International Student Account and Family Service

Open a student account before you arrive in the UK

We have two excellent packages designed specifically for international students who want to apply for a bank account before arriving in the UK:

  • The Barclays Premium International Student and Family Account
  • The Barclays International Student Account

Compare the two accounts

Feature Option 1 - Premium International Student and Family Account Option 2 - International Student Account
Day-to-day banking
Sterling current account
Savings account
Free transfers between savings and current accounts
Telephone and online banking*
Discounted international online payments
VISA debit card
Interest-free overdraft1
Additional benefits
Credit card available1
Commission-free foreign currency exchange and travellers cheques**
Personal assistant service
To qualify
Minimum opening balance required £6,000*
£5,000 must be maintained in a savings account and remaining funds will be deposited into the Young Persons Account or Current Account 		£1,000
Monthly fee Free Free
 

*Please note that transfer charges need to be added to this figure.

1Please note: to qualify for the interest-free overdraft or credit card on Option 1, you must open and maintain a Barclays Savings account with a minimum balance of £5,000.

Personal assistant service with Ten

Having a Premium International student account from Barclays International entitles you to a full concierge and lifestyle management service provided by Ten - Europe's leading concierge service. This would ordinarily cost up to £1,800 a year or £150 per month based on a private dedicated membership.

You can use the service for many areas of your life that requires assistance. Ten UK has experts in restaurants, motoring, travel, retail, and live entertainment, as well as destination managers who have contacts and suppliers all over the globe.

Visit the Ten website, or call 0845 020 5260 to speak with a lifestyle manager to find out more.

These services are provided by Ten Group Lifestyle Management and Concierge Services.

Apply now before leaving for the UK

You can only apply for the International Student and Family Service before you arrive in the UK. You can apply directly with us or via our partner banks.

In China

In Thailand

In Malaysia

Apply directly with us

Find out more or view our application requirements.

We also have a simplified Chinese website where you can find out more information about applying for the International Student and Family Service.

* Please note, for a short period of time every night (UK time) we temporarily close our website for a data refresh. Access may also be limited in some countries due to the prohibited transmission of encrypted data over telephone lines.

** Commission on travellers cheques is free except on sterling travellers cheques, where it is 1.5 per cent (minimum £1.50).

Due to cross border regulations, we may not be able to offer these services to students residing in certain countries, including Australia, North Korea and the USA. British nationals resident in the UK, Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey are advised to visit our UK website to find out what products and services we offer in the UK.

The products and services described on this page are provided by the following company, which is part of Barclays: Barclays Bank PLC in England and Wales. For further Information on this company and Barclays, please read the Important Information.

Please read the important
information before proceeding.