I think one is covered, up to 100K like any other EU bank…
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That is good to know.
I use Revolut for day to day banking and exchanging £ to € as the rate cannot be beaten.
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I hope @james has approached Revolut for referral business as it gets plenty of recommendations on this site.
I don’t think there’s any such thing as a high yield savings account anymore (the World is awash with cash) Kathryn but a decent financial advisor can steer you towards low risk investments that will serve a similar purpose.
I’d recommend finding an independent advisor, one who isn’t affiliated to any financial institution, and pay them a fixed fee for their advice. The first thing they will do with you is an assessment to see what you appetite for risk is. Financial advisors that don’t charge a fee are paid a commission for selling investment products so there may be a temptation to steer you towards the products that suit them best, not you. For example hefty fund managements fees etc. Banks will also try to sell you their own products which may or may not suit your requirements. I use HSBC for investment here and found them excellent, but much of that may be down to the quality of advisor allocated to you. Though they do have a lot of investment products to choose from and at all levels of risk.
If you are seriously considering purchasing again in France it may not be wise to move the cash to sterling because then you’re then taking onboard currency risk and with Brexit sterling could be quite volatile. That could work out to your benefit or not. As always it depends on you appetite for risk.
At this stage of my life I’m a low to medium risk on the investing scale. 
I’ve also found Transferwise useful for funds transfer Mat. They managed to do in nine seconds (literally) what my bricks and mortar bank wanted three days to complete. Good rates too. I think the writing is on the wall for traditional banks and I’m not sure their strategy of turning branches into self service centres is the correct one. That said, I’ve no idea what the correct strategy would be.
That’s interesting ; our Bank in France is HSBC?
This is what they say on their website
“It’s worth pointing out that this scheme is not currently in place, so your current funds with Revolut remain safeguarded in accounts with a tier one UK bank, as per our obligations under the e-money regulations.“
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That was late 2018 Jane. Personally I wouldn’t leave 100K in a bank that I couldn’t actually visit but anybody who is considering doing so can check the status of the Revolute roll out. They indicated it would be next year (ie 2019) and it would be transparent. I think the point is that they do have a banking license.
Give them a bell Kathryn. They’ve looked after me well over the years and the way that they had our investments structured saved me quite a bit of tax when my wife passed away suddenly. Just one minor issue is the the HSBC parent is in the process of divesting in France. There were originally CCF and acquired by HSBC in 2000 but I find the service just as good if not better than HSBC UK - which I think is very good.
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HSBC is a worldwide bank and not a silly place at all to leave your money. There is no need for you to be resident in France to have a French bank account. You will not find anywhere that can offer 100% security on your money AND a high rate of return. Remember, however, that all French-type savings schemes that may provide tax benefits in France, are unlikely to be treated the same way by the Inland Revenue in the UK where you are resident.
What is MOST likely to make you money, or to actually reduce its value, is the exchange rate between Euros and Sterling. So, what you need to do is to take the Euros into Sterling (with whatever bank you wish) when the rate is going to be favourable to you! Don’t rush into it, take time to plan.
Have fun on your travels.
Sandra
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Thank you Sandra
Good idea!
You sold it !
Our purchase went through in December. The hard work starts now ! Are you “travelling” by the Dordogne ? Tim x