No it's not unreasonable that they honoured the transaction. However my bank, HSBC, required me to call and contact them to make debit withdrawals over $400 whe

No it's not unreasonable that they honoured the transaction. However my bank, HSBC, required me to call and contact them to make debit withdrawals over $400 when outside the country. Their approval period only lasts for 6 months (the length of time you're legally allowed to stay in most foreign countries) before renewing it. At the time I also had to clarify that I would be making wire transfers to a foreign account. I believe my parents had to do the same from their bank when they transferred over 10K into their own foreign account. Why UK banking has these protocols in place for consumers that are far likely to transfer money over seas is bizarre if they're not in place for business. However, this could likely be due to different banking regulations. I know I've heard people being warned against getting US bank accounts here in Canada, they recommend getting a US-Dollar account with international transaction fees waved as you're money is, allegedly, a lot safer.