Looks like things have changed since I moved here 7.5 years ago, and getting your UK finances setup may be easier than it was then!
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Exactly this. The DVLA do use Experian for some identity checks, but splitting your tax payments over a number of months isnāt classed as credit so will definitely not appear on your credit report.
Car insurance paid monthly might, but that depends on the insurer and how they finance the balance.
IMO with both of these, just take the discount of paying in full if you can. If you want to spread the cost, try and put it on a 0% or low rate credit card instead.
I hope so. I was a real idiot and only started doing this now and didnāt think about banking or anything until the day I moved to the country.
Which was a bad choice 
I guess it does help that I already have British Citizenship so hopefully that helps!
The car insurance I had when I got here definitely gave me a full credit document, but it was a smaller niche company (they only provide insurance for US folks in the UK) and it looks like they used an external financing company to provide the actual credit. Just to reiterate though, paying in full is always better (and is what I do now) financially, but if the goal is to build credit, sometime it is worth paying a bit more over time if that payment gets reported on your credit. A lot of folks here may not realise just how difficult it is to build up credit quickly when you move to a new country and have nothing on your file.
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Yeah, we were lucky enough to have studied in the UK back in 2011-2012, and we still had the Natwest account we opened back then. We were able to wire (didnāt know about Wise back then) ~$5,000 over a week before we arrived, which made settling in MUCH easier.
I have put a lot of my money into my SoFi account but iām spending that in US Dollar. So would be better to have it in pounds.
I need to move over my Chase, Wells Fargo and Navy Federal Savings Account soon either by Wire or Wise.
If you actually mean international calling, Lebara is best. Their cheapest plan gives you 100 free international minutes, but they have other plans going up to unlimited international. Roaming in Europe is free, beyond that you need to check out other options. Work colleague of OH has just racked up Ā£1800 in a couple of days on her honeymoon in Bali.
I think HSBC may be the best shout here. Their Global Money service is one of the most competitively priced for USD > GBP. (I get paid a bunch in USD so I have to battle with this a lot!) Wise and Revolut are also very good, but in terms of having one provider to handle both your current account and USD transfers, HSBC is the one to look at.
I believe as an international customer you may also have access to services with better rates/fees, but Iāve never really looked into it.
One word of warning, bank branches in the UK these days tend to have very little, if any, discretion over what their IT systems say.
You may find it easier and quicker, to initially apply online to Nationwide, HSBC etc or (especially post COVID) need to arrange a branch appointment in advance.
From one of your other posts, I wouldnāt try and open too many bank accounts (Chase, Santander etc.) to quickly.
My suggestion would be to open one account, get it established and then open others
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I agree, especially if they already have an HSBC US account. Seems like a no-brainer to open HSBC UK and use them for everything.
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Does anyone have any recommendations for a trusted and cheap way for me to send my Savings from my US Savings Accounts to my new UK ones?
Wise is by far the easiest/fastest/cheapest method Iāve found. Iāve sent tens of thousands of dollars over and had it arrive in my UK bank within 30 seconds.
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Revolut allows ACH details as does Wise.
Awesome!
Need to hope Wells Fargo, Chase & Navy Federal donāt give me any issues
As you have a HSBC USA account you can transfer funds to HSBC UK easily as an internal Global Transfer
In addition, if you wanted to keep the funds in USD and choose when to convert them to GBP you can do so by using a free HSBC UK USD account and transfer the money to a free Global Money account to get competitive exchange rates
(Note transferring funds to Global Money account directly is also possible but ATM they may change your funds to GBP automatically though that is changing within a few months which would eliminate the need for the UK USD account step)
Personally Iād consolidate everything you want to send over in one account, and then send it in one big lump sum. Iāve done many many Wells Fargo ==> Wise ==> Natwest transfers over the years.
@gt94sss2 makes a solid point though - if you are successful in opening a HSBC UK account, maybe just move everything to your HSBC US and do the internal transfer.
I use Wise to transfer $'s from my USA bank and convert it into Ā£ās. It has ACH and so itās easy to get money into Wise and you can spend from your WISE debit card. Itās a great product.
Chase also have a UK Bank account and they could be a good choice for you.
Thanks to everyone who helped with choosing different banks and transfer platforms since moving back to the UK.
I have managed to get a setup which I like and am enjoying using.
Nationwide - Main Account
FlexDirect.
FlexInstantSaver
FlexRegularSaver
I like using Nationwide as they are the closest thing I can find to a Credit Union back in the states and I like them. I have really enjoyed the customer service with Nationwide in Branch and everything about them as been great. Only thing I donāt like is that I always have to carry my Card Reader with me just in case. I am looking at getting a Nationwide Credit Card once my UK Credit Score gets better and has more history
HSBC - Secondary Account & Savings
Premier Account
Regular Savings Account
Premier Savings Account
I got HSBC as I already had a US Account with them and also they allowed me to bring over my US Credit Score which allowed me to get a nice overdraft on my Premier Account which I donāt really use but nice to have. I have enjoyed being a Premier Member to so far and have no complaints. (@JIMMWX should return)
Metro Bank
Current Account
Now, I know that Metro Bank is circling the drain and probably will be gone soon but they are the first account I opened when I arrived back in the UK and I donāt think they are that bad. I am using them as a Bills Account for paying all my bills and subscriptions.
Barclaycard
Forward Card
After being turned down by Capital One, I went with a Barclaycard. I got their credit builder card and its been good so far. I like the app and have been using the credit card for my everyday purchases. I hope to build my credit score more and more to hopefully get a AMEX soon.
Lloyds Bank
Club Lloyds Account
Club Lloyds Monthly Saver
I got the account as first of all, I liked the card and second for the Disney+. Also for the better rate on the Monthly Saver Account.
Wise
I have been using Wise a lot for transferring money between my Wells Fargo Account back in the US and my UK Accounts and they have been great. Quick, easy and had no issues at all. I did also get the eco debit card as it looked nice.
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Unless youāre prepared to stump up the rest of the amount needed to meet the new requirements this wonāt be happening 