UK bank cards fail to reach clients in France
Connexion reader says not cards from First Direct fail to reach him
Many have reported problems receiving new bank cards from the UK
Victoria 1/Shutterstock
A reader from Charente reports repeated struggles with receiving credit or debit cards from the UK bank First Direct.
Alan Pearce, a longstanding customer of the bank owned by HSBC, says he has not successfully received a new card in the post since Brexit despite several having been sent out.
He has raised this with the bank several times over the years but says he was simply told they were “successfully sent” and that the failure must lie with the postal service in France.
“Even more frustratingly, First Direct does not offer tracked or secure delivery for cards to France, despite my offer to pay for it,” he said. His bank statements, however, do arrive.
We asked the French customs service, which stated this is a matter for La Poste.
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VAT on post in France
The French post is involved in collection of mail and parcels sent from abroad and delivery to the end destination in France.
If it incurs customs formalities doing so, a fee is sometimes charged by the postal worker to the recipient, including any VAT payable if French VAT was not paid upfront by the sender in the UK.
We note that the end of the Brexit transition period also coincided, from 2021, with the end of a waiver within the EU on VAT on commercial parcels valued under €22 sent from non-EU countries. Ordinary letters, including bank statements, on the other hand, should always get through without issues as long as the correct stamp is used.
However, a La Poste spokeswoman told The Connexion: “A letter containing a bank card represents less than 20g in weight and is not subject to customs formalities.
“We are not aware of any rules related to Brexit that would explain such a letter not being delivered if sent from the UK.”
First Direct parent company HSBC said it would investigate and we will provide updates if new information emerges.
Have you had problems receiving UK bank cards in France? Let us know your experiences at news@connexionfrance.com.
