UK state pension in France, etc

Banking & Financial Pensions
1

I am guessing that most SFNers are in the bloom of youth.


However, there are some neo geriatrics among us.


One such person is myself , as was heralded by the arrival of a UK state pension assessment form.


The Pension Service recommend direct payments into my French account , one of the 'advantages' being ' you will benefit from competitive exchange rates based on bulk buying of currency'.


I for one did not know that H M's governmental departments were into currency dealing.


My original plan was to let payments trickle into my UK bank account until a four figure sum had accrued which thus might be of interest to one of the Forex companies – and I could chose an exchange rate.


Does anyone have experience – good or bad - of the 'advantages' of direct pension payments to French bank accounts ?( No control over exchange rates makes me nervous ), or was I thinking straight in the first place?


While on the subject of aging, anyone with a wonder cure for suspected sciatica?


That is apart from copious quantities of red wine which, rather alarmingly, seems to work.

2

I think you are spot on. If the euro does something weird(er) we at least have a bit of control from source. Thank you, David.

3

Thank you for your input.

4

Yes the Pension Service suggested the same thing to me. Given the uncertainties of the Euro and wishing to ensure I had control of when I changed Sterling I decided to have my state pension paid into my UK account. The Pension Service simply asked me to supply my account details using the standard claim form they had supplied in the first instance.