Paying money into Spanish Bank Account

I had written a number of comments which I thought would be helpful but on scrolling down the previous replies I see that your mother has already contacted Nationwide by telephone and they weren't any help at all.

I did think that perhaps she had to confirm receipt of card before she could use it but I'm sure they would have dealt with that when she called.

It's been a while since I had a new card issued but I'm sure the last one was initiated by using it in an atm for the first time.

I also tried to send a general message to see if anyone could help out with your querry via my internet banking but it didn't work.

I'm going to pay a cheque in today so I'll also try to find out what's going on.  I cant remember seeing any notifications on the internet banking site and this is quite a radical change in policy.

Hopefully one of us in UK can find out why this has happened.  It must be very worrying for your mother not to be able to access her money.

Hi All,,

When booking flights with RyanAir I use my prepaid credit card and no charges for the greedy little  '' Irish Man ''.

Ta Tony

Didn't get very far with the girls at the paying in desks.  Only when I insisted did I get a contact number to use abroad other than the one listed for lost or stolen cards.

+44 1793 877 877

Neither had heard anything about people being unable to use their cash cards abroad.  In the window there was a large sign about changes to flex accounts due a change in banking rules.  They seemed to think that the problem would occur if you put the wrong number in.

Not very helpful but I did try, much to the annoyance of the people waiting in line.

Thanks very much, I really appreciate your help semijubilada,

I think as mum holds a cash card and these are being upgraded to a cash card+ she will not be able to draw cash in Spain, once in force.   I am sure there will be many people in her situation - why on earth do they do these things?!!

I think the best she can do is open a bank account in Spain and transfer (online) funds from Nationwide to her Spanish bank account (she has said she does not want to have her pension paid direct to Spain)!

Thanks everso again,

Well, my husband got nowhere with our Nationwide manager except to be told the cashcard is not what WE have for our flex a/c. He said he can't see anything changing for us.

My husband commented that MUCH was being discussed on Spanish forums & it was VERY CONFUSING & needs to be addressed.

Thanks for feedback More, again very much appreciated.

How long will your mother be in UK, if she has time then she could always go into a branch and try and transfer the account to one that does allow her to withdraw funds abroad.

They can ask for the new card to be fast tracked to be collected at the branch.

Thanks semijubilada, but she cannot open any new accounts as she is now resident in Spain - I guess there is no harm in her asking when she is back in April!

It depends on how helpful they want to be and who in the end you talk to.  She'll have to arrange an appointment and most of the people I have seen have been rather young.  Don't think there's anything that resembles a "Bank Manager" who would have been able to have sorted this out quickly and easily.

I suppose it depends on whether Nationwide have a hidden agenda with these new style cards or it's a genuine mistake and all those people resident abroad have been caught out by it.  If it's mistake then as I said the easiest thing would be to transfer the account to a normal flex account rather than cash card account.  Something a bank manager would have done instantly but now that everythings done via a computer then I suppose warning bells sound with the overseas address.

I would write to Nationwide Head Office asking for an explanation to this massive change in the account your mother holds.  They sent the new card to her in Spain so they have no problem with that but without the overseas withdrawal facility it's a useless item.

Thanks again semijubilada,

The letter she received said the new card will come out to her in September so she will follow it up in April - maybe by then the situation will be clearer!

Glad to hear that, thought she was unable to draw any money out until she went back to UK in April.  Still a worry but at least she has time to sort something out to her satisfaction.