Job Discussion Forums

yeehii · Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 30

Which do you think is the best bank in the UAE, for an English teacher?

Where do things go wrong with UAE banking, when they do go wrong?

tiberio · Joined: 18 May 2006 Posts: 56

all banks are useless unfortunately. i know a lot of people who changed banks (which is a tedious bureaucratic mess) just to find the same incompetence at the new bank.

but at least, after a year of anger about such minor problems like my bank card being canceled without reason (I found out about this while I was in another city with an empty petrol tank and the helpline assured me that my card was active again and again), ridiculous charges for dubious services I never asked for (ever heard of the credit shield fee?) and many other things like that, they made up for it by making a significant calculation error in my favour for a change, so who am I to complain. I love my bank.

so, my advice, take any bank, they are all the same I am being assured from all sides, and hope they are as incompetent as mine.

globalnomad2 · Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 562

I agree with tiberio. I do like one aspect of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, which I use in RAK: their online transaction service allows me to transfer my mullah to the US in about 60 seconds. Once you get your information saved into their template, any time you want to transfer money to your home-country back, you just type in the amount and confirm it. I don't know if other local banks are the same in this regard.

I lost my ATM card once and it took them ages and ages and a lot of screwups just to replace it. Really, it's not supposed to be so difficult.

When I first got my account with them at the main branch in Abu Dhabi, I'd had my account for a couple of weeks when I needed a quick cash advance using my US-issued VISA card, and the BAD refused to honor it beyond the daily limit of DH3000 or whatever it was, even though the VISA had no balance due and a credit limit of $15,000. That's not what I call good service.

In RAK, though, I like how friendly and efficient they are when I deposit cheques. Uhm...I haven't tried cashing one yet!

Iamherebecause · Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 6:27 am Post subject:

Ask teachers who are already working in the town where you will be based about which bank gives the best service.
Some institutions will strongly encourage you to open an account with a particular bank - e.g. UAEU recommends UNB, as the university banks with them and pay is credited to the account more quickly. But they aren't a very efficient bank, I wouldn't recommend them.