Barclays Opportunity Account

Some of you may be interested in this blog post about the Barclays Opportunity Account, which has no maintenance/admin charges, no commissions and has a some other additional benefits.

Here's the link to the blog post.

Really More, what have you been up to????!!!!!

At the risk of getting edited again for no good reason, Poppyseed, all I pretty much said was that we have many boards, one a bank info one but so much is put in general chat. It's rather moody tonight I feel.

Exactly what forum rule did I break, EOS ?

 "BE FRIENDLY - Tempers can get frayed sometimes but please try and be polite and friendly in your responses, even if others do not agree with your comments."

This was a useful forum thread that was started and your comment was unnecessary  and rude.

You asked.

Justin

I found this a useful post, I have been using Solbank since buying in Spain. They seem to be charging for everything and we had decided on our next visit to have a look round to see if we could find a cheaper bank.

So thankyou SANCHEZ1 you have saved us some legwork and we will certainly look into this further as we have a branch of Barclays quite near to us.Do they do the same as the banks in the UK  I wonder, once you open an account arrange to have all your direct debits etc transferred to them from the old bank on you behalf?

Bob

 Yes thanks for that, I was going to ask that question it is such a pain 

transferring direct debits.  It makes sense for us as we are with Barclays

in the UK and the bank we are with do charge for most things.

Thanks

Pat  

Hi,

Sorry, I'm not sure if Spanish banks transfer your direct debits across.

David

Hi Sanchez1

The info on your blog was very usefull.  Thanks

Hi Sanchez,

Thank you for your useful blog. Can you please explain what is this 3% cashback? Do you mean that if you pay your utility bills through direct debit, barclays will give you a 3% cashback?

Hola Sanchez

I found your post very useful also so thanks for that. We are currently looking for a good mortgage deal through our IFA and although we have recently a bank account with Banco de Valencia, they do charge for debit cards etc... and we dont even know what they charge for transfers etc yet!

Could be one to consider for a new account and mortgage, so muchas gracias!

Jo

Hi Forhotspot,

Can you please explain what is this 3% cashback? Do you mean that if you pay your utility bills through direct debit, barclays will give you a 3% cashback?

It looks like that is how it works -  I don't actually have any direct debits set up yet to check this.  The Barclays website says this:

3% discount applicable to bills paid through Barclays Opportunity Account. Cash back on bills conditional upon applying for and activating Debit Card associated with the account. Maximum of one account per holder.

David

Free international € transfers too, it seems. Not clear to me whether you also have to have a mortgage with them, and / or a deposit account. Read the small print, check in branch, dot the Ts and cross the Is etc.....

Details here in English

(Why can banks, here and everywhere else, just not make things CLEAR?)

Thanks David & Roberto. I'll get more info when I go over in Nov to open an account with Barclays

as they got a branch in Quesada.

Hi Everyone,

I would also like to add my little bit of info.

we bank with BANCO HAIFAX and as long

as you keep 600 euros in your account there

is no charges for direct debits and we get a

small amount of interest, the only charge we

have had with them in the 2 years we have had the account is

3 euros a year for our electron debit cards.As we also bank

with halifax in england I can transfer money at the touch of a

button to my spanish account without any charges from either

banks.

                        Hi Gypsy,

                                          Interested to hear about Banco Halifax as we also are with them in England. What sort of exchange rate do you get with your electronic transfer?

                                                             Regards,

                                                                                    Ray & Nadine

I use the halifax, I have a extra account in spain, you have buisness raate less around 4 cents, if you fransfer major amount they will give you trader rates, the best I got was 2 cents off buisness rate.

No bank charges for utilities, but there is a charge for DD to others, it depends where you transfer, I think it is 0.2% to a bank outside the branch town, inside the same town its like 0.06% sounds daft but thats the way, I have a banco Popular mortgage at the moment so thats the charges I get.

Thanks

Hi Ray & Nadine,

the rates with halifax vary, set up an international

transfer first with halifax then you  can go online to get

a quote, if the rate is acceptable then do a transfer, if it

is a bit low then I just cancel and that is it.

you will need to have your account online both in spain

and england.

I don't rate Banco Halifax myself.  As Jontymellor says, they have all sorts of sneaky charges.  Their online banking is shocking as well.  It looks like the website was created in 1998!

David

Hi David,

I find halifax and banco halifax on line

websites brilliant, also we have NEVER

had any sneaky charges on our account

in the 2years and more that we have had the account

the web site is basic, but it works fine I would say though Loyds are opening all over, same bank but? they are in Le zenith nr the A7, barclays are on the 332, sorry, I think every one lives near me but the only bank I have not seen yet is RBS/Natwest.

But they all have weird charges, unles you tie up 600 to a 1000e, I pay 12.5 e a year at Halifax then the little transfer charges, I have a good saving account at banco popular but they don't have a UK connection, so I use Halifax to get money out there then transfer on a DD.

The best thing will be the day the rate gets back to 1.45?????????????????????

 Hi Forhotspot,

Yes I might do the same hope to be over end of Oct so will pop into Quesada

and see if  can get everything transferred from B&V to Barclays will be nearer for us as well

When we completed on our apartment rate was 1.51 thing them days are long gone.

Pat

Hi Pat,

     I find it easier to be in person to ask questions. Georgia said he would take me to Barclay's when I go over. I'm glad my villa is within walking distance to the bank. Yes the UK/Euro rate is bad at the moment. Hope it will improve soon.

 Just wondering if anyone is still using the Barclays account and if they are finding it a good account?

Barclays have been brilliant, can't get used to them putting money into my account instead of taking it out, far better than Sol bank who I used to bank with, and my local branch can't to enough for you when you go in.

 A friend of ours has recommended Barclays in Spain to me

We are currently with Bankinter and get charges annually plus no interest on our balance

Barclays pay interesdt on your credit balance and I believe the annual charges are a lot less than other banks?

I am going to change to them on our next visit in October

I don't know about paying interest on your credit balance (they don't on the Oportunidad - or now 'NOT JUST Any' - account), but they do pay 3% back into your account each month on the amounts paid out by direct debit.  There are, obviously, conditions - see their website here.

 How much are their charges a year?