Guide to ASB Streamline Account (Formerly ASB Tertiary Account) in NZ
The ASB Streamline Account is a popular option for New Zealanders looking to open a new account with ASB. This guide goes over all the features, and more.
If you have family or business overseas, or simply love to travel, you might find yourself needing a bank account that can hold, send and receive international currencies. In New Zealand, Auckland Savings Bank is one of the banks that offers a foreign currency account.
This article will take a look at the fees, features and exchange rates of the ASB Foreign Currency account. We’ll also introduce Wise as an alternative provider of international money transfer and currency services.
💸 Keep 40+ currencies and get personalised account details for currencies like AUD, NZD, EUR, USD, GBP & CAD – Send and receive payments from abroad like a local |
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Wise Multi-Currency account
The ASB Foreign or Multi Currency account allows you to send and receive money internationally without having to convert it to NZD. You can have one or more accounts in any of the supported currencies and it’s possible to deposit foreign checks into the account at any ASB branch.¹
Here’s a list of the foreign currencies you can open an account in with ASB.¹
In comparison, Wise enables you to convert and hold 40+ different currencies including all 9 listed above.
As there is no attached bank card, There are 3 different ways for you to withdraw funds from your ASB Foreign Currency account.⁴
As you can see there isn’t an option to withdraw cash and the account doesn’t have an attached debit card. This means it may not be suitable for your needs if you’re looking for a foreign currency account that also enables you to spend and withdraw your stored currencies overseas.
Like most bank accounts, the ASB Foreign Currency account has fees for certain activities and services. Here’s some of the fees you’re likely to encounter and how they compare to Wise.
Service | ASB Foreign Currency account Fees² | Wise Multi Currency account Fees |
---|---|---|
Outbound international money transfer | $30 NZD in branch $15 NZD using FastNet Classic | Small payout fee + 0.45% variable conversion fee. You can make a fee calculation here. |
ATM withdrawals | No debit card attached | You can take out money for free twice a month — as long as the total amount is under $350 NZD. After that, there is a $1.50 NZD per transaction fixed fee. If you take out over $350 NZD in one month, there is a 1.75% on the amount exceeding that. See card fees here. |
When opening an international currency account it’s a good idea to see how the exchange rate and fees compare to other providers to ensure you’re getting the best value for your money.
Here’s a look at what it would cost with Wise and ASB to send $1000 AUD from your account using internet banking to an account in Australia.
Exchange Rate | Fee | Total Cost | |
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Wise | 0.902823 | 5.37 NZD | 1,113.01 NZD |
ASB³ | 0.8851 | 15.00 NZD | 1144.82 NZD |
In this example, there’s over a $30 NZD difference between the cost of the transfer with ASB compared to Wise. Part of this is due to the ASB fee being higher, but as you can see there’s also a difference in the exchange rate that’s used.
Some banks choose to put a profit margin on the exchange rate they offer customers, while Wise exchanges money using the mid-market rate just like you see on Google. This may explain the difference between the exchange rates offered by Wise and ASB in this example.
There are a few ways to begin opening an ASB Foreign Currency account.¹
Before you can open an ASB Foreign Currency account you will need to hold a transaction account with them.¹ For new customers they suggest the Streamline Introduction package, which includes an everyday transaction account.
The ASB website doesn't mention which documents are needed to open their foreign currency account, but if you are a new customer you;ll likely need to provide some of the following documents and information.
To open an ABS Foreign Currency account you’re required to make a minimum deposit. How much that deposit is depends on the currency of the account.¹
Currency | Minimum Opening Balance |
---|---|
Australian Dollar | 5000 AUD |
British Pound | 5000 GBP |
Canadian Dollar | 5000 CAD |
Euro | 5000 EUR |
Hong Kong Dollar | 50,000 HKD |
Japanese Yen | 500,000 JPY |
Singapore Dollar | 5000 SGD |
Swiss France | 5000 CHF |
US Dollar | 5000 USD |
If you want to know more about the ASB Foreign Currency account you can contact them directly.
Wise is a secure international payments specialist that makes it simple to store and exchange foreign currencies.
Using a Wise Multi Currency account, you can hold and convert 40+ different currencies through a single account. For 9 of those currencies, including NZD, USD, AUD and EUR, you can also get local bank account details so you can send and receive money like a local.
For easy daily spending you can also order a Wise Debit card which connects to the Multi currency account. The card takes care of any foreign exchanges automatically using the mid-market rate, and can be used almost anywhere debit cards are accepted.
To see if a Wise Multi currency account is the foreign currency account for you, why not try it for yourself. There’s no monthly account fees to worry about and registration is simple - it can be done in minutes.
Register your Wise account
in minutes 🚀
Sources:
Sources checked on: 23 July 2022
*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.
This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.
We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.
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