BANKING, PHONE AND OTHER ACCOUNTS

Is it easy setting up a bank account and things like a mobile phone contract or a home internet account? Our panel members discuss what they might have done differently with hindsight.

Yes, because my husband took care of it! Go for a local bank. We have DBS and it has worked out fine for us. We went straight to Starhub and opened up our phone line, internet services and television package all in one, and it’s all worked smoothly for us. Just remember to ask critical questions about the contract. – Alexandra

We wouldn’t do anything differently, but I do recommend opening a local bank account like DBS or POSB as their ATMS are easier to locate. – Mel

Setting up a bank account here is relatively easy. I strongly recommend having at least one account with a local bank like DBS or POSB because of their vast network of ATMS and excellent customer service. Starhub and Singtel are one-stop shops for getting your phone, internet and cable connections. The only thing that we didn’t find seamless was that we had to pay our rental deposit for our apartment via cheque. We needed a bank account for that, for which we needed a residential address, and it became a bit off a loop predicament. – Ankita

I opened my personal account with an international bank, but in hindsight I would have gone to a local bank like DBS as it can still be tricky to find an ATM which accepts the international bank card. – Beth

For banking, my husband and I decided to go with DBS as we felt they provided us more flexibility with multi-currency accounts and overseas bank transfer fees. Also, DBS customers can use both DBS and POSB ATMS, which makes withdrawing cash a bit easier when you’re out and about. As for internet, we quickly realised that a VPN was a must when I couldn’t pay my Victoria’s Secret credit card bill online because the website was blocked, and when my husband couldn’t watch college football. After much trial and error, we’ve found Expressvpn to be a consistent, reliable and affordable VPN option. – Dana

All pretty easy; we didn’t have any issues. I’m with DBS for banking and Myrepublic for internet. – Lisa

Yes, unbelievably so. It’s all very quick and efficient, as long as you have all the necessary information to hand. – Sophie