Bank Choice - Debit Card and Online banking

[Big Mac]

hmmm interesting aster because i was about to choose DBS as my local bank. You may have swayed me onto UOB! - better do some more reading then.

My 2 cents, 4 working days since i got here and i already have my HSBC accounts all set up. My dealing with HSBC has been surprisingly good in sg. I had low expectations to start with i guess but i found them very professional. However i have heard that there are many issuies regarding their ATM network and the fact that they dont have NETS payment system.

[woodsdevil]

yes that's the problem with HSBC, that is why it is a good idea to get a bank account with a local bank.
Stick with either UOB or OCBC and you would not have to worry.

[aster]

Ideally Mac you want accounts with all 3 local banks, just for the offers (loads of "buy 1 get 1 free", known here as 1-for-1, deals).

When I first arrived I never though I would have an OCBC account, and chronologically it's the last one I opened. Didn't expect much but got the best treatment and everything made most sense overall. So easy to bank with for everyday stuff, and way above the rest for branch locations. I don't know what I was thinking before.

DBS has a good card for collecting air miles, that's the only reason I'm with them as well. But if you need something arranged via the counter then they're like a horror story come true with absolutely dreadful waiting times.

UOB is nice, I like their main branch in Boat Quay (though not as impressive inside as OCBC's). Their product offering doesn't make as much sense to me, their forms are a tad odd and outdated it seems (like do you have children, if yes.... what race is your child?), but I'm there for the dining offers.

I think I have 5-6 accounts already, usually maintaining just several hundred dollars above the no-fee balance at the ones I don't use that often.

[JR8]

Hi guys,


I am moving to Singapore from Europe in a month or so, and would like to know which bank can propose me what I'd like to get. I looked a bit in the forum, but didn't quite find my answer...

My wishes are :
1- Debit card (instead of a credit card). Best if I can accrue miles for SG airlines or Flying Blue. And best if free as soon as I spend over xx$/year (what I have now in Europe)
2- Online banking with free transfers in SG, and availability of int'l transfers with reasonable FX markup
3- "Good" savings rate if at all possible
4- Even better if the bank can propose to have a 2d/3rd account in another currency (thinking of Euro and USD)

1 and 2 are must haves, 3 and 4 are nice to have...

also, any hints on what's best in terms of Amex versus Visa versus Mastercard wrt. availability in shops/net ?

Thanks a lot.

G.

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Singapore isn't Europe. There are a lot less offerings, and no comparison sites. Over here the feel is often that you are the customer, and should be grateful for what you get.

I'm puzzled by your need to earn airmiles. Spend $20k and get a hard-to-use
option for a free $50 flight... does that really matter in context?

I maintain my Coutts & co accounts in the UK that I've had since leaving school (if it is good enough for the Queen for a few centuries, then it's good enough for me). They used to have a local branch, but it seems that might have been recently closed.

Locally I have a Stanchart a/c, and they are a complete joke in comparison to what Coutts in London, in person, can do for me 24/7, even from here.

It comes down to priorities I suppose.

[Big Mac]

Ideally Mac you want accounts with all 3 local banks, just for the offers (loads of "buy 1 get 1 free", known here as 1-for-1, deals).

yeah i have been told of these 1 - for - 1 deals and other freebies that come with certain credit cards. I think definitely requires further reading into except when it comes to these things im so damn lazy!! Might have to throw this one to the gfriend

......forms are a tad odd and outdated it seems (like do you have children, if yes.... what race is your child?)

i filled in a form recently that asked for that info. It had "Nationality" and then "Race"... im like wtf?

[aster]

That's UOB for ya... weird, weird forms...

As for air miles, it really does work. Just as a rough calculation, when I compare the spend I need to generate with the market price of the ticket I eventually redeem, it's like getting a 8-9% rebate each time I use my card. That's huge IMO...