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I signed up for HSBC a few years back thinking they were a good “international” banking choice for people with ties abroad. Sure there are (were) HSBC locations
by kylehotchkiss 5y ago
I signed up for HSBC a few years back thinking they were a good “international” banking choice for people with ties abroad. Sure there are (were) HSBC locations in other countries but they wouldn’t treat you any different than a stranger on the street unless you had $100,000 in accounts there. Their international transfers and account opening services were very meh.
Around the same time, I adopted Transferwise (now just wise.com) which offers faster and cheaper transfers, and account-like functionality (holding a balance in different currency to avoid rate fluctuations and access to native bank transfers) which is exactly what I wanted HSBC for but light years ahead. Wise.com is still what I recommend for frequent travelers, expats, sending money to family, etc.
- listenallyall 5y agoCitibank may not be your favorite bank, but if you travel a lot, they have branches in many of the world's largest cities. I've been able to get local currency out of many Citi ATMs abroad with zero fees or problems.
- owenversteeg 5y agoLooks like they have branches in 25 countries, which is pretty nice, but they don't have quite as much as I'd have expected in Europe. Does anyone else have another suggestion for a good international bank?
- sofixa 5y agoWell depends on what you want - if you want branches, no idea; but if it's just for withdrawals in local currency with no fees, N26 are pretty good.
- kjaftaedi 5y agoIt's not common for any bank to charge for this. When you take money out of ATM machines abroad, the bank's fee is worked into the exchange rate they apply to you.
- listenallyall 5y agoTaking money out of a Citi ATM overseas (assuming you have a domestic Citi account) is fee-free and with better exchange rate you'll find at any local currency exchange. In my experience, at least. YMMV.