Hey,SB - how goes it?
Yep, debit cards and all that crap. Enouigh said.
I neglected to reply to another poster re the payment of my pension instalments into a UK account, if I had one, but I don't. My teachers' pension is not the state old-age one, and is superannuated. My wife will qualify for 60% of what I get at present upon my death. So' it would be very self-serving of me to have my pension paid into a UK bank account, while she, being Chinese with dodgy English, and in China, would have a hell of a job trying to get money from those weasels at SPPA.
One week from now if SPPA has still not responded to my e-mails, I'll be lodging an extensive complaint in writing, as is my right. I'll go for the jugular. Brian should be turfed out on his ear!

It might be better for your wife if upon your death, the pension was being being paid through a bank-maybe they(the bank) would set her up an account to make sure they kept the business. However the money is being paid, it will probably be frozen for a long while until your executor applies for a grant of probate and the probate has been granted. Your wife would be well advised to brush up on her English while you are still alive and kicking, because she will be in for a long haul to get the pension flowing or trickling again.

I shouldn't worry about dying at the moment, that may be years away. I should imagine that all your pension problems at the moment stem from your lack of a bank account that they would normally automatically pay pensions into-these payments are usually paid into bank accounts; your situation has made things very difficult for them.