account and cc from different banks and things are just fine........


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## teuchter

dubai_warrior said:


> Make sure that you do not have your credit card and your bank account in the same bank. Reduces a lot of hassle for you on the long run (hidden charges from ur account etc for your credit card)... Yes, you will have to make a trip every month to the teller's for paying your credit card bills... but still worth it


I disagree...I have had everything with ADCB (current a/c; savings a/c and credit card) for a few years now, and have never had any problems/hassle/hidden charges. Plus I do ALL my banking online (including all my bill payments/credit card payments/Salik top-ups) - who on earth has the time/energy to make a trip to a bank branch and wait in line after all? 'Worth it'? I don't think so.

Welcome to the 21st century...

teuchter


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## dubai_warrior

teuchter said:


> I disagree...I have had everything with ADCB (current a/c; savings a/c and credit card) for a few years now, and have never had any problems/hassle/hidden charges. Plus I do ALL my banking online (including all my bill payments/credit card payments/Salik top-ups) - who on earth has the time/energy to make a trip to a bank branch and wait in line after all? 'Worth it'? I don't think so.
> 
> Welcome to the 21st century...
> 
> teuchter






@teuchter ......... u need to read what I said .... lol .... I never even mentioned ADCB and neither was it directed to you personally ...  Just shared a pointer for people who have faced issues ...... 

I myself work in a highly technology oriented field and actually design and build these kind of the systems for a living .... so much for the 21st century bit......  What you just said is not really rocket science... hehe .. I also use online banking for paying my bills, tranfers etc from my online account..... and i never said that u should not do this .. 

All I said is to maintain a Credit Card from a different bank.... assume this ..... 

1. You have to leave the country urgently (termination, resignation, medical emergency etc) ... the bank will immediately freeze your Credit Card assigned limit (say 150,000 AED) from your bank account till the end of the next Credit Card cycle .. maybe 30 days ... i know few people who have experienced this issue and this is unnecessary delay to get your things moving...  ...

2. For any reason, the bank feels that you need to be charged for a fee (for closing your credit card, for adding additional services to your card etc), if you are not willing to pay it, they will just debit your Current Account for this amount ....... a lot of people face these issues and they have to run around, send emails, make calls etc .. trying to resolve this issue and get back their money .... read about user's woes with banks on this forum ... 

3. There is an unexpected huge charge on your Credit Card, say your card got stolen .... and the card was used for 50,000 AED .... the money is immediately debited from your Current Account.. and they Banks let's you sweat it out for a couple of days trying to prove otherwise ......

4. When you don't hold an account with them, the Banks actually work faster to resolve any issues with your Credit Card billing... simply coz they do not have access to your bank account to debit these charges........... 

The only hassle is to go to a teller once a month a pay your Credit Card bill... or you could even pay your credit card bill through online banking of another bank... with an additional charge ....  

Are you seriously telling me that you are too lazy or just too good to just stand in a queue to make one payment, once a month.... at any teller, ATM machine, any Money Exhange houses ??? Really ? ... lol.. wow!!! 

Living in the 21st century is not about being a lazy fart ...


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## teuchter

dubai_warrior said:


> @teuchter ......... u need to read what I said .... lol .... I never even mentioned ADCB and neither was it directed to you personally ...  Just shared a pointer for people who have faced issues ......
> 
> *I didn't say you had mentioned ADCB; nor did I assume it was directed at me personally. Rather, I was responding to your advice not to have everything with one bank.*
> 
> I myself work in a highly technology oriented field and actually design and build these kind of the systems for a living .... so much for the 21st century bit......
> 
> *Look up irony...*
> 
> What you just said is not really rocket science... hehe .. I also use online banking for paying my bills, tranfers etc from my online account..... and i never said that u should not do this ..
> 
> *...nor did I suggest you had.*
> 
> All I said is to maintain a Credit Card from a different bank.... assume this .....
> 
> 1. You have to leave the country urgently (termination, resignation, medical emergency etc) ... the bank will immediately freeze your Credit Card assigned limit (say 150,000 AED) from your bank account till the end of the next Credit Card cycle ..
> 
> *Well that's never happened to me - and I have resigned/changed jobs twice during my time here...personal experience; not hearsay or hypothesis.*
> 
> 2. For any reason, the bank feels that you need to be charged for a fee (for closing your credit card, for adding additional services to your card etc), if you are not willing to pay it, they will just debit your Current Account for this amount ....... a lot of people face these issues and they have to run around, send emails, make calls etc .. trying to resolve this issue and get back their money .... read about user's woes with banks on this forum ...
> 
> *Additional charges with cards are commonplace here; nonetheless regardless of whether it's linked to your bank a/c or not, the bank will still hold you liable and the resultant hassle/woes will be the same...*
> 
> 3. There is an unexpected huge charge on your Credit Card, say your card got stolen .... and the card was used for 50,000 AED .... the money is immediately debited from your Current Account.. and they Banks let's you sweat it out for a couple of days trying to prove otherwise ......
> 
> *Not true. This has actually happened to me (huge fraudulent charge on my card) and the charge was 'frozen' as soon as I filed a complaint and remained so until issue was resolved. Fact, not hypothesis nor hearsay.*
> 
> 4. When you don't hold an account with them, the Banks actually work faster to resolve any issues with your Credit Card billing... simply coz they do not have access to your bank account to debit these charges...........
> 
> *Evidence? Or more of your homespun hypothesis?*
> 
> The only hassle is to go to a teller once a month a pay your Credit Card bill... or you could even pay your credit card bill through online banking of another bank... with an additional charge ....
> 
> *Why bother, when you can do it via your own bank for free?*
> 
> Are you seriously telling me that you are too lazy or just too good to just stand in a queue to make one payment, once a month.... at any teller, ATM machine, any Money Exhange houses ??? Really ? ... lol.. wow!!!
> 
> *I said I was too busy, as indeed many of us are. The few occasions I have had the need to resolve an issue in person at a bank has actually necessitated taking half a day off work: hardly a productive use of my time. My choice. (And you cannot simply use 'any ATM or money exchange house' to pay credit card bills.)*
> 
> Living in the 21st century is not about being a lazy fart ...


*Who said it was?*

*teuchter*


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## zin

teuchter said:


> I disagree...I have had everything with ADCB (current a/c; savings a/c and credit card) for a few years now, and have never had any problems/hassle/hidden charges. Plus I do ALL my banking online (including all my bill payments/credit card payments/Salik top-ups) - who on earth has the time/energy to make a trip to a bank branch and wait in line after all? 'Worth it'? I don't think so.
> 
> Welcome to the 21st century...
> 
> teuchter


With ADCB for 2 years now, very happy with them. When I've had to call them things get done also, they messed up one transaction (sent it to the wrong bank) and when they admitted their mistake ensured it got rectifiied quick, even sending the money out on my behalf from their central bank and dealing with getting the money they sent to the wrong place themselves rather than making it my problem.


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## dubai_warrior

teuchter said:


> *
> 
> Originally Posted by dubai_warrior View Post
> @teuchter ......... u need to read what I said .... lol .... I never even mentioned ADCB and neither was it directed to you personally ... Just shared a pointer for people who have faced issues ......
> 
> I didn't say you had mentioned ADCB; nor did I assume it was directed at me personally. Rather, I was responding to your advice not to have everything with one bank.
> 
> Having everything in one bank ?  What happens if your bank crashes ? Your savings is gone.. ur credit card is useless ........ it's happened in Dubai.......... BCCI Bank crashed in mid-80's ...... realistic enough example for you ?
> 
> Please read up on "Financial Intelligence".. would make things clearer ... simply put... "don't put all your eggs in one basket"
> 
> 
> I myself work in a highly technology oriented field and actually design and build these kind of the systems for a living .... so much for the 21st century bit......
> 
> Look up irony...
> 
> look up clueless self-centred smart-ass !!
> 
> other people can be right toooo
> 
> 
> What you just said is not really rocket science... hehe .. I also use online banking for paying my bills, tranfers etc from my online account..... and i never said that u should not do this ..
> 
> ...nor did I suggest you had.
> 
> then why were u talking about making online payments, when i was talking about credit cards ? ..  grow up !!
> 
> 
> All I said is to maintain a Credit Card from a different bank.... assume this .....
> 
> 1. You have to leave the country urgently (termination, resignation, medical emergency etc) ... the bank will immediately freeze your Credit Card assigned limit (say 150,000 AED) from your bank account till the end of the next Credit Card cycle ..
> 
> Well that's never happened to me - and I have resigned/changed jobs twice during my time here...personal experience; not hearsay or hypothesis.
> 
> Sadly, the world does not resolve around you and your experiences only. There are a few of us who also live here... and have diff experiences..
> 
> When you change jobs and ur employer informs the bank that u are not longer their employee and u have an outstanding loan or credit card, your account gets frozen ...  maybe your employer was happy to get rid of u asap or was just nice or clueless about this..  this is the legal procedure..
> 
> ask around ... u will find so many people with live examples...  those not as "blessed" as you..
> 
> 2. For any reason, the bank feels that you need to be charged for a fee (for closing your credit card, for adding additional services to your card etc), if you are not willing to pay it, they will just debit your Current Account for this amount ....... a lot of people face these issues and they have to run around, send emails, make calls etc .. trying to resolve this issue and get back their money .... read about user's woes with banks on this forum ...
> 
> Additional charges with cards are commonplace here; nonetheless regardless of whether it's linked to your bank a/c or not, the bank will still hold you liable and the resultant hassle/woes will be the same...
> 
> sigh ........ point is... they will hold u liable.. but will not be able to dip their hands into your account and take out money without ur approval ...... !!! When u have a separate bank account in another bank, you need to physically hand your money over.. that gives u an edge......... god !!
> 
> 3. There is an unexpected huge charge on your Credit Card, say your card got stolen .... and the card was used for 50,000 AED .... the money is immediately debited from your Current Account.. and they Banks let's you sweat it out for a couple of days trying to prove otherwise ......
> 
> Not true. This has actually happened to me (huge fraudulent charge on my card) and the charge was 'frozen' as soon as I filed a complaint and remained so until issue was resolved. Fact, not hypothesis nor hearsay.
> 
> hmmm.. again .. everything does not revolve around u ...... there are people who miss checking their statements since it is automatically paid from their account ... and they don't notice it until their account is debited ...
> 
> this is also fact .... sitting about 20 feet from a colleague who just went thru this 2 months back ... he travelled to lebanon and used his credit card once .... came back here and was charged a month later for 12,000$ purchase in lebanon and his the amount was debited from his account.... that's when he noticed it ..... took him a month, multiple emails, phone calls and visits to resolve this ...  till then his account was debited for 12,000$ and he had to borrow money from others during the time
> 
> 4. When you don't hold an account with them, the Banks actually work faster to resolve any issues with your Credit Card billing... simply coz they do not have access to your bank account to debit these charges...........
> 
> Evidence? Or more of your homespun hypothesis?
> 
> 
> Personal experience !!! With RAKBank ....... they always look at you as a prospective customer for their other services .... car insurance, personal loans etc ..... so their service is fast ........
> 
> The only hassle is to go to a teller once a month a pay your Credit Card bill... or you could even pay your credit card bill through online banking of another bank... with an additional charge ....
> 
> Why bother, when you can do it via your own bank for free?
> 
> well... when you are toooo busy to make a payment and want to do it while warming ur chair... this is the only suggestion.... not recommended by me though to others..
> 
> Are you seriously telling me that you are too lazy or just too good to just stand in a queue to make one payment, once a month.... at any teller, ATM machine, any Money Exhange houses ??? Really ? ... lol.. wow!!!
> 
> 
> I said I was too busy, as indeed many of us are. The few occasions I have had the need to resolve an issue in person at a bank has actually necessitated taking half a day off work: hardly a productive use of my time. My choice. (And you cannot simply use 'any ATM or money exchange house' to pay credit card bills.)
> 
> Sorry mate... are u too busy to eat as well ?
> 
> I was talking about paying ur credit card bill... not other services...
> 
> This is what was listed on your bank website ... Mr.21st century... .... ohhh.. did the word "any" throw u off ? .. sorry .. specifically ... "any approved" .. i thought that was understood... sigh !!!
> 
> "You can pay your ADCB Credit Card bills free of charge at any of our ADCB branches and at select ATMs across the UAE. Alternatively, you can pay at at Al Ansari Exchange, UAE Exchange or at LuLu Exchange branches."
> 
> Living in the 21st century is not about being a lazy fart ... *
> 
> *teuchter*



pls find my replies in blue above.. 

honestly... don't have time for this .... don't bother replying .. cheers ..


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## teuchter

It's not for you to dictate to others when they should or should not reply. Note that you are the one who has resorted to ad hominem attacks on me/my integrity.... 

I also find it hugely ironic that you accuse me of thinking the world revolves around me, when all I am doing is citing my own personal experiences with banks here (which may indeed be unique, although I doubt it), to challenge/disprove the 3rd party hearsay/anecdotal hypothesis you are quoting under the guise of fact. You cannot dispute these therefore you insult me? Bravo.

This forum is intended to guide/advise/help expats (current or prospective) in Dubai; hence I believe it is only honest and fair to challenge some of the incorrect/misleading points you raise. Like it or not, you are not always right and some of us will not always agree with your hypotheses/opinions or untruths you are clearly so desperate to propagate.

teuchter

PS: BCCI was a *Pakistani*-owned bank, not a UAE one. Investors worldwide were affected when it folded. Furthermore, UAE banks' deposits are underwritten by the government of the UAE. Better luck next time.


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## dubai_warrior

teuchter said:


> It's not for you to dictate to others when they should or should not reply. Note that you are the one who has resorted to ad hominem attacks on me/my integrity....
> 
> Well, i said you need not bother putting posts with "useless sarcasm" .. and attacks started with your "Welcome to the 21st Century" remark mate ...
> 
> Or was that a compliment to my post in your own sweet way ?
> 
> 
> I also find it hugely ironic that you accuse me of thinking the world revolves around me, when all I am doing is citing my own personal experiences with banks here (which may indeed be unique, although I doubt it), to challenge/disprove the 3rd party hearsay/anecdotal hypothesis you are quoting under the guise of fact. You cannot dispute these therefore you insult me? Bravo.
> 
> Posting your experiences should be just that .... not trying to put down a poster who is talking sense and being sarcastic about it ... your first post clearly shows u had not clue what i was talking about.. and u went on and on about internet banking for paying your other bills ...
> 
> How is internet banking related to a Credit card topic ?  It is only a mode of payment... that's it ...
> 
> Honestly ... this is the classic response on forums when u have nothing better to say .... there is nothing i said in the guise of fact.... all are facts and well explained ... please google or ask others and get ur facts in order ...... again, the world does not revolve around u.....
> 
> 
> 
> This forum is intended to guide/advise/help expats (current or prospective) in Dubai; hence I believe it is only honest and fair to challenge some of the incorrect/misleading points you raise. Like it or not, you are not always right and some of us will not always agree with your hypotheses/opinions or untruths you are clearly so desperate to propagate.
> 
> Exactly what I told u earlier...  Challenging and discussion is way different from "useless sarcasm" that you were propagating
> 
> 
> 
> teuchter
> 
> *PS: BCCI was a Pakistani-owned bank, not a UAE one. Investors worldwide were affected when it folded. Furthermore, UAE banks' deposits are underwritten by the government of the UAE. Better luck next time.*
> 
> lool... i know that google works too........
> 
> u seriously think it is safe to bank with an UAE bank and all your money is protected ?  You think the gaints like Citibank, HSBC, ADCB etc are all immune to a crash ? Ever heard of "Lehman brothers" ?  God bless ur soul...  and how does that even matter in this discussion ?  the topic was about having all ur funds in ONE bank... simple !!!
> 
> Well... even the customers money in BCCI was "protected" and the money is still being returned to this day.... in small tiny installments to it's customers .. hehe .... that is "protection" ...  and no, this is not fiction ........ my parents were one of their customers.......... is that fact enough for u ?
> 
> Oh please........ "BCCI operated in 78 countries, had over 400 branches, and had assets in excess of US$20 billion, making it the 7th largest private bank in the world by assets.
> 
> The first fact was the extraordinarily close alliance between BCCI and some of Britain's most powerful financial houses and aristocratic families.
> 
> The second fact was that BCCI was created, and then built up as a "world class" bank
> 
> Third fact, please find out who the largest shareholder was for BCCI... and then find out who the largest shareholder is for Citibank"


Listen, you are going on and on with your unproductive comments .... and i seriously have wasted so much time on this ....

If you feel "attacked" ......... well....... my apologies !! .... we all are here to be enlightened by ur wisdom and take ur sarcasm with a smile .... i keep forgetting that..


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## Midlifer

What about service at Chase. I have a couple of accounts here in the US. Any body with experience in UAE? I am happy with them here and it would be nice to continue overseas, especially the availability of assets while out.


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## fcjb1970

Midlifer said:


> What about service at Chase. I have a couple of accounts here in the US. Any body with experience in UAE? I am happy with them here and it would be nice to continue overseas, especially the availability of assets while out.


Chase does not have a bank in the UAE. The only USA bank with a presence here in Citibank. The only advantage Citibank has is you can do an immediate transfer of funds (up to $3K) to a US Citibank account, but the exchange rate is terrible. Plus I found their customer service awful and have closed my account there.

I think your best bet is use a local bank ADCB or Emirates NBD seem to be the best. ADCB does give a pretty good rate for transfers or look at something like GCEN to transfer money home.


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## Swerveut

Folks, how is Standard Chartered? I heard they have quite a few branches in Dubai...


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## Midlifer

fcjb1970 said:


> Chase does not have a bank in the UAE. The only USA bank with a presence here in Citibank. The only advantage Citibank has is you can do an immediate transfer of funds (up to $3K) to a US Citibank account, but the exchange rate is terrible. Plus I found their customer service awful and have closed my account there.
> 
> I think your best bet is use a local bank ADCB or Emirates NBD seem to be the best. ADCB does give a pretty good rate for transfers or look at something like GCEN to transfer money home.


Are you sure? My banker tells me there's an office in AD, offered to get private banker assigned for my stay.


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## pink.porsche

First gulf bank sucks!!! 
Mashreq wi rip u off...
Enbd has bad cust service

Rakbank is ok... no issues with them so far.


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## Pink Fairie

pink.porsche said:


> First gulf bank sucks!!!
> Mashreq wi rip u off...
> Enbd has bad cust service
> 
> Rakbank is ok... no issues with them so far.


In what way does Mashreq rip you off? Just curious as I've been with them for almost a year and they seem fine to me :s I'm now worried!


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## XDoodlebugger

Midlifer said:


> Are you sure? My banker tells me there's an office in AD, offered to get private banker assigned for my stay.


Same thing they told me! Until I did the research myself and there are no branches here then the guy who told me they were here couldn't find the branch address's!. They do have a JP Morgan investment office for "VIP's".


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## fcjb1970

XDoodlebugger said:


> Same thing they told me! Until I did the research myself and there are no branches here then the guy who told me they were here couldn't find the branch address's!. They do have a JP Morgan investment office for "VIP's".


Ya, they have JP Morgan Chase Securities here, but AFAIK no bank. If they do have a bank they are doing a great job of hiding it from potential customers


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## chessers

I recently opened an account with Emirates NBD - very impressed so far.


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## Roadworrier

Citibank also refused to bond our company on a proposal we did for a government agency here, meaning we nearly lost contracts because the bank refused to do business with certain government agencies. We switched to NBAD and no such problem.


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## rosy83

*Hsbc*

if you don't mind me asking, you said HSBC were great

Are you Premier customers?





Confiture said:


> HSBC have been great with us.
> 
> Everything online apart from 2 trips to Jebel Ali for f2f stuff.


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## Maniatis7

I am a Premier customer of HSBC and have not had any problems at all ( love the air miles

I also bank with them in the UK , the Internet service is brilliant with instant transfers to the UK and back.
Never need to visit a branch as I do everything online or on the phone.


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## Tawnyman

I am loving this post regarding HSBC as we have just finished sorting our international account and ready to be in Dubai in a fortnight!


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## West_Upper

If you have an HSBC account in your country of origin Transfers home, using the online Global View, are both easy and immediate. However, their exchange rate will not be competitive and the usual International Transfer fee of GBP85.00/90.00 (that most UK banks charge) will simply be included/hidden in the poor exchange rate. In other words you can pay quite heavily for the convenience. 

Otherwise, we use HSBC and have had no problems of note other than with the odd ATM.


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## ipshi

any opinion on barclays?


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## West_Upper

Sorry, no experience of Barclays but I can tell you that LloydsTSB (whose onshore retail arm in UAE has just been purchased by HSBC) were a disaster in respect of my initial salary transfer back to the UK, which they lost, for over a month.


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