I _did_ read your post. But it was still my understanding that not everyone can get an account as easily as you describe. If you show up to the UK (as I did >

I _did_ read your post. But it was still my understanding that not everyone can get an account as easily as you describe. If you show up to the UK (as I did >10yrs ago) from the US with NO credit history, no lease (b/c of company rental), only US financial info, etc, it's NOT quite so straightforward to even get those "basic" accounts. I always assumed this was because of the specifics of the anti-money-laundering laws that are on the books in the UK. (I've been working with a startup here in the UK that's trying to solve this and some other similar problems, which is why I even brought it up.) Not entirely sure why I got downvoted for my original comment, but c'est la vie.