Recommend me a French bank

I'm with caisse d'epargne and I've always been pretty impressed with them. Think I pay around €2 per month for the account and I get all the usual stuff you'd expect - contactless, online banking etc etc. Very helpful staff in branch as well, and they seem mildly less obsessed with paperwork than the others (although this is France, so by British standards they still require more paperwork than you've probably ever seen!)
 
I have a crédit agricole account but I don't use that as I keep that for managing things there. So use either a charge card or clarity card.

I don't know how easy it would be to open an account over there if you're not based or have reason to? No idea. You'll lose a fair bit on tx to bank account from the UK. I don't as the money that I receive is put in there from other Euro accounts. :)
 
Another reason for using a French bank is that data-only SIMs (such as those I would like to use in my iPad) can only be charged with a French debit or credit card.
 
Quartz said:
Which French bank do you recommend for occasional use?

RBS have absolutely caned me for using my debit card in France. I will be speaking to them on Monday, but I doubt I'll get anywhere. I visit France twice a year, so I guess that next time I visit I should have a French bank account. But which bank?
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Ring RBS, tell them their service is abysmal and you were advised by your local Branch that you would be able to use your card in France without any trouble at all.

They'll sort you out. ;)
 
Quartz said:
Another reason for using a French bank is that data-only SIMs (such as those I would like to use in my iPad) can only be charged with a French debit or credit card.
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are you sure?

I've had Sim cards from EU countries and never had a problem charging them to my VISA card. The only thing I have ever needed to activate a Sim Card in an EU Country (Ive done this in Germany, Belgium, Italy and Spain) is photo ID. Linking them to an internationally recognised credit card has never been a problem.
 
Quartz said:
That will be the subject of the telephone call.
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Unless there has been an error in calculating it you'll have to suck it up and not be so silly next time.

As has been said already - get a Halifax credit card if this is just for spending/cash withdrawals. Do you need to receive euros? Even then you can get a EUR account in the UK.
 
There is no need to open a French bank account just because you go to France twice a year lol. As everyone else has stated Halifax clarity card.
 
Halifax Clarity. Got charged roughly £1 in interest when I spent around £10k all over the world using only cash withdrawals. Exchange rate was almost perfect every time. Just pay it off as soon as you get internet and you won't be charged.
 
batsy said:
Sounds like a good option for the OP. What are the requirements to open such an account?
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It isn't clear the OP needs to make deposits/visit bank branches in France... he's just complained about transaction fees... a HSBC account might be a slight improvement there - Halifax credit card would be a better one
 
Halifax Clarity credit card gets my vote - I've used mine on trips to Vegas, Hong Kong and Paris and I've never had a problem with it, and unless you're an eagle on exchange rates and pre-buy forex when the spot price is low, you'll never get a better rate than with a Clarity card.
 
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