Banks and the post office offer you numerous practical services in conjunction with their accounts and cards. Here is a list of the most important services:

Statements

You normally receive one statement per month for personal accounts and one a year for savings accounts. However, you can also receive more regular statements against the payment of a fee.

Standing order

This service is suitable for those who need to pay a particular amount on a regular basis such as rent. Simply instruct the bank once to transfer a certain amount to a particular person on a regular basis. This payment is then automatically made as often as you wish. The date of payment and the amount can be changed at any time.

Direct debit (DD)

Direct debit is used to pay regular bills, which vary in amount. Authorise your bank and the company in question such as a phone company to debit the billed amounts directly from your bank account. Debt-counselling services advise you to be very cautious about setting up direct debit mandates.

Foreign transfers

You can also transfer money abroad. However, check the charges that are payable beforehand.

Telephone and Internet banking

The post office and most banks now offer Internet banking, which allows you to manage all your post office or bank transactions from home.

Overdraft facilities

The bank can permit you to overdraw on your account. In other words, you may withdraw more money than you have available in your account. However, this service is not free of charge. You have to pay debit interest on the amount that you have borrowed, as with normal credit.