Alternatives to wired transfers of money

[rgsiii]

I have a few trips coming up and money will have to change hands. It seems like everyone wants a wired transfer of money.

My local bank branch (20 miles away) apparently does very little international transfers and is pretty inept, along with being costly. One transfer took 3 hours for them to figure out how to do it with me waiting, then added $100 cost to the $1,000 transferred. The next time, even more brilliant people suggested calling the receiving bank and getting information from them. They apparently were surprised when I told them I didn't speak German very well.

I have sent money by PayPal friends in the past and it worked out well. My next trip is maintaining there is no way other than wired. I had suggested Wise (Trans Wise) and Paypal.

Any suggestions?

 

[375Fox]

Maybe not the suggestion you’d like, but a different bank. Until last year I thought going to the bank, waiting, signing lots of forms, and paying $70 was normal. But now the larger bank I use changed to allowing online international transfers. 5 minutes of my time and $40 and maybe a phone call the next day to confirm and it’s done.

Typically Europe is very easy to send money to as well. Just need IBAN, receiver’s name and address.

 

[Wade J VanGinkel]

My bank charges $45
But every time they have issues and confusion. Sometimes have to go back the next day even.
I have used PayPal and venmo for some transactions.
They got super confused over the use of an IBAN as apposed to swift code this last time
Small local bank that does always get things sorted out and super helpful. I can get cash in the foreign currency at no change within 48 hours or less

 

[Spooksar]

A lot of US banks have a hard time with wire transfer, I have a sister in Washington state that needs money every once in a while, her bank can’t give her the information to her for doing a wire transfer even when i emailed a copy of all the information I needed. They keep giving her Western Union info but she lives 50 mile from the nearest Western Union place. Ended up sending her the money through Canada post, 2 day deliver.

 

[JimP]

Check with your outfitter and see if they accept credit cards.

My last outfitter has a US bank account to transfer fund to so it is a domestic fee that is charged for them, but they also accepted credit cards. But my first outfitter only accepted wire transfers but my bank had no problem doing it.

 

[rgsiii]

Typically Europe is very easy to send money to as well. Just need IBAN, receiver’s name and address.

A friend of mine is from Germany and expresses amazement when dealing with things like this in the US.
The bank I deal with is fairly large with 154 billion in assets. I may just be dealing with local branch idiots. I don't know if another bank would be better or just have different local idiots.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

I second the idea of a different bank. My bank has no problem with wire transfers.

You may be able to essentially wire transfer using Zelle- haven’t tried it internationally. I suggest a small transaction first to make sure it works properly internationally.

 

[375Fox]

I second the idea of a different bank. My bank has no problem with wire transfers.

You may be able to essentially wire transfer using Zelle- haven’t tried it internationally. I suggest a small transaction first to make sure it works properly internationally.

Zelle is US banks only as far as I know

 

[Pilgrim]

I use Chase, very low wire fees and I can do the transfers on their app.

 

[Kalthoff]

Any suggestions?

For the last 2-3 decades I have been able to login to the banks self-service system over the net and make a SWIFT, SEPA etc. transfer to a bank account in another country, in a minute or two.

This is pretty standard across the world these days. The US being the one glaring exception.

If you want to not burden the recipient unduly, then your best line of approach would be to do whatever it takes to persuade a US bank to do the transfer, so the recipient receives the money through the channels that are normal for them.

 

[Inline6]

Zelle is US banks only as far as I know

And very limited in the amount you can transfer.

 

[Tanks]

For the last 2-3 decades I have been able to login to the banks self-service system over the net and make a SWIFT, SEPA etc. transfer to a bank account in another country, in a minute or two.

This is pretty standard across the world these days. The US being the one glaring exception.
...

US is decades behind the world in banking convenience. EFT transfers are the norm in EU, even for a taxi ride. Banking apps, while being secure, allow fund transfers easily and directly to anywhere in the world without onerous fees.

 

[Kelly G]

My last Zimbabwe Cape Buffalo hunt outfitter had me pay through:
"Inter Africa LLC (USA) "
Just deposit money into their account at any "Bank of America" location.
No Charge no fees.

 

[Ridge Runner]

I just completed 2 wire transfers to two different outfitters in RSA at $55/transaction.

The first transfer took about 30 minutes. About 15 minutes for the bank report I was with to fill out the form on her computer and another 15 minutes for a person at the other end of her computer to verify the information, make the transfer, and return a confirmation back to me.

The second took 2 days due to lack of information and communication with the outfitter/ PH hunting with clients. Once I had all the information the transfer went through without a hitch.

As for the other two outfitters I'll be hunting with. They each have their own US Booking agents that I can pay using my credit card which makes payment a lot easier and convenient.

 

[TheGrayRider]

The big brokerage firms in the US like Fidelity, Schwab, etc. handle wire transfers relatively easily, if you have an account and very low fees. Happy hunting, TheGrayRider.

 

[Bearbait1]

My local bank is not able to fugure out how to do a swift transfer. After numerous tries i ended up sending the money to my sister inlaw who works in a bank on the other side of the country and they sent it to namibia.

 

[Scott CWO]

My bank charges just $35 for international wires. I do lots of wires. Shop around.

 

[HuntingGold]

After using my credit union for years and having troubles with very inept service representatives, we tried Chase yesterday for the first time. Very quick and, as mentioned previously, they have some process where you can do it yourself if so inclined.

 

[Tintin]

I've used

https://wise.com/

a bit - never had an issue. Much better value than banks.

 

[Sika98k]

Wow ! Having read all the previous posts I never realised the US banking system was so archaic ! In Europe more and more banking is done electronically. The IBAN rules, having said this I do tend to try to use cash for small daily purchases.
Scanning my card for a cup of coffee started to look ridiculous and cash helps the world go around. We all kno the joke so I won’t repeat it.
I recently paid a deposit for a hunt with one of our sponsors. To actually have to go to a bank, fill out a form, get it approved etc etc was a drag.
Revolut is an online platform that makes transferring money very easy.
Roll on May !