Kiwi Bank

I opened up my bank account in a Kiwi Bank¹. It is really easy. All you need is your IRD number, your passport (the original one), a proof of address and a small amount of money to deposit. The bank teller told me that it could be any amount, so I chose to deposit NZ$ 20.00 (if you read the brochures, however, they say that you need to deposit at least NZ$ 50.00... go figure!). After that you just need to go to a Kiwi Bank and schedule an appointment (they will usually schedule it to the next day). You receive your card (EFTPOS²) on the spot and can immediately start using it!

There are dozens of accounts to choose from. I chose the one called "Free up"³, because almost everything is free. Just pay attention that, if you ever need to withdraw some money, you should do this only in the Kiwi Bank's ATMs, otherwise you'll be charged.

• Internet Banking

The Internet Banking system of the Kiwi Bank is the best one I have ever seen. Really clean and well designed, you find just the information you are looking for.

Setting up your Internet Banking account is also a piece of cake. When you open up your account, they give you a card with your Internet Banking ID (a.k.a Access Number) and a temporary password. All you have to do is go to the IB website⁴ and put those information in the form.

The system will then ask you to change your password, and to create some pairs of questions and answers (a.k.a KeepSafe). Next time you log in into your account you will be asked for your password and for one of the questions you have previous set up. Really easy! =)

Hope you found this post useful! If you have any queries, feel free to ask me!



## Links & Resources ##

1) http://www.kiwibank.co.nz/
2) http://www.kiwibank.co.nz/personal-banking/ways-to-bank/atm-and-eftpos/eftpos.asp
3) http://www.kiwibank.co.nz/personal-banking/everyday-banking/freeup.asp
4) https://www.ib.kiwibank.co.nz/