In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[QUOTE=The Smiths in Puglia]Hi Peter & Ann. I don`t really think there`s a great deal of difference in the banks - they all charge a lot for everything. I think it`s more a matter of finding a bank that`s convenient and that you feel comfortable with. We had a bit of difficulty finding a bank that would have us to start with (we were non-resident at the time) and just went with the first bank that would. When Martin tried to open a business account several years later (to put money into, not to borrow from!) he had similar problems but then found a very nice bank that was a bit more forward-thinking. You may, or may not, have these kinds of difficulties. Lots of people seem to recommend the Post Office for banking but, if it means having to spend any time at all in the Post Office, I wouldn`t go for it myself (have you seen the queues?). We have got facilities for paying most of our utilities by internet banking (not sure about standing orders) but I`ll have to get Martin to tell you about that - when I`ve prised him away from the log fire!
Hope that helps a bit.
Hazel[/QUOTE]
My thanks; yes this helps a lot with the bank part. So I would really now like to understand some more about 'the utilities by internet banking' part.
There are two parts to my question. (1) We will not be there most of the year, so how does one learn of the bill ? Do people ask for bills to be sent to a UK address instead of the Puglia address ? Or can one look up one's bill on an internet address?
Part (2). The the paying part. Can you do this via internet from the UK?
Peter
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
yeah - I agree - the Posta Banca is cheap - but I prefer the personalised service of the commercial bank -
Plus I found the experience of the Poste - as has been said to be based around queues with one of those ticket machines.
Yes I have internet banking with Monte Paschi Di Siena - dont know if you have one near you.
Plus when I bought my house the bank dealt with all my bills - very easy.
They also send my bank statements to the UK
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
We just opened a bank account deposited money into it and they pay all the bills when they are due by direct debit we then top up the account when needed. For this we pay a set annual fee with no other charges.
Hi Peter & Ann. I don`t really think there`s a great deal of difference in the banks - they all charge a lot for everything. I think it`s more a matter of finding a bank that`s convenient and that you feel comfortable with. We had a bit of difficulty finding a bank that would have us to start with (we were non-resident at the time) and just went with the first bank that would. When Martin tried to open a business account several years later (to put money into, not to borrow from!) he had similar problems but then found a very nice bank that was a bit more forward-thinking. You may, or may not, have these kinds of difficulties. Lots of people seem to recommend the Post Office for banking but, if it means having to spend any time at all in the Post Office, I wouldn`t go for it myself (have you seen the queues?). We have got facilities for paying most of our utilities by internet banking (not sure about standing orders) but I`ll have to get Martin to tell you about that - when I`ve prised him away from the log fire!
Hope that helps a bit.
Hazel