Banking in Oxford
We apologise for the telephone numbers, Nat West excepted, all being awful generic call centre numbers rather than those of individual branches. If readers are aware of individual branch numbers which work, and which the branch in question doesn't mind answering, we'll happily put them up, until or unless we get menaced by big lawyers, whereupon we'll tamely submit to faceless bureaucracy like everyone else. Ah well....
Branch locations and contact details: Central |
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| Barclays | 54 Cornmarket St | 0845 755 5555 |
| 37 Little Clarendon St | 0845 755 5555 | |
| 95 High St | 0845 755 5555 | |
| HSBC (né Midland) | 65 Cornmarket St | 08457 404 404 |
| Lloyds TSB | 1-5 High St, Carfax | 0845 300 0000 |
| Nationwide | 19 Queen Street | 01865 440900 |
| NatWest | 32 Cornmarket St | 0845 301 9797 |
| 121 High St | 0845 301 9799 | |
| Royal Bank of Scotland | 32 St. Giles | 01865 310200 |
| Headington & Cowley (East) | ||
| Barclays | 105 London Road, Headington | 0845 755 5555 |
| 4 Pound Way, Cowley | 0845 755 5555 | |
| HSBC (né Midland) | 108 London Road, Headington | 08457 404 404 |
| Lloyds TSB | 103 London Road, Headington | 0845 300 0000 |
| 87 London Road, Headington | 0845 300 0000 | |
| NatWest | Brookes - sub branch, students only | 01865 742162 |
| Summertown (North) | ||
| Barclays | 211- 213 Banbury Road | 0845 755 5555 |
| HSBC (né Midland) | Prama House, Banbury Rd | 08457 404 404 |
| Lloyds TSB | 203 Banbury Road | 0165 741400 |
| NatWest | 249 Banbury Road | 0845 308 7758 |
| Botley (West) | ||
| Barclays | Hinksey Court, Botley | 0845 755 5555 |
| HSBC (né Midland) | Midland House, West Way | 08457 404 404 |
| Lloyds TSB | 19 The Square, Botley | 01865 242917 |
| NatWest | Elms Court, Botley | 0845 300 7804 |
Getting The Best Deal
Visit www.moneysupermarket.com and be amazed by the amount of hard work they've done in order to enable you to compare the merits of various financial services. Insurance, banking, credit cards, pensions, all have been examined to help you make an informed choice. Recommended. A similar service is offered by www.moneyextra.com, should you wish to delve even deeper.
And for cheerful and clear investment advice, do consider the nice people at www.motleyfool.co.uk. They began by suggesting that one ignore all financial advisors and invest early and often in market-linked deals which show a steady 12% a year. They seem now to have diversified into another many-tentacled creature like the two immediately above, but are likely to have kept their no-nonsense style.
www.easy-quote.co.uk: compare credit cards, loans and mortgages.
Reclaiming Bank Charges
Some people have recently been successful in claiming back penalty charges from banks on the grounds that these are illegal. Details on the process can be found on the Which website. Please note that not having tried this ourselves, we do not necessarily recommend this course of action, but merely suggest that further investigation may be fruitful.
Checking your credit rating
If you need to establish your credit rating www.checkmyfile.com can help you so to do. Their "free stuff" is relatively unhelpful, but for a fee you can establish how you are likely to be thought of by large financial institutions. A similar service (among others) is provided by www.experian.co.uk, who will supply your credit reference file for a statutory fee of £2.
Finding an ATM - wherever you are
This is a hole in the wall database. Enter your address, and a list will be produced of your nearest cashpoints, with a map pin pointing their location. www.visa.com/pd/atm/main.html
Interactive Calculations
Visit www.Thisismoney.com to conveniently calculate every kind of financial equation: VAT, currency exchange, tax, interest rates, the effects of inflation, and how to cut bills. You can even get a set of lottery numbers generated for you!
Conversion
Enter any sort of a value at www.onlineconversion.com and with one click all the complicated formulae are done for you. Lots of fun stuff too.
When it comes to meatspace conversion of actual physical money, we are told that Senli Cash & Go in the Tourist Information Centre on Broad Street has 'the best exchange rates in town', and operates on a no fee, no commission basis. It has a helpful website at www.cash2go.senli.co.uk and can be reached by phone on 01865 203319 or fax on 01865 245901.
For advice about taking money abroad, the Lonely Planet guide is most informative about arrangements in different countries. Go to www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide and select the area you're visiting.
Last updated: 21/06/06
