Moving abroad and credit card

They'll let you, they want their money back and don't mind you paying their interest rates.

I'd find some cheaper way than money transfer to pay Barclaycard. When you get to Thailand look for someone wanting to move money UK-Thailand and do them a swap, you give then the Baht and they give you a UK cheque.

Mark BR

In message , Mark BR writes

Technically OK, but very risky. The UK cheque will need to be sent to his UK bank and he needs to be sure that its paid before he draws against it. There is also a money laundering issue.

In my case and the case of my parents we both kept our Barclaycard's while living abroad. Payments were made from a variety of sources and were never queried. In the case of my parents they still get their Barclaycard statement sent to a UK address - but they check their account online and make payments as required.

Barclays Bank were advised and they added an overseas address to the account - where copy bank statements are mailed.

Many thanks for all replies.

I don't want to get into the possibilty of money laundering so going down that route is out for me.

I'll e-mail Barclaycard and see what we can do.

Thanks again

and the fact that stolen cheques will bounce months after being drawn against which could leave me with a large debt. That's too much of a risk for me.

thanks for the replies :-)

I reckon you can use XE.com to do it or any other wire transfer provider. So long as the reference with the money is correct then you can make payments like that.

The banking industry is worried about money laundering over £800. I would hope that they have better things to spend their time on.

I've found that most UK credits card companies allow that, and will even send your statements to an overseas address. Some require you to be paying at least the minimum balance off by direct debit to do it.

The problem comes when they have to renew your card as many are reluctant to send it out to some countries overseas.

Chris

Thanks for the hint about renewing my card. I can use a UK address but won't be living there or a Thai address where I will be living. Both of those look like I'll get a negative answer but as long as I can pay they debt off I don't mind too much about not renewing it.

Thanks, I'll take a look at XE.com and other wire transfer options.

In message , snipped-for-privacy@mwfree.net writes

So do the Banks. But thats what the FSA wants, apparently, and why RBS and Abbey have each had swinging fines. Uncle Tonyt has at last told the FSA that they are going OTT with this so hopefully the banks will be able to the better things that they want to do.

I thought that it was transactions over £10000 or anything that arouses suspicion. I don't see that paying an £800 credit card bill should arouse any suspicion. I had better watch it next month when I give the wife her house keeping money by cheque just in case they think it is the proceeds of drug smuggling.

In message , snipped-for-privacy@mwfree.net writes

I didnt say paying the credit card bill on its own would draw suspicion, but exchanging foreign currency for a cheque with no underlying transaction and then using that cheque (drawn by a third party) to pay a credit card bill would.

Opening a deposit account with £10 arouses suspicion.

What would it be about this particular transaction that would draw it to the attention of the credit card company and make them suspicious? All they would see would be a cheque arriving to pay the card account of someone else. They would have no knowledge of any foreign currency cash transaction that took place the other side of the world that might have been related to it.

Chris

In message , Chris Blunt writes

I didnt say that the credit card company would do anything. I just said there was a money laundering 'issue'. Exchanging cash for a cheque might lead the OP into deeper water than he anticipates.

The bank would not know why I was paying the cc bill with a cheque drawn on someone else's account.

In the past I have asked American friends to write me cheques for payments I needed to make in the US in order to save on foreign draft fees, and I have done similar favours for others, too. Perhaps I am an internationally wanted money launderer now.

In message , s snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com writes

Exactly, and these days they are under increasing pressure to ask.

Yes, the law on money laundering are that ridiculous.