As always, keep in mind that this is what worked for me, and by no means will work for everyone. Just some extra information to help you along in your move, particularly before you leave Canada.
Sending Money from Canada to UK
For banking, I was with RBC in Canada and found it cheaper
to do cash withdrawals at ATMs here rather than the typical money
wire/transfer. They only charged me about 1% for the cash withdrawals and that
was more cost effective and efficient than transferring me money/needing to
wait to set up a British bank account/etc. BUT since moving here, I've heard a
lot of good things about p2p money transfer services like uk forex, transfer
wise and currency fair. I think you'll need a British bank account to deposit
and use these though.
A word of caution about money wiring from your bank: before moving, we discovered you have to be in
the local branch that's sending the money wire. Luckily, you are able to authorize a family member/trusted friend on your bank account and they can complete the wire for you once you're here in the UK with a bank account.
Overall, banking is amazing here! No fees, unlimited
transactions, and pretty straightforward. Just a heads up: it can be a little
tricky getting approved for credit/overdrafts since we're not in their credit
score/history archives. And there is one odd/annoying thing about signing up
for an account: you don't get your bank card right away. They mail your card
out after you sign up, which takes between 3 and 5 days. Then, another 3-5 days
later, you get your security pin in the mail. So often times it's at least a
week after you sign up for an account before you can use your debit card.
Mobile Phones in UK
In my opinion, phone plans here are so cheap! I had my
iPhone unlocked before leaving Canada and had no trouble getting signed on with
a SIM card. I definitely advise unlocking before you leave to save yourself the
hassle. I'm on a sim only plan with EE, and pay roughly £15 for 2gb of data,
unlimited texting, minutes. Getting phone service was one of the first things I
did, because maps and navigation was so key! Since I hadn't set up a bank account
when I first got mobile service, I paid upfront for 30days of service on a SIM
card. Once I had my bank account and debit card set up, I then transferred onto
a contact while still keeping my same phone number. "Three" is another mobile company
that has really great customer service and AMAZING plans (some with 10gb of
data for around £20!). In hindsight, I wish I had gone with them.
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