Some better, some worse - Amsterdam
 

On Tue, 23 May 2006 22:54:46 +0100, Paul Ebbens wrote:
I think you'll find it applies to all EU member states on this particular
matter -- hence why IBAN/BIC codes are "slowly" being introduced onto all
statements (I had never ever seen them before LloydsTSB put them on the
statements... not a single word from them to explain to anyone what they're
for) but even having these codes.. it only allows Inward transactions you
still have to run about trying to get a natural transfer of money, why isn't
it the same as a "foreign" exchange in cash?

I have received, in the past 6 months, a number of transfers from the UK
using IBAN and BIC. (Some people first tried to send me a cheque, but
cheques drawn on a foreign bank are pretty useless here.)

Ah well if they want to loose
customers they're doing the right things. Who does Euro accounts in UK, cos
then I'll be saved...

Googling on "euro account" suggested Lloyds TSB...
http://www.lloydstsb.com/travel/the_euro.asp

Regards,

Rian

--
Rian van der Borgt, Leuven, Belgium.
e-mail: www: http://www.evonet.be/~rvdborgt/

Some better, some worse - Amsterdam
 

"Rian van der Borgt" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 23 May 2006 22:54:46 +0100, Paul Ebbens wrote:
I think you'll find it applies to all EU member states on this particular
matter -- hence why IBAN/BIC codes are "slowly" being introduced onto all
statements (I had never ever seen them before LloydsTSB put them on the
statements... not a single word from them to explain to anyone what
they're
for) but even having these codes.. it only allows Inward transactions you
still have to run about trying to get a natural transfer of money, why
isn't
it the same as a "foreign" exchange in cash?

I have received, in the past 6 months, a number of transfers from the UK
using IBAN and BIC. (Some people first tried to send me a cheque, but
cheques drawn on a foreign bank are pretty useless here.)

Yes they turn into pretty useless things when the bank charge is higher than
the value.

I have transferred money to EU via www.AuctionChex.com they charge some
money on the side (of course) but didn't seem too unreasonable, nothing like
the UK Bank £10 or more charges at least... and uses IBAN BIC codes, very
useful for me.

Ah well if they want to loose
customers they're doing the right things. Who does Euro accounts in UK,
cos
then I'll be saved...

Googling on "euro account" suggested Lloyds TSB...
http://www.lloydstsb.com/travel/the_euro.asp

Yes unfortunately they class it as "Offshore" and "International" account,
neither which are strictly true... and are a pain to get hold of because
they like people with LOTS of money for these things it seems, not much
interest in day-to-day "junk".

Some better, some worse - Amsterdam
 

On Tue, 23 May 2006 23:41:32 +0100, Paul Ebbens wrote:
"Rian van der Borgt" wrote:
I have received, in the past 6 months, a number of transfers from the UK
using IBAN and BIC. (Some people first tried to send me a cheque, but
cheques drawn on a foreign bank are pretty useless here.)

Yes they turn into pretty useless things when the bank charge is higher than
the value.

Well, not even that. I couldn't cash them at all...

Regards,

Rian

--
Rian van der Borgt, Leuven, Belgium.
e-mail: www: http://www.evonet.be/~rvdborgt/

Some better, some worse - Amsterdam
 

In message , at 22:10:42 on Tue,
23 May 2006, Rian van der Borgt remarked:
Googling on "euro account" suggested Lloyds TSB...
http://www.lloydstsb.com/travel/the_euro.asp

I tried them, and spent a happy time in the local branch being passed
back and forth between the clerk and whoever the clerk-had-on-the-phone
in some distant internal call centre. The upshot was that all they could
offer me was an offshore account in the Isle of Man (as indeed that url
above confirms). I thought this was far from ideal for many reasons, in
particular they don't have a Debit Card for the account, so taking money
out is rather hard.

HSBC (you know, the one that brags about knowing how to do international
stuff) has a Euro account as well, but I think you can only transfer
money out by cheque, or the equivalent of a telegraphic transfer; once
again, a very long way from what I'd call "personal banking".

So I'm still looking for an account where I can get paid my expenses in
Euros (and no exchange rate issues), having previously used Euro funds
from the account to buy my train tickets in Amsterdam.
--
Roland Perry

Some better, some worse - Amsterdam
 

In message , at 22:34:47 on Tue,
23 May 2006, Graeme Wall remarked:
I noticed a sign the other day which strongly implied that the newsagent
that was renting space within the station building (in an Amsterdam
suburb) also sold tickets.

That happens at RAI station but the newsagents is only open in the morning
peak period.

The newsagent at the station I saw was still open at 6pm.

Unless there are exhibitions on there doesn't appear to be a lot of off-peak
traffic at RAI, the station you saw was presumably in a more populus area.

A dormitory suburb.
--
Roland Perry

Some better, some worse - Amsterdam
 

In message , at 10:23:42 on
Wed, 24 May 2006, David Walters remarked:
So I'm still looking for an account where I can get paid my expenses in
Euros (and no exchange rate issues), having previously used Euro funds
from the account to buy my train tickets in Amsterdam.

Citibank seem to have an account that does all that.
http://www.citibank.com/uk/personal/...euro/index.htm

With a sting in the tail:

"A monthly service charge of €20 on each Euro Current Account
will be levied where the credit balance, across your UK Citibank
relationship, falls below the currency equivalent of £2000. "

I tried getting a UK-based dollar account with them several years ago.
At least they *allow* you to have less than £2000 in the accounts
nowadays; then I think they'd have politely shown you the door.

It's also far from clear what "card" they are talking about. Is it a
Citibank VISA (and if so, why do they mainly only mention using it to
get cash from Citibank machines). In any event, if it was a Credit Card,
wouldn't that be a cash advance? What I wanted was a genuine Debit card
that would be accepted for airline and train tickets, hotel rooms etc.
--
Roland Perry

Some better, some worse - Amsterdam
 

In message
Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at 22:34:47 on Tue, 23
May 2006, Graeme Wall remarked:
I noticed a sign the other day which strongly implied that the
newsagent that was renting space within the station building (in an
Amsterdam suburb) also sold tickets.

That happens at RAI station but the newsagents is only open in the
morning peak period.

The newsagent at the station I saw was still open at 6pm.

Unless there are exhibitions on there doesn't appear to be a lot of
off-peak traffic at RAI, the station you saw was presumably in a more
populus area.

A dormitory suburb.

Which RAI certainly isn't although it does cater for a lot of cyclist
commuters. The other station I use frequently is the one near Arena which is
in a run-down residential area but caters for the stadium and a multiplex
cinema and shopping complex but that has a full ticket office.

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

Some better, some worse - Amsterdam
 

On Wed, 24 May 2006 18:51:03 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:
On Tue, 23 May 2006 08:54:16 +0100, Roland Perry
wrote:
In message , at 00:01:40 on Tue,
23 May 2006, Peter Smyth remarked:
I hadn't noticed that. Will give it a try next time I'm in London.

I think I once tried buying a ticket in Croydon auf Deutsch once, just
to see what happened. I can't remember the outcome, but as I'm not
still on the station I suppose I must have managed it.

:-)
I also regularly do that. Or try the Dutch (ticket machine or cash
dispenser) when it's offered where you'd least expect it. Or try the
local language and see how far you get :-)

One snag with multi-lingual machines is that they will say "welcome to
our lovely railway" in half a dozen languages, but the ticket types
will only be given in the local language, so you still need to know
the words for things like adult, child, single, return, railcard
discount, HappyWeekendApexValue(TM) ticket.

NS does have them translated, but the fundamental flaw is, especially
for international tickets, that you have to choose your ticket type
first instead of last. So if you're not a tariff expert, you sometimes
have to test various combinations to see what comes out cheapest.

I was seriously impressed with some Swiss tram ticket machines which
would take both CHFs and EURs. I was also vaguely pleased to find a
broken machine on a Swiss narrow gauge line in Biel/Bienne - proving
not everything there is perfect.

After buying a tram ticket in English, the machines in Grenoble say
"Croydon Tramlink wishes you a good journey".

I'll have to test that when I'm there :-)

Regards,

Rian

--
Rian van der Borgt, Leuven, Belgium.
e-mail: www: http://www.evonet.be/~rvdborgt/

Some better, some worse - Amsterdam
 

Arthur Figgis wrote:

On Tue, 23 May 2006 08:54:16 +0100, Roland Perry
wrote:

In message , at 00:01:40 on Tue,
23 May 2006, Peter Smyth remarked:
While I don't think they can manage Dutch, the touchscreen ticket
machines at most LU stations do have a choice of half a dozen or so
different languages.

I hadn't noticed that. Will give it a try next time I'm in London.


One snag with multi-lingual machines is that they will say "welcome to
our lovely railway" in half a dozen languages, but the ticket types
will only be given in the local language, so you still need to know
the words for things like adult, child, single, return, railcard
discount, HappyWeekendApexValue(TM) ticket.


I think you will find the LUL touchscreen ticket machines have the different
ticket types in the language selected.

Or they will sell zonal tickets, but there will be no maps of the
zones, as locals are assumed to know.


Again, LUL touchscreen ticket machines have a zonal map stuck to them.

Some better, some worse - Amsterdam
 

In message , Arthur Figgis
] writes
I was seriously impressed with some Swiss tram ticket machines which
would take both CHFs and EURs. I was also vaguely pleased to find a
broken machine on a Swiss narrow gauge line in Biel/Bienne - proving
not everything there is perfect.

Working with a group, I once encountered a smashed telephone kiosk
window at a Altstatten station at the lower end of the Appenzellbahn
mountain railway station. The booking clerk kept apologising profusely
to me about it, asking whether or not such things ever happened in
England! To cap it all, as we were boarding the train, a reporter from
the local radio station turned up to cover it.

So yes, Swiss standards are evidently slipping! Tongue firmly in
cheek, although some of Zurich's suburbs might surprise those more used
to rural Switzerland.
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk