Bank of Ireland

Hello!

For my second post I thought I would keep it light and talk about BANKING. Woah!

Before I get into where I have an account (although the title of this post is a massive giveaway) I will describe to you the process I went through of getting a bank account. I promise this is an interesting story.

There are 3 major bank options in Dublin that seem to be the most popular: Bank of Ireland, AIB, and Permanent tsb. I've heard some crappy things about Bank of Ireland but there is one close to my apt so I thought I'd walk in and see what they were like.

When I went inside, with a packet of my necessary documents (passport, proof of address, work visa, employment letter, etc), there wasn't any desks I could see with bankers. It was very unclear where to go. After walking from one side to the other and back again, I saw an older woman who looked like security standing in the middle of the lobby. Maybe she could help...maybe.

I said, "Hi! I was wondering who I would be able to talk to about opening a bank account."

"You can talk to me," said the old security lady after sizing me up.

I thought this was weird...she was clearly security and standing alone in the middle of the lobby, but I rolled with it, "Ok...um, I'd like to open a bank account."

"You're going to need a proof of address, statement from your employer, and identification."

"Yes I have all that with me." I was trying to sound polite and cheerful, even though she was acting very suspicious of me.

"Ok then. Where do you work?"

"Starbucks."

"Yes, but where is the Starbucks?"

"It's in Ballsbridge. At The Oval."

"Hmmm...Maybe you should go to the Bank of Ireland over there."

"But I live two blocks from here...."

She paused. There was clearly no excuse for her to turn me away, "Alright...have a seat, I'll see if someone is available."

"OK THANK YOU," I sang sweetly with a squint and a smile as wide as her skeptical eye.

When I was finally able to speak with a banker, I was told that I should have made an appointment. I got lucky that she had some spare time. And after checking all my documents, it turned out that my proof of address wasn't sufficient enough. I feared this would happen... the bills for my apt are not paid under my name, so I had a note written by my roommate stating I lived there along with one of my roommate's electricity bills. But the banker told me that I could bring in my PPS letter as proof of address (ugh, why hadn't I thought of that!). I was given the business card of the person to call and make an appointment with for the next time I wanted to come in.

Ok cool. I found my letter at home and called the number I was given the next day. And the next day. And the next day. And the bloody banker never picked up. I left two messages. Never got a call back.

I was getting desperate now because it was monday and I needed a bank account by that friday or I wasn't going to get paid for the FIRST time while being in Ireland until THE END OF FEBRUARY. Starbucks only pays me once a month here. And they do not issue physical checks-it's direct deposit or nothing. So I said SCREW YOU BOI and went to Permanent tsb.

This time I made sure to schedule an appointment before hand. Tip for travelers: if you need a bank account in Ireland, you MUST call to schedule an appointment first. They will not accept walk-ins. It has happened before where they indeed accepted walk-ins (my roommate got her account that way) but if you're name is Erika Bradbury and you happen to be ME then they will not let you walk in and open an account.

So I'm at Permanent tsb and the banker meeting me was so lovely and much nicer than anyone I encountered at BOI. We shook hands, she sat me down, I handed her my documents including my PPS letter, she frowned and told me that unfortunately the PPS letter isn't accepted as proof of address by their bank, told me I needed to contact revenue and have them send me a document in the mail, shook my hand again, and then I walked out into the cold air that felt much more bitter than it did 10 minutes prior.

Now I was really feeling the desperation. I walked into AIB on my way back and put on my puppy dog face, but as I have noted two paragraphs above, they will not let you walk in and open a bank account without an appointment.

It was Tuesday now and I was scared. I relayed my fears to my supervisor at Starbucks, and we griped over how difficult it is to get a bank account around here. Cause, DAMN, it's annoyingly difficult. But then she saw one of our regulars on the security monitor, exclaimed "it's that black guy!" and ran out of the back room to chase after him. I was thoroughly confused. She came back and told me to have a chat with him.

Turns out that Mr. Grande Caramel Cappuccino actually works for AIB! I told him my situation and what had happened and he said that the AIB Lab in the Drumcondra shopping center would see me without an appointment. We had to re-write my employment letter to include my address and that should be sufficient enough proof. It was decided I would do this errand the following day after work because I did not have all my documents with me at the time. GREAT! Now all I had to do was walk 20+ minutes from my work to the Luas station, spend 6 euro on a round trip ride, and wander the streets until I found the Drumcondra Shopping Center!

It was 3pm Wednesday when I left Starbucks and embarked on my journey.

It was raining. I did not have a hood or umbrella. But if I did, it was far too windy for either of these to be useful.

The trek was rough. I mean rough. You can not imagine how miserable I was. It was around 40 degrees Fahrenheit with spitting rain and lashing winds. I was soaked. My mind wandered over every single possible excuse I could have to turn back and just go home and crawl under my warm duvet. But I managed to make it to the Luas. I managed to find the Drumcondra Shopping Center. And I managed to find the AIB Lab among the maze of shops.

And after 10 minutes, I was turned away account-less because Starbucks doesn't bank with AIB themselves so having my address in the employment statement was not sufficient enough proof of address, nor was my PPS letter, and I needed to contact revenue to send me something. GAH DAMN.

I walked back to the train in the spit and wind with my eyes on my feet. What was I going to do now? It was Wednesday. Tomorrow was Thursday. I needed an account by Friday.

The next day at work I explained my situation to a coworker. He said he went to the Bank of Ireland just down the street from Starbucks and got an account in 15 minutes without an appointment. So I thought, HELL I'm going back to Bank of Ireland. But this one was in Ballsbridge, away from the busy city center, so hopefully SOMEONE there would be available to talk with me appointment-free.

And that's exactly what happened. They were able to take me without an appointment. It was Friday morning when I officially got a bank account, and friday afternoon when I texted my account number to my supervisor, and friday night when I celebrated the fact that I was getting paid for the first time in one week. I quoted Iggy Azalea when I texted my supervisor, "I got a bank account! Praise Jesus, Hallelujah!"

So now every time I use my debit card it will charge me 1c below 15 euros and 10c for anything above that. And it will cost 25c per atm transaction. And there is a 12 euro quarterly fee (or something like that, I can't recall at the moment). But you know what, all banks here charge like that unless you have a certain amount of money in your account.

This experience has taught me that here in Ireland, they are not as desperate for your money as the banks in the US are. It will be somewhat of a hassle to open a bank account and you MUST make an appointment before you go. Do not waltz into the Bank of Ireland on Baggot Street, or the security lady will tell you that you can open an account with her. She is a suspicious lady.

Thanks for reading! I hope this story was entertaining. If you want to hear more (how could there possibly be more?) about getting a bank account in Ireland, or you need help with it for some reason, do not hesitate to contact me!

Here is a picture of the view from outside my Starbucks! xx Ka