Local bank closing ... how do I?!

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gavilan
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Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby gavilan » Wed Jul 17, 2019 2:22 pm

I am a Luddite where internet banking is concerned ... so horrified to find a notice on my local Unicaja Bank that it is closing pernanently on 26 July ... previously I had paid IBI, water bills, road tax and similar either by cash over the counter or in person direct from my account ... to date there is a Cajamar Bank in the village (until that too closes!) ... ?does anyone know if can I pay those bills (by cash) at that Cajamar Bank? many thanks

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country boy
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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby country boy » Wed Jul 17, 2019 2:37 pm

If your bills are the same as ours there will be a list of suitable" paying-in banks "listed at the bottom.

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costakid
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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby costakid » Wed Jul 17, 2019 2:42 pm

If you insist on paying by cash I suggest waiting until you are near Velez and calling into your bank in that town. For sure they will not close that branch.

gavilan
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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby gavilan » Wed Jul 17, 2019 3:20 pm

costakid: the problem with the Velez Unicaja bank is that it is always crowded and entails a long wait!
country boy: I will take a look at previous bills to see if other paying-in banks are listed ...

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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby wollie » Wed Jul 17, 2019 5:10 pm

From my experience all Government bill and as far as i know the bills you mention fall into this area.
These can be paid at any bank anywhere.
However private utility such as Electrics/Telephone have to be paid in agreed bank which is usually couple
of hour slot 2 days a week.
Lately i seen a scanner type device next to ATM where we scan bill and pay by card/cash.
I never ever had a problem paying bills if i had money cash or in the bank.
Don't worry as it be ok, just ask a neighbour as they will know.

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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby gavilan » Wed Jul 17, 2019 6:10 pm

wollie: you wrote that as these are government type bills, they can be paid into any bank ... that is exactly what I needed to know ... thank you very much ...

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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby gavilan » Fri Jul 19, 2019 10:32 am

just to pick up on a comment from wollie who said: 'just ask a neighbour ...' ... sad to say that the little hamlet closest to my place has only one or two inhabitants these days ... those I met when I moved here nearly 20 years ago have either died or moved away to live with families ... it's almost a ghost 'town' now ... and their fiesta which used to be a full-on 3 day affair, now just about manages a few hours on a Saturday night ...

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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby wollie » Fri Jul 19, 2019 10:39 am

My understand is Government utilities can be paid at any bank anytime.
Other utilities are paid at bank chosen by provider of service.
My electric can be paid Tue/Thur at Santander Bank.
An added thought, could you set up direct debit with credit card.

gavilan
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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby gavilan » Fri Jul 19, 2019 11:16 am

wollie: my prob with direct debits is that I never know when these bills will come as issue is erratic/unpredictable to say the least eg IBI was due in June, but still hasn't arrived ... same with water bills ... and the pension that is paid into that account is not sufficient to cover those bills ... I have to take money from my US account to top up that pension ...

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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby Lyric » Fri Jul 19, 2019 11:29 am

Not a lot seem to know but you can set your DD for the Government bills and Electricity so they are an equal monthly payment. It makes managing them easier.

gavilan
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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby gavilan » Fri Jul 19, 2019 11:40 am

Lyric: I certainly didnt know that about equal monthly payments ... how do you set about doing it like that?

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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby Lyric » Fri Jul 19, 2019 11:49 am

Visit your local tax office for the government taxes and your Electricity supplier for the lecky bill and ask, you can set up on line with Endesa but I guess you wouldn't want to do that.

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chrissiehope
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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby chrissiehope » Fri Jul 19, 2019 1:10 pm

You can do it with Iberdrola too - you can agree a regular amount, which can be changed if it is too high or too low.
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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby wollie » Fri Jul 19, 2019 1:38 pm

gavilan wrote:wollie: my prob with direct debits is that I never know when these bills will come as issue is erratic/unpredictable to say the least eg IBI was due in June, but still hasn't arrived ... same with water bills ... and the pension that is paid into that account is not sufficient to cover those bills ... I have to take money from my US account to top up that pension ...
If you use the credit card for direct debit the amount will be taken from available funds and you will pay the credit card bill in the normal, i am assuming you have a credit card and not a debit card. BTW if you do want to use a credit card it has to be a credit card listed to Spanish address.
I have being through all this...

gavilan
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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby gavilan » Fri Jul 19, 2019 5:32 pm

I dont have a credit card! ... and 'visit your local tax office' ... ?Hacienda?

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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby peteroldracer » Fri Jul 19, 2019 6:50 pm

Trying to live in today’s world without internet banking is like insisting on going to a well to get water......possible but a real pain.
I used to cough to disguise a [email protected] I f@rt to disguise a cough.

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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby wollie » Sat Jul 20, 2019 3:07 am

gavilan wrote:wollie: my prob with direct debits is that I never know when these bills will come as issue is erratic/unpredictable to say the least eg IBI was due in June, but still hasn't arrived ... same with water bills ... and the pension that is paid into that account is not sufficient to cover those bills ... I have to take money from my US account to top up that pension ...
To me its a systems thing and i had the same problem in the past, if say the water company have a direct debit they may not send out a bill at all as they get paid automatically on demand, this is the reason i changed which for me was mistake but i not understand at the time, i am now in the process of changing back as all the bills are coming and i know where i am at.
But from my experience you can pay in cash though they do not make it easy, you just need to make sure you have cash available if this is what you decide.
Its all down to making the thing efficient on day one, if we have bank account and sign up direct debit for everything it makes life very easy for banking and business.
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gavilan
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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby gavilan » Sat Jul 20, 2019 9:13 am

the more I think about this bank closing, the more of a panic I get into! ... eg what will happen to my existing account and monies therein ... does it get transferred to some general Unicaja account somewhere? ... do I have to inform existing direct debit companies that this account no longer exists in Alcaucin? ... and give them the new address/codes etc? ...
and to respond to por's comment ... yes I realise that I will have to learn how to transfer money between banks thro 'internet banking' process but I would add that around where I live, it is still very much a cash economy ... builder, electrician, plumber, handyman and many small shops ... all ask for payment in cash ... yes that may be because they don't declare all their income to the tax man ... but I still need the cash to pay them ...

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chrissiehope
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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby chrissiehope » Sat Jul 20, 2019 12:59 pm

Have you tried contacting Unicaja ? I would have thought they would send some sort of letter advising of the closure & what you need to do , if anything
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gavilan
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Re: Local bank closing ... how do I?!

Postby gavilan » Sat Jul 20, 2019 2:09 pm

handwritten notice on bank door announced this closure ... and that was two weeks before final date ... no communcation from Unicaja central ... might come after the event?!
but I will be visiting my local office and asking for more info/directions/advice etc this coming week! ... watch this space!


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