tazman

2 hours ago, Linapolo said:

Just prepay at Cfe a few thousand pesos at their Chapala atm

You make it seem so simple, but like many things in Mexico it isn't.  Not with CFE and not with CESPE.

We have a small solar installation that normally offsets most of our electricity usage.  The month after prepaying a few hundred pesos our bill was double what it normally is.  The summer solar credits we had built up were missing and no new credits were added.  I was getting ready to hire someone to have the solar panels checked when our credit balance ran out. 

To my surprise the next bill was back down to the normal amount and the solar credits we had been missing showed up all at once - hundreds of KWHs worth.  The only thing we can figure is that CFE's accounting software is unable to handle the combination of bill prepayment and solar credits at the same time.  Or maybe the problem was unique to our account, who knows?

That was a better experience than CESPE's handling of our water bill.  CESPE took the prepayment, pocketed it, and the pesos never showed up in our account.  We had the receipt but it wasn't worth the time and effort to try to get them to credit the ~$15 we had prepaid. 

We learned our lesson.  We now pay exactly what we owe every month.  With a BBVA account it should be easy going forward.

10 minutes ago, Toyhauler 4u said:

That is where I ended up after going thru some of the same crap you did.

Glad they worked for you too.  Hopefully this thread will help some people avoid the huge waste of time Citibanamex is and just start start with BBVA.

1 hour ago, Mostlylost said:

BBVA there is "preferred customer"  service. The number 800 228 2728  in Mexico or from outside Mexico 52 555 002 3539

Thanks for the info.  Will definitely use that number at some point. 

On 6/23/2023 at 4:53 PM, Mostlylost said:

BBVA has always been friendly to foreign account holders even designating them as preferred accounts. There is an 800 number that answers in English if you need help. Their app is easy to use. 

Went into BBVA a couple of weeks ago and they were happy to start the process of opening an account.  The account rep who helped us spoke English and was pleasant and helpful.  Today they provided an ATM card and took an initial deposit.  

Thanks for the recommendation. 

On 6/24/2023 at 5:31 AM, Toyhauler 4u said:

Let us know which bank will open an account for you and how easy it was.  Good luck.

BBVA was happy to open an account.  The process easy with the correct documentation, and the reps were accommodating and pleasant.  No problems at all.

Update:

I spent 2 hours with a Citibanamex account exec filling out the paperwork and answering questions as they entered the information in to their computer.  They then informed me that the account wouldn't be opened for at least 45 days after all the information was sent to Citibanamex's Mexico City office.

Yesterday I went back to the bank and was informed the account was cancelled because my signature did not match my signature.  Some bean counter in Mexico City decided that the nearly identical signatures on my passport and the application form were not the same although they clearly are.  The local account executive looked at both, was visibly embarrassed and said that the Mexico City office did not give them any way to override their decision. 

If you're thinking about opening a Citibanamex account be aware it may be a massive waste of time. 

3 hours ago, vetteforron said:

 I am a nationalized Mexican. Years ago in Jocotepec I opened an account in Bancomer now BBVA I had all my papers including my papers for my nationality my Mexican passport, voting card, etc. they asked where I was born. I asked why, they said because I was born in the U. S. I still fall under the FACTA law. After years banking with them was not happy there. 

The Dolarapp is the better solution for me. You should check it out.

Frustrating, but at least they told you the truth.  I checked Dolarapp out a few months ago but there was some reason it wouldn't work.  Will look again. 

5 hours ago, Toyhauler 4u said:

It is not bogus.  Many banks outside the USA do not want Americans as customers.  IRS regulations, FACTA, make it difficult on foreign banks.  American clients are not worth having to comply with the regulations.

Citibanamex's is advertising for American business, their executives say that they are happy to open accounts for us and then proceed to spend 2 hours filling out and entering the paperwork.  Mexico City bean counters then claim signatures don't match when they clearly do.

The dictionary definition of "bogus":

Bogus -adjective

Another example: Toyhauler 4u made a bogus argument when he contradicted tazman's post about Citibanamex.

Several months ago I spent two hours in a Citibanamex office filling out the copious paperwork for a new account.  After all the paperwork was filled out the rep informed me that it took 45 days for the account to actually be opened because the paperwork was sent to Mexico City and processed there.

Today I was informed that the account was terminated because my signature did not match my signature.  The nearly unnoticeable difference between the signature on my passport and that on the paperwork was the reason given, but it was obviously not the real reason.  The bank executive at the local branch looked at both and was visibility embarrassed.

Be aware that if you plan to open an account with Citibanamex you should also be actively making other arrangements because after nearly 2 months you may find they've rejected you because of your new hair cut. 

On 1/29/2023 at 8:32 PM, Hud said:

We have used Citibanamex for over 15 years without one drop of problems. We receive a new card in the mail a month before the old ones expire. Never a problem. You do what you think is best for you. This is what works best for us and I don't believe you will find another way that is "easier".  Been here at Lakeside since 1997. Good luck.

I started the process to open an account at Citibanamex on Tuesday.  It was quite a process, required an appointment, and took well over an hour, but the rep said the basic account needs no phone app to be used. 

We're in Mexico most of the time so it won't be a problem in the short term, but to my amazement they said it would take the 45 days to actually open the account. 

Thanks for the info.

2 hours ago, All Day said:

https://undostres.com.mx/

 

According to their website the service can only be used while actually in Mexico.  We have no problem paying our bills at Oxxo or the utility company office when inside the country, but when we're traveling back to the U.S. or elsewhere it's damn near impossible. 

46 minutes ago, Lou Quillio said:

...

If instead the payee stipulates a list of issuing banks it accepts, Wise won't be on that list and the payment will fail. Maybe CFE is strict this way. Being an OXXO guy, I wouldn't know.

...

 

CFE in particular doesn't allow entering a generic Mastercard Debit card, it only allows selecting an issuing bank for everything with the exception of American Express.  At least at this point I don't see any way of using a Wise card.  I believe our other local utilities are the same.

Hopefully Citibanamex will be an option for a local account. 

3 minutes ago, ibarra said:

There's only one branch lakeside. 

This is the "Mexico General" sub.  I'm not lakeside.

17 minutes ago, Hud said:

Just a FYI, we don't put our payments on "automatic", but I go in on the chromebook and pay them each month( or 2). Just feel better about doing it like that, but maybe we could do "auto" but don't want to.  I do get notified by Telmex and CFE when their bills are available to pay. Not water, but I know the date to check for the bill.

Great info, muchas gracias.  My decision to not open another Mexican bank account was based on what I had been told by HSBC reps, but apparently that was all misinformation. 

I'm going to check out Citibanamex today.

3 hours ago, ibarra said:

We have had an HSBC account for many years before Covid.  They have never sent emails or delivered anything to our home. Messages do appear on the website when signed in.   We have never been charged any fees with HSBC.

IDK what happened with my account beyond what I've posted.  Maybe my branch does things differently.  Glad they've treated you better. 

19 minutes ago, InChapala1 said:

I already have a Wise account and its a USD denominated account (I opened it before I move here) and unfortunately Wise does charge a fee to use their USD denominated debit card outside the U.S. Fee is approx. $3.15 USD for a 500 USD transaction and $6.30 for $1000. See https://wise.com/us/blog/4x-cheaper-than-bank-cards. I'll need to investigate if I can convert my account to a peso denominated account. Has anyone done that?

Wise's "cheaper than banks" marketing is nonsense and only true for the companies they cherry picked for their marketing blurb.  I pay no fees withdrawing Pesos in Mexico from my U.S. account and get the interbank rate for the conversion.  Even the Mexican Bank's ATM use fee is refunded. 

CFE's website doesn't show the Wise card as an option for payment, so perhaps the card is convenient for retail purchases, but it doesn't solve the online payment problem. 

18 minutes ago, Hud said:

We pay no fees, but we keep a balance so we always have money to pay the bills. You would need to ask them. I always do everything on my computer (chromebook). I don't use a smart phone. We pay water,electric, telmex internet. I'm sure you could pay more, but that is all we use. 

 

When we opened the HSBC account PC web access was not a problem and then the phone app became a requirement.  The app was needed even to log on use the HSBC web portal.  Upgrading one's phone meant a trip into the bank and at least an hour long wait, plus a great deal of time to get the app activated on the new phone, not something we wanted to do during the lockdown. 

We were told the "security features" we were facing were mandated by the Mexican government and all banks followed them.  It sounds like that wasn't the truth.  Paying bills was also extraordinarily convoluted and difficult to set up. 

If Citibanamex allows web access through a browser and easy payment of bills, an account with them is worth considering.

Thanks for the replys.

14 minutes ago, NEWMtnMama said:

I just pay my CFE bill with cash at the OXXO. It's too small an amount to bother with a debit card.

That's what we generally do too, but we're sometimes out of Mexico when the bill comes due.

10 minutes ago, Hud said:

We have used Citibanamex for over 15 years without one drop of problems. We receive a new card in the mail a month before the old ones expire. Never a problem. You do what you think is best for you. This is what works best for us and I don't believe you will find another way that is "easier".  Been here at Lakeside since 1997. Good luck.

You receive a new card in the mail in Mexico?  I've never received anything in the mail, only flyers and bills stuck into our gate or mailbox.  HSBC never mailed anything, I had to go to the branch any time I needed something. 

Admittedly this was a confluence of issues that had a lot to do with COVID, but IMO HSBC deliberately took advantage of the situation when the changed their fee policy when they knew access was a problem.

A couple of questions:  Does Citibanamex charge fees every month?  Can you access your account with a laptop, or do they require a cell phone app?

27 minutes ago, Kiko said:

Maybe some info here :..

 

Looking at that thread and again at our latest bill, it seems that when the prepaid balance ran out they applied all previous credits for the last six month to our total surplus even though there was no surplus shown for the billed period on any of those bills (including this one.)  CFE's billing is even weirder than I thought.  The flip side is that due to the same billing calculations it does look like we can still actually use that surplus.

Like many people in Mexico we have a small solar array to keep us from hitting the DAC rate. 

With the problem paying CFE online with American credit cards, we decided to prepay our bill in person so we wouldn't have to worry about it for a few months.  We don't use much power most of the year and we paid about 5 month's worth of our small bill in advanced.

During the next few months we thought our solar array had failed.  We were charged monthly for electric usage when we should have had at least a small surplus.  The array seemed to be working properly and the solar controller's meter said we were generating normally but nothing was showing up on our bill.  Since we use so little power these charges were were minor, but we entered the winter months (when we use the most power) with a zero KWH's of power credit shown on our CFE bill.

Last month the money we had prepaid ran out.  Now the bill is showing ALL the power we generated for the last 6 months which is much more of a surplus than we would normally have because we've been paying for power each month despite our solar generation.  The bill said the tiny credit they pay for a surplus will show on our next bill so I don't know if we can use it now or have lost it due to CFE's billing issue.

IDK if this is a general problem with CFE billing or was specific to our account, but if you prepay your CFE bill be aware that your billing and solar credits may not be accurate until your prepay funds run out. 

9 minutes ago, Lou Quillio said:

I have not. Utilities are in my landlord's name and he doesn't want the hassle of changing. He knows we'll eventually trade-up.

LQ

 

I'm guessing these may be blocked from online bill pay use just like my US credit cards.  After using those cards without a problem for years, attempted payments now always come back saying try a different card.  American Express still works online for CFE, but that's about it.

I definitely don't want to open another Mexican bank account, so this one has me stumped. 

21 hours ago, Lou Quillio said:

Consider a Wise or even DolarApp account (por qué no los dos?), using only your Mexican address and denominated in pesos. Costs nothing. They'll send you a physical debit card that transacts like a Mexican debit card.

A couple years ago, Amazon MX wanted me to make my first purchase (only) with a Mexico-issued card, a fact that wasn't obvious at first. Or maybe it was for an Amazon Prime MX subscription. Anyhow, after multiple puzzling failures with my usual Capital One (USD) credit card, it sailed through on my Wise debit card. Amazon never asked for it again.

LQ

 

They both look like they may work.  Have you been able to use either one of these for utility payments in Mexico? 

On 1/28/2023 at 1:20 PM, Hud said:

Open a small saving account and get a debit card. Easy to pay your bills online with that debit card. Just put some money in it to keep from paying a monthly fee. Been doing that for years, here and when we are NOB. EASY.

 

A bit of a story... 

I lost online access to my no fee HSBC Mexico account at about the same time online payments with US credit cards stopped being generally accepted.  When my ATM card expired a short time later (during the COVID lockdown) I had no way of getting it replaced without waiting an hour+ standing in line outside of the bank at least twice.  And there was the risk of close contact with people inside. 

When I finally made it back into the bank (and with COVID it was months), I found out that HSBC had started charging fees and had essentially stolen all of my funds.  They wanted about 1,500 pesos to reactivate the account in addition to the thousands i had already lost to their fees.

Never again.

After years with no problems, like many people I have found that utility bills I used to be able to pay online with an American credit card now require payment at a utility company office or a Mexican store.  I've purchased an an Oxxo prepaid Visa card but unbelievably, that card doesn't work for paying utilities (or much of anything) either.

Has anyone on here found a way to get a useful prepaid Mexican credit card or other easy way to pay Mexican utilities that no longer accept American credit cards online?