How do I pay for the New York dinner?
Feb 14, 2001 | 7:17 pm
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Sunny SYDNEY!
Programs: UA Million Miler. (1.9M) Virgin Platinum. HH Diamond + SPG Gold
Posts: 32,351
Bernie - I hear you. I had a guy send me $US450 by Western Union from St. Petersburg this week. It cost him a $US48 "fee" for doing it or 11%! AND I then needed to drive, with ID, 5 miles to their nearest office to collect the $A cash (at a rip-off conversion rate) as they can't credit my bank account or send me a $A check.
Kempis .. OK, I'll fix Catman for THREE dinners by 26th.
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~ Glen ~
Kempis .. OK, I'll fix Catman for THREE dinners by 26th.
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~ Glen ~
Feb 16, 2001 | 9:31 pm
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2000
Programs: UA Million Miler (lite). NY Metro area.
Posts: 15,433
I'll be happy to help out any non-US flyertalker.
I don't charge any fees but would sure love a United upgrade cert for the favor.
Happy to do it. A thank you is all I ask.
Dan in NY
I don't charge any fees but would sure love a United upgrade cert for the favor.
Happy to do it. A thank you is all I ask.
Dan in NY
Feb 19, 2001 | 1:58 pm
#19
Join Date: May 1999
Location: New York City
Programs: UA MM-1P, Hilton Life Diamond, Marriot Life Gold, ICH Spire
Posts: 4,080
I'm not sure I understand exactly where the U.S. banking system is different/inefficient?
If someone needed, by way of a totally random example
, to pay someone in Australia A$200 from Germany, how would this be done without paper money orders, etc.?
If someone needed, by way of a totally random example
, to pay someone in Australia A$200 from Germany, how would this be done without paper money orders, etc.?
Feb 19, 2001 | 2:27 pm
#20
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: Melbourne
Programs: Qantas, Hilton, IHG
Posts: 1,762
Well, the banks can use SWIFT which is a system for Interbank Fast Transfers. But the customer has to pay for that service and that's the problem. For relatively small amounts of money the fee, in percentage terms, is very high.
Feb 19, 2001 | 7:48 pm
#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Sunny SYDNEY!
Programs: UA Million Miler. (1.9M) Virgin Platinum. HH Diamond + SPG Gold
Posts: 32,351
Exactly Austman. My bankers here now want a FLAT $30 fee for a "SWIFT" foreign currency transfer or T/T whether $100 or $100,000 AND they screw you badly on then "real" exchange rate too. So on $200 example above, there is 15% loss PLUS the rate screw. If I bank a personal check of $US30 from a US resident it takes THREE MONTHS to actually clear and the associated fees literally leave me out of pocket - I was LOSING money on the deal, so now charge all that back to client.
So I need to spell this out in detail for foreign buyers for my business and point out their orders will not be dispatched for several months. Americans in particular I have found do not understand this problem.
www.GlenStephens.com/payment.html
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~ Glen ~
So I need to spell this out in detail for foreign buyers for my business and point out their orders will not be dispatched for several months. Americans in particular I have found do not understand this problem.
www.GlenStephens.com/payment.html
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~ Glen ~