Best dual us/uk bank account

June 23, 2013 1:37 PM

"What are my options for a bank account that can have deposits and withdrawals in both the US and UK, with minimal transaction fees and good exchange rates for $-£ and £-$."

(Asking for a friend)


Difficulties: personal AND business, he's a UK citizen married to a US citizen. They live in the UK, but are in the US often enough to take care of paperwork etc here

Bonus points for a way to get a US credit card, in his name or business name.

posted by mhz to Work & Money (3 answers total)

I don't actually know but heard there is a good connection with HSBC, at least in the US to UK direction.
posted by bquarters at 2:35 PM on June 23, 2013

I had a pretty good experience with HSBC, although I think some features are better with their premium plans requiring a substantial balance. If they are in London or another major city Citibank might be an option, but I've only used the London branch for withdrawals with an American account.
posted by jetlagaddict at 2:39 PM on June 23, 2013

My company is based in London and New York, and we use HSBC. I don't deal with the accounting side of things, and occasionally hear about anti fraud holds on the credit cards, but that may have to do with our usage patterns with online our we purchases. On the other hand, we still use them, so I assume we haven't found anything better.
posted by chengjih at 2:49 PM on June 23, 2013