19 December, 2005

Recommend a bank

I have been trying to open a bank account for quite some time now but I manage to find faults in each and every bank I enter. Which bank have you people used and would recommend?

My requirements for an account are fairly simple. I just need an account where I can deposit money with no intention of taking interest. A check book is required (I am not paying extra for it). A credit card is a perk by not necessary. I am looking for a bank that doesn't have lengthy procedures for opening a bank account. I also don't mind maintaining a minimum balance of up to AED5,000. Any bank that provides no-nonsense services?
Posted by Unknown at 2:41 pm

21 comments:

* said...

Buy a little "HAANDI" (earthenware utensil), place money in it and bury in back yard. All the banks have their levels of being WICKED. Esp watch out for MASHREQ BANK and STANDARD CHARTERED

19 December, 2005 16:10
B.D. said...

I'm no expert on banks. Have used 3 in my 5 years here. I don't like ME Bank--it's gimicky and seems to trick you with unexpected fees. Habib Bank AG Zurich was a good bank if you aren't looking for frills and don't like high fees. Eg. Dhs 100 balance only, to avoid a Dh 10 service fee. Currently use Mashreq as it has a lot of branches, late hours--till 4 p.m., and although you say you don't need interest, it's easy to move money online in and out of fixed deposits so you can pick up a little interest now and then.

Funny, Kaya has doubts about Mashreq. I don't doubt the validity of that because the attitude and treatment you get varies from branch to branch and Mashreq does seem to have a lot of those tricky promotions.

19 December, 2005 16:20
Keef said...

Can't recommend one (actually HSBC are quite good but they only have 3 Dubai branches - two of which -Bur Dubai & Deira - you can only get to on foot.

I have a business account with NBD and find them to be quite bad.

And do not, under any circumstances, open an account with MEBank. My wife 'banks' with them and practically every transaction gets screwed up.

19 December, 2005 20:08
secretdubai said...

The disadvantage with international banks is that often they don't offer debit/electron cards, meaning you have to use a credit card constantly, or pay with cash.

Though you can set up a credit card to auto-debit your bank account every month, which means you pay no interest on it (if you have 30-days-free-credit) so it effectively works like a debit card.

I am with National Bank of Dishdash and can't really recommend them if you need things like car loans, as they are very restrictive on them.

19 December, 2005 20:40
Unknown said...

Goodness gracious! It seems there isn't a decent bank in all of UAE.

I'll try NBAD -- though their branch is a good 15 minute walk from where I live.

20 December, 2005 01:13
B.D. said...

So what's the catch, Slagothor? I think you forgot to mention you have to keep a Dhs 50,000 minimum balance.

20 December, 2005 13:22
* said...

My husband banks with NBAD and they are one of the better ones in terms of service. Perhaps bd is right about Mashreq Bank, but whether it was the BUr Juman branch or the other one (whats that area called...opposite Yasmeen building in Dubai) I cant even begin to tell you the horror stories regarding them.

20 December, 2005 13:48
moryarti said...

HSBC ..

If you maintain +5k they give you interest.. but like keefieboy said, they only have 3 branches and a smaller ATM network then the rest of the banks.

Though their charges (transfer, credit cards, interest rate ...etc) are higher than the rest of banks, almost everyone i dealt with over there was fairly competent.

20 December, 2005 15:58
CG said...

yes hsbc look after my offshore account very well.

20 December, 2005 16:32
B.D. said...

Sorry Slagothor, I feel highly skeptical when reading your post. Basically you're saying that this bank gives all this stuff to anybody for free. Banks just don't work like that. They're all about making money--for themselves. Why do you think the biggest "baddest" buildings in every city in the world--except Dubai I suppose--are banks? They use everybody else's money for their own edification. You either have a fat account with this bank or the catch is, all the service charges will be piled on after some preliminary promotional period.

21 December, 2005 21:57
Anonymous said...

We use HSBC now -- after a horrible run with Standard Crapper. God what a nightmare SC is! Anyway, so far so good with HSBC. You only have to visit one of the branches once as you can do everything else online. In fact, we pay our DEWA and Etisilshit bills that way. All around a good deal and the HSBC cards are easy to use in US and UK, whereas other local banks' cards freeze up when you leave the country.

26 December, 2005 15:05
Unknown said...

I had the misfortune of going to HBAGZ (in Nasser Sq., Deira) today to encash my salary check that had been in my pocket since the 5th and deposit some checks for a friend. This was my first time depositing checks in HBAGZ (I have deposited in other banks) and the treatment I got was beyond any comprehension. I don't understand how much it costs them to speak properly to customers.

27 December, 2005 15:49
B.D. said...

Secret Dubai, or Hussein, why don't you put up a poll for the most detestible profession. I'd like to nominate two: bankers and lawyers.

Oh, and the sticky posts in the sidebar is a nice idea.

28 December, 2005 13:47
Anonymous said...

As Salaamulaikum
Why not try Dubai Islamic Bank?
or Sharjah Islamic bank?
Dubai Islamic bank I hear is the best of the two. Why not try it?

08 January, 2006 02:00
Anonymous said...

I finally got my account at Dubai Islamic Bank. The complete story is in my blog.

13 January, 2006 08:30
Anonymous said...

B2b,
B2b Business,business to business industry professional
B2b Marketplace,nternational multilingual B2B marketplace
B2b Marketing,marketing content site giving B2B
B2b Site,Web site with B2B
B2b E-Commerce,benefited from B2B e-commerce include
B2b Portal,Online searchable business
B2b B2c,Information for C-Level
B2b Trust, B2B Trust offers
B2b Sales,usiness to business b2b sales
B2b Trade, b2g import export trade
B2b Directory, comprehensive directory of b2b
Indymac B2b, career potential,
B2b Contractors, The B2B contractors
B2b supply chain, integrating a B2B supply chain is not magic
B2b Trade Leads,trade leads for import export
Yahoo B2b,Yahoo! reviewed these sites and found them related to Business to Business (B2B)
B2b Commerce,Build powerful e-commerce
B2b Magazine,A magazine for business-to-business
B2b Websites,Designing B2B Websites
Taiwan B2b, Global Taiwan China Asian B2B Commerce

11 December, 2006 08:25
Anonymous said...

Flights,
British Airways Flights,
Domestic Flights,
Economic Flights,
Flight Tracker,
Flights Plans,
Flights Schools,
Slights Security,
Flights Offers,
International Flights,
Military Flights,
Private Pilot Certificate,

11 December, 2006 08:32
Anonymous said...

Flooring,
Armstrong flooring, Welcome to the colorful world of Flooring
Bamboo flooring, Bamboo is botanically classified as grass
Brick flooring,The brick flooring is one of the best unmatched alternative for flooring devices.
Concrete Flooring,it is cost effective, durable & high strength
Cork Flooring, warm & quite with high durability
Wood floor, Wood floors are excellent choice
Kitchen flooring,
Laminate Floors, Laminate flooring is the best alternate for real hardwood flooring Laminate flooring is the best.more info avaleble on google ,yahoo & msn
Marble flooring,One of which is hard stone product
Rubber flooring, his one is a revolutionary product in flooring phenomena
State flooring,Welcome to State Flooring
Flooring Industry,

11 December, 2006 08:34
Anonymous said...

Buy pain relief medicine swithout prescription - Buy Generic Celebrex (Celecoxib) is used to relieve pain, tenderness, swelling and stiffness caused by different types of arthritis including osteoarthritis (arthritis caused by a breakdown of the lining of the joints), rheumatoid arthritis (arthritis caused by swelling of the lining of the joints), and ankylosing spondylitis (arthritis that mainly affects the spine). Buy Generic Deltasone, a steroid drug, is used to reduce inflammation and alleviate
symptoms in a variety of disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis and
severe cases of asthma. It may be given to treat primary or secondary
adrenal cortex insufficiency (lack of sufficient adrenal hormone in the
body).
Buy Generic Ultram is used to relieve moderate to moderately severe pain. It also
may be used to treat pain caused by surgery and chronic conditions such
as cancer or joint pain. Ultram works by decreasing the brain's
perception and response to pain. It also reduces the size or magnitude
of the pain signal passed from one nerve to another.
Buy generic soma is a muscle relaxant. It works by blocking nerve impulses (or pain sensations) that are sent to your brain.
Carisoprodol- Soma is used, along with rest and physical therapy, to treat injuries and other painful muscular conditions.
Feldene Piroxicam generic drug is used for treating rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. It may also be used for other conditions as determined by your doctor.
Feldene Piroxicam is an NSAID. Exactly how it works is not known. It may block certain substances in the body that are linked to inflammation. NSAIDs treat the symptoms of pain and inflammation. They do not treat the disease that causes those symptoms. Order Carisoprodol Soma is one of the most powerful muscle relaxants available to date. It helps take the stiffness out of your joints and muscles by blocking the sensory impulses that cause pain. Soma muscle relaxants also eliminate pain-inducing chemicals in your body that cause inflammation and discomfort caused by strains, sprains, or other injury to your muscles. As a result, you get fast relief and can heal from injury in less time.

29 October, 2007 15:03
lezahcab said...

I got a salary transfer to Dubai Islamic Bank and i used the johara banking, I can say that they are the best bank in UAE. Now i upgrade my Saving Account to Current Account, they dont need a mentain balance as long as its a salary transfer.
and this is their service
Exclusive privilages:
• Separate Ladies’ Sections
• Female Customer Service Representatives
• Free Cheque Book
• Free Teller Transactions*
• Free Johara Debit Card
• Free Al Islami Classic Card for the first year (subject to salary transfer)
• Free Monthly Statements
• Free Electronic Banking (Online, Phone)
• Nominal Charges on Mobile Banking
• Free Etisalat and Utility Bill Payment
• Discounts and Privileges

22 May, 2008 09:42
viagra overnight said...

Hi, thank you for sharing this great info. Was just browsing through the net in my office and happened upon your blog. It is really very well written and quit comprehensive in explaining with a very simple language.

04 December, 2011 03:31

Post a Comment

NOTE: By making a post/comment on this blog you agree that you are solely responsible for its content and that you are up to date on the laws of the country you are posting from and that your post/comment abides by them.

To read the rules click here

If you would like to post content on this blog click here

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)