Help me with choosing a bank in Paris, France..?I'm arriving in paris next month and I was worried about the bank I'll be using.. I'm deciding between Credit du Nord and BNP parisbas.. but since I have no idea about french bank system and merits for sutdent, I need your guys help especially when I'm a international student and receiving money from outside of... |
As a student I was only able to get an account at the Societe Generale. They were very friendly and I loved their service. FYI-all french banks charge a monthly fee (i think it was about 5 euros-a discount for students from the usual 7) to use their debit cards. But my account was free. I know it wasn't on your list but I would seriously consider them. My friend had a nightmare experience with BNP and lost hundreds of dollars. I had no issues with SG.
BNP Paribas is a much larger bank than Credit du Nord, and so has many more branches, but this probably doesn't matter a huge amount, as you can use ATMs at any bank, and basically if you need to go into a branch you will nearly always need to go to your own branch. I'm afraid I can't comment on whether one or the other is better for students, but either should be able to meet all your requirements.
In terms of friendliness etc, each branch is different and you can only judge by going in person.
BNP Paribas is the French partner of Bank America. I personally have found this useful since the latter is my American bank and I transfer funds and conduct other banking business between the two.
