Just a side note for people opening UK bank accounts.

I have an account with The Nationwide, and they provide a plastic card reader. I insert my debit card in it, and enter my PIN. This gives me a one time code, and I need this to login to my online banking panel. I think it is a great security feature, but not all banks use it.

One other advantage of using a current account with a UK bank is that it supports "faster payments". This lets you transfer funds to another UK account in less than a minute, and it is a free service.