# Opening a Sun Trust Account - Info for those thinking about it



## Lisa1976

Hubby and I opened a joint Sun Trust account while we on our hols a couple of weeks ago and i thought I would let you know how the process went in case anyone is thinking of doing the same.

We went to huge and I mean HUGE Sun Trust bank opposite DTD.  The lady who served us was very friendly and polite.  

We went for a free checking account as this has no fees attached to it, plus has internet banking access and a Visa Card.  

She filled in the application while we sat there, all we need was our passports and driving licences (you need two proofs of ID).  After about half an hour all done, we opened it with $10.  She gave us our account details straight away and when we got home our Visa cards were waiting for us, talk about speedy.  We also don't have great credit histories back in the UK but this wasn't a problem.

I've already been on the internet and have access to the account.

The process is very very easy and they were happy to help.  We are going to use it for our DVC monthly dues and also for stashing money away for our next trip.

I hope the above helps anyone thinking of opening a bank in the states.


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## jjpenguin

Thanks for the info, been meaning to do this for a while now but somehow always have better ways to spend our time


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## Shooby doo

Lisa what are the charges for wire transfers? I'm assuming that your going to be sending money from the UK to top up?
SD


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## wideeyes

I think I will open one of these in Aprill.


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## Lisa1976

Shooby doo said:


> Lisa what are the charges for wire transfers? I'm assuming that your going to be sending money from the UK to top up?
> SD



They did say, but I will be using Paypal instead.  It was recommended on here actually by another UK member who had a US bank account, the fees to transfer to a US bank are a lot less than a wire transfer.


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## susieh

We bank with HSBC so we spoke to the bank here about opening a US HSBC bank account. We did so last August for no charge, and there is no charge to transfer money between our UK and US account (or back again).

I have set up a monthly transfer between the accounts for our DVC monthly fees and plan to top the account up when the rate improves.

We get a better exchange rate than the tourist rate but not quite as good as the business rate - for example today's tourist rate is  $1.3911 to £1 but our rate through the bank is $1.423 to £1

It may be worth finding out if your bank will allow you to open a US account through them


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## PoppyBentley

I bank with HSBC and I had no idea you could do that! 
My partner and I were discussing the other day (right after we paid our dues - curses to that exchange rate!) how much better it would be if we could pay monthly to Disney like you can if you are a US DVC member. 
If I managed to open a HSBC US account does that mean I would be able to pay the Dues monthly directly to Disney via a direct debit from the US account? So in theory I'd have a monthly debit coming form my HSBC UK account going to my HSBC US account and then a debit going from that to Disney on a monthly basis? Is that how it works? and if so ho do you set it up?
Sorry for so many questions!!


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## eyoreaud

Theres also a nice branch of Suntrust in Celebration   Thats the branch i usualy use and they are just so helpful and nice and it's good sense to have an account over there even if you do not own any property, as it's nice n handy


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## forceword

We have a Citibank US Dollar account that we use for all our DVC transactions. It gives us a dollar chequebook and Visa Debit card and you can transfer money from your UK bank accounts to it as easy as to any UK account without paying wire transfer fees and get a decent exchange rate. It also has full internet servicing.

It's run by citibank UK so they have branches in London that I can go to. It's fee free as long as you maintain a certain balance. We have a dollar savings account with them as well so that we can earn interest.

Our plan is to top it up when rates are good. We put in a decent amount when sterling was at $1.90 and we will use that for all our dollar expenses for the next couple of years.

We did all the application online and only had to send off a couple of forms. Their website is http://www.citibank.co.uk/personal/banking/international/eurocurrent.htm?merchant=citi

Because it's UK based it's covered by the same guarantees as UK banks so your money should be safe up to £50,000. I checked this out when it looked like all the banks might go under.  

To be honest, it never occurred to me to open an account with a bank in the US. I prefer to have a branch that I can visit to hassle if there is a problem and something in the UK that I can sue. 

Nationwide also have a dollar account that we looked at. You don't have to be an existing customer for either. 

As far as paying dues monthly, you can't pay direct debits from this account to a US account. Money has to be wired as from a UK bank. We just used our Visa debit card to pay our dues and for an add-on at BCV. We were going to add on via resale and could have paid deposits and balances by cheque with no problems.

No connection with either bank (apart from as a customer), just seemed a lot easier to open an account in the UK rather than in the US.

Looking forward to hearing anyones point of view.


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## susieh

PoppyBentley said:


> I bank with HSBC and I had no idea you could do that!
> 
> If I managed to open a HSBC US account does that mean I would be able to pay the Dues monthly directly to Disney via a direct debit from the US account? So in theory I'd have a monthly debit coming form my HSBC UK account going to my HSBC US account and then a debit going from that to Disney on a monthly basis? Is that how it works? and if so ho do you set it up?
> Sorry for so many questions!!



Yes that is exactly how it works.  We transfer $100 dollars a month (we can even specify the amount in dollars not pounds) from our UK account to our US account and Disney then have a direct debit against that account.  To set that up we had to fax them a copy of a voided cheque for the US account (we have cheques and a cashpoint card for the account) and they did all the necessary work to set it up.

We access the account online via a link from our UK internet banking website to the US one.  I set the standing order up myself and can transfer cash between the two accounts any time I like just as you can with your UK accounts. The US website works much the same as the UK one

We just called the branch where our HSBC account is held and asked if we could have a US account - they said yes and sent the forms to fill in (lots of them!)  We had to go into a local branch with passports etc and sign some forms too and they did the rest. Our cards and cheque books arrived in the post about 3 weeks later.


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## PoppyBentley

susieh said:


> Yes that is exactly how it works.  We transfer $100 dollars a month (we can even specify the amount in dollars not pounds) from our UK account to our US account and Disney then have a direct debit against that account.  To set that up we had to fax them a copy of a voided cheque for the US account (we have cheques and a cashpoint card for the account) and they did all the necessary work to set it up.
> 
> We access the account online via a link from our UK internet banking website to the US one.  I set the standing order up myself and can transfer cash between the two accounts any time I like just as you can with your UK accounts. The US website works much the same as the UK one
> 
> We just called the branch where our HSBC account is held and asked if we could have a US account - they said yes and sent the forms to fill in (lots of them!)  We had to go into a local branch with passports etc and sign some forms too and they did the rest. Our cards and cheque books arrived in the post about 3 weeks later.



Thanks so much for this advice. I'm going to pop into my branch at the weekend and try and set this up.  
Kelly


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## Ali and boyz

susieh said:


> Yes that is exactly how it works.  We transfer $100 dollars a month (we can even specify the amount in dollars not pounds) from our UK account to our US account and Disney then have a direct debit against that account.  To set that up we had to fax them a copy of a voided cheque for the US account (we have cheques and a cashpoint card for the account) and they did all the necessary work to set it up.
> 
> We access the account online via a link from our UK internet banking website to the US one.  I set the standing order up myself and can transfer cash between the two accounts any time I like just as you can with your UK accounts. The US website works much the same as the UK one
> 
> We just called the branch where our HSBC account is held and asked if we could have a US account - they said yes and sent the forms to fill in (lots of them!)  We had to go into a local branch with passports etc and sign some forms too and they did the rest. Our cards and cheque books arrived in the post about 3 weeks later.



HSBC  which bank is this,  this is what I am looking for


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## susieh

Ali and boyz said:


> HSBC  which bank is this,  this is what I am looking for




I don't really understand your question - HSBC is one of the UK Big Four banks.  If you are asking what type of account we have - it is a Premier Account which is one of their current accounts.


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## Ali and boyz

susieh said:


> I don't really understand your question - HSBC is one of the UK Big Four banks.  If you are asking what type of account we have - it is a Premier Account which is one of their current accounts.



sorry,  should have explained myself better 

we are up in scotland and i didn't recognise the name/HSBC, up here we have HBOS (halifax bank of scotland, RBOS (royal bank of scotland  and LoydsTSB


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## Callum

Very interesting information on this thread. It has certainly given me food for thought as I like the idea of being able to top up a US account for our DVC dues etc.

I bank with HBOS so I will certainly raise the question with them and post any relevant information.

Ali - HSBC is not as prominent on Scottish High Streets as those south of the border. Clydesdale Bank is, I think, part of the same group.


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## tinkerbell 766

I bank with Abbey (santandaar group) does anybody know if they have a US branch?
Thank you


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## susieh

HSBC has branches in Scotland - their website link shows them http://www.hbeu1.hsbc.com/ukservices/branchlocator/scotland.asp


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## Ali and boyz

Callum said:


> Very interesting information on this thread. It has certainly given me food for thought as I like the idea of being able to top up a US account for our DVC dues etc.
> 
> I bank with HBOS so I will certainly raise the question with them and post any relevant information.
> 
> Ali - HSBC is not as prominent on Scottish High Streets as those south of the border. Clydesdale Bank is, I think, part of the same group.



I asked in HSBC ,  they said they do an US dollar account with a cheque book but no cards    if you find out anything different would you let me know

Ali


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## Ali and boyz

susieh said:


> HSBC has branches in Scotland - their website link shows them http://www.hbeu1.hsbc.com/ukservices/branchlocator/scotland.asp



thanks for the link Susie,  know exactly where it is 

Ali


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## Everything Eeyore

Thanks for all the info about Sun Trust and HSBC. I'd really like to set up a dollar account for paying DVC dues. Will look into it


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## Everything Eeyore

susieh said:


> We bank with HSBC so we spoke to the bank here about opening a US HSBC bank account. We did so last August for no charge, and there is no charge to transfer money between our UK and US account (or back again).
> 
> I have set up a monthly transfer between the accounts for our DVC monthly fees and plan to top the account up when the rate improves.
> 
> We get a better exchange rate than the tourist rate but not quite as good as the business rate - for example today's tourist rate is  $1.3911 to £1 but our rate through the bank is $1.423 to £1
> 
> It may be worth finding out if your bank will allow you to open a US account through them



Can I ask whether there has to be a minimum amount present in the US account?


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## susieh

We had to put about £10 in to open it but now that it is open there is no minimum amount


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## Everything Eeyore

susieh said:


> We had to put about £10 in to open it but now that it is open there is no minimum amount



Thanks. That's very useful to know


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## dbriggsq

Hi Lisa

We've had a Suntrust account for a couple of years now - it generally works very well.

The only issue we had was that they would send us paper statements every month and charge us $5 for it - it took a couple of tries to get them to stop sending them and just access the statements on line instead so watch for that happening with you.


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## TinkTatoo

We've got an account with Wachovia which we opened a few years ago - we did try and open one with Sun Trust in Celebration at the time but they wouldn't let us.  The Wachovia account sounds the same as the Sun Trust one and I either transfer funds from my bank account or via Paypal. It's handy for paying DVC dues and also our spending money when we're in Florida (I either use the debit card to pay for stuff or get cash from a cashpoint)


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## Callum

Spoke with HBOS this morning and it's a no go with them.  

They only have links with a Spanish based bank which seems to work in exactly the same way as some of the US accounts already mentioned but for those who have European timeshares. All transactions in Euros.


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## nobodies36

Callum said:


> Spoke with HBOS this morning and it's a no go with them.
> 
> They only have links with a Spanish based bank which seems to work in exactly the same way as some of the US accounts already mentioned but for those who have European timeshares. All transactions in Euros.



Hmmm...I have a personal currency account with HBOS in USD. I have a pay-in book and cheque book (in USD) and just payed my annual dues by cheque with no problem. The account itself has no monthly fees and I earn a little interest. The downside is it cannot be controlled online and I know we still had to pay wire fees when we bought the DVC and sent to the money (in USD) to the broker. So not making sense to run this and a US one with the intention of moving money between the two.

But the account does exist. HTH.


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## Callum

Very interesting!! Thanks for the info Lisa.

The girl I spoke with nearly fell of her chair when I asked about a US account but something obviously does exist.

Is yours a personal $US account which is held at your local branch?


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## nobodies36

Callum said:


> Very interesting!! Thanks for the info Lisa.
> 
> The girl I spoke with nearly fell of her chair when I asked about a US account but something obviously does exist.
> 
> Is yours a personal $US account which is held at your local branch?



It is a personal account and it was linked to my graduate account (so maybe you have to have a current account there). Yeah, everything is in USD- cheque book, statements and pay-in book (can pay in both currency). I can deposit at my local branch (even in USD at the business counter) but I think the account is actully run from HBOS International Services in Glasgow centre (that is what my cheques and statements say). 

We did open it up just by walking into our branch and filling in some forms and every time we went back into our branch we had to ask for a specific person as no-one else knew how to work the account. I just looked up some of the paper work and it is called a 'Personalised Currency Account'. HTH.


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## Ali and boyz

Callum said:


> Very interesting!! Thanks for the info Lisa.
> 
> The girl I spoke with nearly fell of her chair when I asked about a US account but something obviously does exist.
> 
> Is yours a personal $US account which is held at your local branch?



Callum I asked at our local HBOS and in Glasgow Monday,  they do an account but like what nobodies36 has they only give you a cheque book..   I wanted a debit card but they don't do it.

I also asked at the Abbey and they looked at me as if I was daft.


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## Everything Eeyore

susieh said:


> We had to put about £10 in to open it but now that it is open there is no minimum amount



Popped into a HSBC branch yesterday to enquire about opening a US account and they said there would be monthly fees involved. Not sure if they really knew what they were talking about though to be honest....

So, Susieh do you know the exact name of the HSBC US account please? I can then ask again. Thanks


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## susieh

Everything Eeyore said:


> Popped into a HSBC branch yesterday to enquire about opening a US account and they said there would be monthly fees involved. Not sure if they really knew what they were talking about though to be honest....
> 
> So, Susieh do you know the exact name of the HSBC US account please? I can then ask again. Thanks



Our US account is a Premier Account (we have a UK Premier account).  We don't pay a monthly fee for either account but I know that HSBC does charge for UK Premier accounts unless you meet their criteria so maybe that's what she was referring to.

I have no idea about US accounts linked to other HSBC Current account types.

Good luck with your searching - we've been really pleased with the way ours has worked out.  We also discovered that we get free withdrawals from ATMs - all the fees we paid when we withdrew cash in Colorado in January have been refunded on our latest bank statement.


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## leise

Thanks for all the info in this thread. We opened a SunTrust account when we went at Easter. All ok so far, but we are trying to work out how to transfer money into it, especially as the pound is strengthening!
Our bank (Barclays) will charge us £25 a go. 

Some of you mentioned using Paypal - how do you do this? We have a UK Paypal account we can use, but how do we pay into the SunTrust account?

Any advice would be very gratefully received


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## Elise79

leise said:


> Thanks for all the info in this thread. We opened a SunTrust account when we went at Easter. All ok so far, but we are trying to work out how to transfer money into it, especially as the pound is strengthening!
> Our bank (Barclays) will charge us £25 a go.
> 
> Some of you mentioned using Paypal - how do you do this? We have a UK Paypal account we can use, but how do we pay into the SunTrust account?
> 
> Any advice would be very gratefully received



Hi

We opened our SunTrust account in March 

We have funded it using Paypal. To do it you need to have funds in your paypal account (you can add funds by DD from your bank account but this takes ages so as me & DH have a Paypal account each DH sends me a instant transfer using the bank account as funding done as a gift so there are no paypal fees) you can then transfer them to Dollars using the manage currency option. Then you need to add your SunTrust account onto your bank account to withdraw the funds to. 

In the 'Add account' option there is a drop down box where you can select a US bank account.

Be warned the rate PayPal gives is about 4 cents lower than current market rate but for transfering smaller amounts (less than about £500) it is cheaper than the bank charges.

We use if for transferring money we get from selling stuff on Ebay as that is our holiday spending money anyway.

HTH


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## leise

Elise, many thanks for that info - I have now managed to transfer money in via Paypal. Now to save up for more points!


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## Brandis

I also plan to open a Suntrust account when I'm at WDW next May.

Does anyone here have experience with cashing in checks?

As a WDC shareholder, every year I get a check for $0.73. Until now I didn't bother as cashing in the check in Switzerland would habe been much too expensive.

But with a US bank account I was wondering if there would be any charges involved if I send a check issued by Citibank Delaware to Suntrust.


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## Elise79

Brandis said:


> I also plan to open a Suntrust account when I'm at WDW next May.
> 
> Does anyone here have experience with cashing in checks?
> 
> As a WDC shareholder, every year I get a check for $0.73. Until now I didn't bother as cashing in the check in Switzerland would habe been much too expensive.
> 
> But with a US bank account I was wondering if there would be any charges involved if I send a check issued by Citibank Delaware to Suntrust.



I think you will be fine there are no charges as far as I can remember - check with the person that opens your account.


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## jharrowell

One thing about the Paypal route (which I've been using for a couple of years now) is that you need to plan ahead.

It takes 7 - 9 working days to transfer money out of your UK account into your PayPal account, then another 1 - 3 days to transfer it into Suntrust.  

So you need to plan this in time to make sure you don't miss a dues payment, or for those like me who are a bit paranoid about that type of stuff, stay 1 month ahead.

Once you've got that US bank account though it leaves things open to getting all sorts of stuff where you can't use a UK account.

US Cell phone
(go PayandGo and the money stacks up for you as you do the periodic payments, there's no roaming charges, when ppl phone you from the UK it's on their dime, and it's so cool having an orlando area code!)

Getting APs at Seaworld & US on EZPay
(Hey if you're a DVC member you're probably out there enough to need one.  )

There's more but I'd be here all day.


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## Brandis

Just looked at the Paypal website. So if I want to transfer money into my Sunbank account, I would first top up my Paypal account by paying money into Paypal's Bank of America account in Geneva, which doesn't cost me any fees when doing it online.

Then, once the funds are added to my Paypal account, I could withdraw them again by transfering to Suntrust, right?

Under fees, it says: Personal payments Send money / Receive money: Free when you use your Paypal balance. 

So I just have to pay the 1% fee for cross-border personal transactions, right?


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## Sid74

I've just spoken on the phone to someone at HSBC International banking about a US account.

It costs £100 to open from the UK, £50 for advance account customers.  I believe that the Premier account is the step up from advance so that is probably why it didn't cost anything. There is a monthly $8 fee unless you have over $2500 in the account or pay your salary in each month.

You can go into any US branch of HSBC and open the account for free, but they don't have any Orlando branches. The $8 monthly fee still applies.

It is a checking account, which gives you a check book and a debit card, and also pays direct debits. 

It would definately be useful for paying dues, but as the Sun Trust accounts seem to be free, I am a bit torn. 
There is the ease of just transfering money every month between HSBC accounts, rather than the hassle of juggling paypal payments, versus the fee. 

I could just stick to my Citibank US account, but that means paying dues in a lump sum each January. As it is also my dollar saving account for holiday spending money, there is the danger of overspending and being short on the dues. 
If I go with the HSBC account I will have 2 different US accounts. I suppose I could use one just for dues and one just for spending money.

Isn't it a good thing that the holidays are worth the extra thinking, lol.


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## Elise79

The Suntrust account is free - I wouldn't be paying an $8 a month fee just to be able to pay your dues monthly.
Using someone like XE makes transfering the money fairly painless too.


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## D1znee

Where is the one in DTD ??? Also are these single accounts or joint acounts with same or different surnames. We will be there in June


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## Brandis

Sun Trust at DTD is opposite the Ghirardelli / Team Mickey building, on the other side of Buena Vista Dr, in between Disney Casting and Hilton Hotel.

It's a big square mirror glass building with drive-thru teller plaza in front.

Don't know about the different type of accounts they have, I would write them an e-mail, they are pretty fast answering them.

I will go there on the last day of my stay in May, before leaving to the airport. Will drop the ladies at DTD so they won't get bored.


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## Bumbleink

*Hi*

*Not wishing to be nosey but can anyone tell me what the questionaire is like for opening an American Bank Account.   I know what type of questions you get asked when you open a UK account but is it a similar set up.*

*Also apart from id is there anything else you need to take with you.*

*Just wondered as not being a home owner i wondered if that went against you like it can in the scoring system here in the UK.*

*Thanks*


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## Elise79

Hi

They didn't ask us hardly anything - they just wanted to know we would be using the account regularly.

We took Passports and photo driving licences for ID. 

HTH


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## Bumbleink

Thanks so much, how long does it take, hoping to use the first morning to get it set up.


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## Elise79

Probably about 30 -45 mins


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## Brandis

Just back from WDW and opening an account with Suntrust was a breeze. Minimum amount for opening was $100 but after that there is no minium amount needed.

Took the free checking account, got a small starter booklet of checks right away as well as the log-in information for setting up the online account. PIN code I could also set right away.

To finish the online account access I had to wait for an e-mail from SunTrust with a setup ID, this arrived the next day. The free Visa Debit Card I received within the week to my swiss adress.

I now sent a fax to DVC on their secure fax line with a voided check requesting to charge future annual dues monthly to that account.


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## Brandis

BTW, there is also an iPhone app for online banking with SunTrust. Just search for SunTrust in the app store, it's free.

It's handy to check on the current amount of money on the account.


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## skelfbsfb

We opened up an account at Sun Trust at Downtown today, girl just asked how much we would like to put in, she never asked for a set minimum so I just put $40. It only took about 30-40 minutes.


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## maznorm

Hi,

We went to set  an account at Sun Trust in June.  They told us that we need 1 photo ID and 1 utility bill.  Unfortunately, we didn't have any utility bills with us so we couldn't do it.

Hopefully, we will get it sorted out next time.


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## Brandis

maznorm said:


> Hi,
> 
> We went to set  an account at Sun Trust in June.  They told us that we need 1 photo ID and 1 utility bill.  Unfortunately, we didn't have any utility bills with us so we couldn't do it.
> 
> Hopefully, we will get it sorted out next time.



Did you tell them that you live outside the US?

They only asked for my passport.


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## skelfbsfb

maznorm said:


> Hi,
> 
> We went to set  an account at Sun Trust in June.  They told us that we need 1 photo ID and 1 utility bill.  Unfortunately, we didn't have any utility bills with us so we couldn't do it.
> 
> Hopefully, we will get it sorted out next time.



I only shown my passpost but offered my driving license as wel.l


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## maznorm

Yes we did and they said that's why they need both otherwise a driving license would have been ok.


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## skelfbsfb

maznorm said:


> Hi,
> 
> We went to set  an account at Sun Trust in June.  They told us that we need 1 photo ID and 1 utility bill.  Unfortunately, we didn't have any utility bills with us so we couldn't do it.
> 
> Hopefully, we will get it sorted out next time.



Did you go to the one at Downtown, they never asked me for any utility bill.


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## jekupsiller

It is administered by Citibank in the United Kingdom when they have branches in London, I can go.It is free of charge, as long as they maintain a certain balance.We have a savings account in dollars with them and we can win interest.Our plan is that when recharge rates are good. We have a decent amount, when the pound was at $ 1.90 and will use for all expenditure of our dollars for the next two years.


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## skelfbsfb

When we opened our account we were told that we would receive an email which would allow us to do online banking, I never received this.  In contacted the banker and was told that they see where the problem was and would rectify it straight away, still waiting, but received my bank card through the post today so some progress.


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## Brandis

Did you check with the bank that they have your e-mail adress right? Also, make sure the mail doesn't end up in the spam folder.

Received my activation mail for e-banking on the same day I was at the bank opening the account. The visa check card arrived about 3 weeks later.

BTW, there is an iphone app for SunTrust e-banking. Quite handy to check the balance on the go.


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## skelfbsfb

Brandis said:


> Did you check with the bank that they have your e-mail adress right? Also, make sure the mail doesn't end up in the spam folder.
> 
> Received my activation mail for e-banking on the same day I was at the bank opening the account. The visa check card arrived about 3 weeks later.
> 
> BTW, there is an iphone app for SunTrust e-banking. Quite handy to check the balance on the go.



Yes checked spam folder just incase, nothing.  Will give them another email tomorrow to see whats happening.


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## skelfbsfb

Received email which had link to allow me to register online.


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## cheryl.UK

We tried this year but they insisted on utility bills or bank statements.  We had our passports, driving liscences and various recent correspondence such as our e tickets, car vouchers and insurance docs, all of which had our address on  but they still wouldn't let us.


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## Brandis

That's really strange! I opened my account at the big branch in Downtown Disney last May. All he needed was my Passport and possibly my drivers license, although neither of them contains my home adress. That I just wrote down on a piece of paper.

I opened a free checking account with a free Visa debit card. He said the minimum initial deposit is $100, but now minimum transactions after that.

I'm planning on trying the car banking next time I'm there to get rid of the last dollars before heading to the airport.


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## cheryl.UK

We didn't even get past the man at the front desk.  Seems like we should have tried when he wasn't on duty


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## Brandis

Front Desk? I walked in, went to the counter and was told to take a seat, someone would get me. Then a guy led me to his desk and I told him that I wanted to open an account as a foreigner. From there, it took about half an hour until we were done.


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## skelfbsfb

Its been reported on other websites that suntrust will now be charging people if the do not have $1000 in the account.  Not received anything offical yet.  Hope fully they dont as i only wanted it to pay my dues on a monthly basis.


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## Brandis

It probably depends on which type of account you have. 

https://www.suntrust.com/portal/server.pt/community/chk_free_checking/442

For the "Free Checking Account" it clearly says on the suntrust website:

"No minimum balance requirement or monthly maintenance fee"


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## skelfbsfb

Brandis said:


> It probably depends on which type of account you have.
> 
> https://www.suntrust.com/portal/server.pt/community/chk_free_checking/442
> 
> For the "Free Checking Account" it clearly says on the suntrust website:
> 
> "No minimum balance requirement or monthly maintenance fee"



Brandis that is the account I have so hopefully we may escape the charge.


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## Brandis

I was just surfing around the SunTrust site for a bit and looked at the "Reorder Check" link when I found this:

https://www.deluxe-check-order.com/disney.jsp

Isn't that cool? I would choose "Mickey and Pals" but the "Villains" series would go very well together with Disney Dollars, don't you think?

Unfortunately, it seems that it's not possible to order them from outside the US :-( I'l have to check with Suntrust next time I'm there.


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## skelfbsfb

Brandis said:


> I was just surfing around the SunTrust site for a bit and looked at the "Reorder Check" link when I found this:
> 
> https://www.deluxe-check-order.com/disney.jsp
> 
> Isn't that cool? I would choose "Mickey and Pals" but the "Villains" series would go very well together with Disney Dollars, don't you think?
> 
> Unfortunately, it seems that it's not possible to order them from outside the US :-( I'l have to check with Suntrust next time I'm there.



It would be great to have one of these check books.


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## wen-tom

We returned to the UK on Friday and opened a Suntrust account on wednesday.
We had no trouble at all. went to the counter and the lady there said to take a seat. within a second of sitting down we were called over and all sorted within 30 mins!

Nothing was mentioned about fee's or minumum balances - as long as you have the free checking account you should be safe


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## dbriggsq

Something to be aware of.

We've had a Suntrust account for a few years and in the early days they would charge us $5 a month for sending a paper statement (we hadn't requested one). It took a few phone calls to get them to stop sending these statements and stop charging us for them.


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## wen-tom

the lady who opened our account told us to disable the paper statements online as soon as we had access to avoid the possibility of charges.

It's an option on the right of the page which says 'turn off paper statements'.


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## dbriggsq

wen-tom said:


> the lady who opened our account told us to disable the paper statements online as soon as we had access to avoid the possibility of charges.
> 
> It's an option on the right of the page which says 'turn off paper statements'.



Yes - but we had to do that a couple of times before it seemed to become effective. 

If you do incur any charges if you ring or email them they should refund the charge.


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## wen-tom

dbriggsq said:


> Yes - but we had to do that a couple of times before it seemed to become effective.
> 
> If you do incur any charges if you ring or email them they should refund the charge.



good to know thanks 

i'll make sure we are not charged.


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## bibbidibobbidiboo07

Just a query but how do you put money into your sun trust accoutns from the uk? Are there any fees for doing this?


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## skelfbsfb

bibbidibobbidiboo07 said:


> Just a query but how do you put money into your sun trust accoutns from the uk? Are there any fees for doing this?



You can transfer it from your paypal account.


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## bibbidibobbidiboo07

Thanks
But do you loose out on the exchange rate? And do they charge for doing this?
We have used the PO credit card in the past but was wondering of the benefit of the Sun Trust account over the PO card.


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## Brandis

They charge something, but it's quite reasonable.

I found another way, but you'll need an iPhone.

www.squareup.com offers a free creditcard reader which can be plugged into the iphone and together with their app you can charge creditcards. 

So you could charge your own creditcard and the amount will then be paid into your US bank account.

To receive the reader, you would need an adress in the US, where the reader will be shipped to, so if you know someone in the US, you could have it sent there. 

But the app also works without the reader, then you just have to type in the credit card number manually.


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## skelfbsfb

bibbidibobbidiboo07 said:


> Thanks
> But do you loose out on the exchange rate? And do they charge for doing this?
> We have used the PO credit card in the past but was wondering of the benefit of the Sun Trust account over the PO card.



The exchange rate will be slightly higher than tourist rate but lower than using PO cc.


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## tinkerbell 766

Does anybody know what credit checks are carried out if you go into the SunTrust at DTD?  Are you likely to get an embarassing rejection if your credit history in UK is less than 100% perfect?


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## Brandis

Not sure if they do any. But I declined overdraft coverage anyway.


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## wen-tom

they didn't ask us if we wanted an overdraft facility - probably because we explained what we would use the account for.
There were no checks done. they simply input our details onto their computer after they agreed the account.

HTH.


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## Brandis

I choose the free checking account and I got a small check book with it.

When I contacted Disney to do the monthly MF payments, they said I should send them a voided check which I did.


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## skelfbsfb

tinkerbell 766 said:


> Does anybody know what credit checks are carried out if you go into the SunTrust at DTD?  Are you likely to get an embarassing rejection if your credit history in UK is less than 100% perfect?



Wasnt any checks done when I signed up for account.


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## Brandis

Just received an e-mail from Suntrust, saying "due to changes in the industry, we are updating our product offerings and discontinuing certain account types, including Free Checking."

What it basically means is that from Nov. 10, they will charge you a monthly maintenance fee of $7 if your balance goes below $500!

As I only use that account for the DVC fees, I keep around $100 on it at any time.

Now, I have to decide if I'll eat the monthly fee of $7, keep the balance above $500 or look for another bank.

Anyone knows of another bank who still has free checking accounts?


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## techandy

Hi everyone!

I just called Sun Trust having opened the account last September with Raymond Gonzales (who appears to have left Sun Trust Lake Buena Vista branch) on Branch number 001 407 828-6103.

Basically, as already described if your balance falls below $500 then you will be charged $7 month from 10th November 2011. In addition to this, from that date if you use your suntrust mastercard to make purchases then you will be charged $5 for unlimited transactions in that month, ie. if your trip spans two months then you will be charged twice. (Not sure if that is calendar or statement months)

I stressed that this is very disappointing, and would strongly suggest others do the same. However the representative did inform me that suntrust is one of the last banks to implement this change, and most other US banks do the same now.

I'm not sure how easy it is for foreigners to open US accounts as you normally need a US social security number, so I guess it's leave $500 sitting there or suck up the $7 / month.



Andy


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## susieh

If you are able to open an HSBC Premier account in the uk then you will also be able to open an account in the US.  You then get free transfers between the 2 accounts and free withdrawals from ATMs except in New York. 

We did it all from the UK.


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## skelfbsfb

Brandis said:


> Just received an e-mail from Suntrust, saying "due to changes in the industry, we are updating our product offerings and discontinuing certain account types, including Free Checking."
> 
> What it basically means is that from Nov. 10, they will charge you a monthly maintenance fee of $7 if your balance goes below $500!
> 
> As I only use that account for the DVC fees, I keep around $100 on it at any time.
> 
> Now, I have to decide if I'll eat the monthly fee of $7, keep the balance above $500 or look for another bank.
> 
> Anyone knows of another bank who still has free checking accounts?



Ive got a SunTrust account and havent received any email so far.


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## Elise79

skelfbsfb said:


> Ive got a SunTrust account and havent received any email so far.



No email here either.

Not worry about the maintence charge as that seems easy to avoid either keeping $500 in there or paying in $100 per month electronically. It is the fee for using the check card I find annoying as it is $5 per statement cycle - cross a statement date and it is going to cost you $10


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## Brandis

Went back to re-read the mail to see if it really says anything about paying in $100 each month to avoid the fee, but it only says:

"$7.00 monthly maintenance fee unless you maintain a $500 minimum daily collected balance OR sign up for Direct Deposit."

But then I noticed, that it said as well: "(Please note that based on your banking history you already qualify for a waiver of this monthly maintenance fee.)"

If I understand this sentence correctly, it means that even with the new account structure, I won't have to pay the maintenance fee.

As I don't reach the $500 minimum balance and also don't have Direct Deposit, there must be other criterias as well. Maybe they waive the fee for account holders who don't have an address in the US?


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## PrincessSuzanne

The Suntrust caught my eye, then I realized this is a thread for people living in the UK, using the Suntrsut in Florida.

Suntrust is changing this for EVERYONE, it doesn't matter where you live. I have been with Suntrust for abour 4 years and was told that my account would NEVER change because they hold our mortgage, well lo and behold, I got the letter in the mail and sure enough, the policy is changing, no matter where you live.

You might want to look else where, this is a new policy pretty much for all US banks based on a Federal law/policy changes. I am shopping around for a new bank/credit union.


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## Oglet

PrincessSuzanne said:


> The Suntrust caught my eye, then I realized this is a thread for people living in the UK, using the Suntrsut in Florida.
> 
> Suntrust is changing this for EVERYONE, it doesn't matter where you live. I have been with Suntrust for abour 4 years and was told that my account would NEVER change because they hold our mortgage, well lo and behold, I got the letter in the mail and sure enough, the policy is changing, no matter where you live.
> 
> You might want to look else where, this is a new policy pretty much for all US banks based on a Federal law/policy changes. I am shopping around for a new bank/credit union.



I live in the US and we received our letter a few weeks ago from them. My wife called and got pretty much the same information that you all have been saying.  This change has nothing to do with them needing to do it, It's being done simply because they CAN do it.

The $5 per month for unlimited ATM transactions is what has annoyed me more than anything. If you use a non Suntrust ATM your going to pay $2 - $3 for the transaction anyway, It's just another way the banking industry has decided to collect fees when the federal government prevented them from another way.

We are actually looking at other banking options such as credit unions.


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## PrincessSuzanne

Oglet said:


> I live in the US and we received our letter a few weeks ago from them. My wife called and got pretty much the same information that you all have been saying.  This change has nothing to do with them needing to do it, It's being done simply because they CAN do it.
> 
> The $5 per month for unlimited ATM transactions is what has annoyed me more than anything. If you use a non Suntrust ATM your going to pay $2 - $3 for the transaction anyway, It's just another way the banking industry has decided to collect fees when the federal government prevented them from another way.
> 
> We are actually looking at other banking options such as credit unions.



I just got my letter this week. The $5/mo is more than just ATM's, it is also for each time you swipe it at retailers, and it appears that most banks are going to be doing this, because I have looked into all the banks in our area and they are all doing away with free checking. 

Apparently our nice Gov't has decided to increase or add fees to retailers when a check card is swiped, so the banks are passing these fees on to the customer.

My husband and I have an acct thru USAA and they polled their customers to find out what options were most improtant to them and decided to do away with their rewards program and keep banking entirely free. 

I have a savings with a local credit union, and that is where I opened my first checking acct, they were charging $3.95/mo to have a check card, so I moved to a bank with free checking, but it looks like the credit union has dropped that fee, so I may just move myself back there. If not, I will add another checking acct with USAA.


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## crabbie1

I am getting really confused now So suntrust charge a monthly fee for the account now? And what do they charge everytime the card is swiped e.g in a department store?
I can understand the monthly fee  but not a charge for every time the debit card is swiped.
I have emailed sun trust 4 times now and they have been useless I am sad to say.I asked where the nearest branch was near to down town disney: How much to open the account: and what id was definatley needed.They never answered anything directly and sent me a list of ID for US citizens a list as long as my arm.When I emailed back and explained I was from the UK and they answered saying I would have to speak to the branch manager??? No address or phone number or whom to contact. Are there not any other banks us a UK citizens can open as so far there customer service has been terrible.
Do I really need to open one or can I simply load up my fairfx card to pay monthly dues?
I would like to for future trips I suppose so I can pay dolllors in. Does anyone know the address for the citibank at DTD or any other banks that do offer accounts.


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## Brandis

I'm not aware of a Citibank at DTD, as far as I know, there is only a Suntrust bank office there, right across the street from Ghirardelli:

http://maps.google.com/?ll=28.371245,-81.512184&spn=0.001968,0.003484&t=h&z=19&vpsrc=6

I only brought my passport and $100 to open an account. Took about 30 min. No charge to open an account, but as was said in the beginning of this thread, there might be a monthly charge if your account contains less than $500.

DVC only accepts direct debit from US bank accounts for monthly dues payment,  so unless your Fairfax card is connected with a US bank account, that won't work.


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## PrincessSuzanne

I went back and looked at the Basic Everyday checking has a $7 monthly maintenance fee as well as $5/mo for unlimited Check Card purchases, to get the $7 fee waived, you must maintain $500 minimum collected daily balance or direct deposit, but you still  have the $5/mo fee. 

But be warned, again, that most banks in the US are changing to do this due to the increase in processsing fees at the point of sale, if you swipe your card. 

I am not sure what other banks are in the area, we bank with Suntrust and I know about the one across from DTD.


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## Brandis

Another Suntrust branch is in downtown Celebration.


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## crabbie1

Brandis said:


> I'm not aware of a Citibank at DTD, as far as I know, there is only a Suntrust bank office there, right across the street from Ghirardelli:
> 
> http://maps.google.com/?ll=28.371245,-81.512184&spn=0.001968,0.003484&t=h&z=19&vpsrc=6
> 
> Thankyou I meant suntrust.Dont know where citibank came from
> 
> I only brought my passport and $100 to open an account. Took about 30 min. No charge to open an account, but as was said in the beginning of this thread, there might be a monthly charge if your account contains less than $500.
> Yes I am aware of this
> 
> DVC only accepts direct debit from US bank accounts for monthly dues payment,  so unless your Fairfax card is connected with a US bank account, that won't work.



I have heard  of other UK dvc members paying with a fairfx card.Thhis is not attatched to a bank account it is a pre paid master card.



PrincessSuzanne said:


> I will go back and double check my letter on the fees to use the check card.
> 
> But be warned, again, that most banks in the US are changing to do this due to the increase in processsing fees at the point of sale, if you swipe your card.
> 
> 
> I am not sure what other banks are in the area, we bank with Suntrust and I know about the one across from DTD.



This is really harsh.Its better just to get cash out the cash points.I presume they do free cash withdrawals This is not a CC so I find this quite bad to charge for regular purchases. I could understand if it was a CC but not a regular debit card.Never mind.Thankyou both. I can see from your map where it is now. Just need to take the right documents now and see if we can deposit $500.


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## techandy

Just a point to note is that I also took an original copy of my UK bank statement from the, along with a water and council bill (original copies) along with my driving licence and passport - This was after I called them at the LBV branch before going (August 2010) to confirm exactly what documents they wanted me to take, to just open with a passport wouldn't be acceptable they needed further proof UK residence (address) oh and my DVC membership details.. So to cover all bases I also took a copy of my DVC (i think mortgage documentation)  the guy who opened my account has now left Sun Trust, but seemed to want copies of everything

Normally to open an account in the US you need a social security number, but with all this they waived it. I also needed to sign a W-8BEN form "Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Witholding"


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## Elise79

The debit (or check) card fee is $5 per month the card is used. I am assuming you still draw cash for free at the ATM at the branch.

I have looked and can not find any banks that have a free checking account now 

Also you can only use the fair fx card to pay your dues if you pay them in a lump sum in January. Monthly payments can only be taken from a US bank account.


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## crabbie1

Elise79 said:


> The debit (or check) card fee is $5 per month the card is used. I am assuming you still draw cash for free at the ATM at the branch.
> 
> I have looked and can not find any banks that have a free checking account now
> 
> Also you can only use the fair fx card to pay your dues if you pay them in a lump sum in January. Monthly payments can only be taken from a US bank account.



Ahh thts good then so i can put dollors on  faifx card every month and pay at the time dues are due. Im just thinkin of options incase i cant open this bank account. Thanks elise


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## Lizzim

crabbie1 said:


> Ahh thts good then so i can put dollors on  faifx card every month and pay at the time dues are due. Im just thinkin of options incase i cant open this bank account. Thanks elise



Sorry, but you will not be able to pay dues monthly on a fairfx card - this option is only available by making direct payments from a US bank account (like a direct debit).


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## crabbie1

Strange. I hv been told otherwise by dvc direct. I can pay yearly by debit or credit card in one go but monthly i can pay by DD from US account. If we manage to open an account will do it all from there will b easier. Just so much conflicting info on documents needed. Cannot get a straight answer even from suntrust themselves. We will take everything from driv license to utility bill passport .


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## Lizzim

crabbie1 said:


> Strange. I hv been told otherwise
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> by dvc direct. I can pay yearly by debit or credit card in one go but monthly i can pay by DD from US account. If we manage to open an account will do it all from there will b easier. Just so much conflicting info on documents needed. Cannot get a straight answer even from suntrust themselves. We will take everything from driv license to utility bill passport .



Think you may have misunderstood my post - you can pay money to a fairfx card monthly and pay that to DVC in one lump sum but if you want to pay DVC monthly it will need to be from a US account. Sorry if I confused you.


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## crabbie1

Lizzim said:


> Think you may have misunderstood my post - you can pay money to a fairfx card monthly and pay that to DVC in one lump sum but if you want to pay DVC monthly it will need to be from a US account. Sorry if I confused you.


Its ok I confused myself We are going to attempt to open an account before we attend the DVC meeting so we can give the details.If we cannot open one for some reason will dvc take the payments from our UK bank account/building society account and our yearly dues from fairfx card or will we have to pay it all from fairfx card??
sorry just want to be prepared before we go and looking at worse scenario.
Also as we are having the finance will they need a card for the payment for the deposit or will they accept cash/TC? If they need a card I will have to leave the money in the bank before we go


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## Lizzim

I pay my loan payments on a credit card (which I then pay off so get air miles free) automatically each month. Not sure if you can pay the loan payments front a UK account or not, I didn't ask. We paid our deposit by card but I can't see that they would refuse cash!


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## techandy

Just incase anyone hadn't logged into their suntrust accounts and downloaded a statement recently you will have missed the following notification at the top of the statement 

"EFFECTIVE 8/24/12: MINIMUM BALANCE REQUIREMENT INCREASES FROM $500 TO $1500 DAILY COLLECTED TO WAIVE MONTHLY MAINTENANCE FEE OR WAIVE WITH DIRECT DEPOSIT. ONE TIME REDUCED RETURNED OR OVERDRAFT ITEM FEE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 877-271-5661."

However, I have just spoken to suntrust and they have advised me that they have scrapped this planned increase, you will still need to maintain $500 balance to avoid monthly fees of $7


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## Elise79

Yes the fees schedule on the website with an effective date of 8/24 shows the balances have remained the same.

Out of interest has anyone tried to open a deposit/savings account with SunTrust? 

We build our spends up over a period of time and I wondered if I could get it to earn me some interest


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## techandy

I think if you gain any interest you have to have completed a W8-BEN form, and 30% is withheld by the US Govt 

Then you have to declare the income to the UK Govt in your tax return so they can tax it over here as well (yawn) http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/iw8ben.pdf

So I never thought it was worth looking into a savings account :-/ I have just to send money to my account using PayPal so if that works £10 then I'll put together a document on how to do it, easier than depositing cash and PayPal conversion rates aren't that bad, ie yesterday when it was $1.59- £1 PayPal converted it at $1.55- £1. - Although the sting in the tail will be if suntrust charge me for the direct deposit from PayPal!


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