Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with money and international

Road trip USA for Aussie noob

b33j — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:09:17 -0800

International Travel novice: What do I need to know that I don't know that I don't know? I'm Australian (from warm Queensland), meeting a friend from the Netherlands in the USA (Florida) in February 2010 for a two month road trip that will go through Canada (via Texas, California, Washington and many other places - itinerary mostly not set in stone yet) with the aim to concentrate on mutual internet friends, natural beauty and historical places. Tourist attractions (like Disneyland), not so much.

I know that I need airline tickets (but when do I book?) and a passport (what about visas?). What else do I need to know? Tips on packing (buy my winter stuff there?), on flight luggage, changing currency, paying for things over there (travellers cheques? Will my debit card work? What about my Mastercard? Will I have to pay fees for exchange of currency?). How much will it cost? How much would you set aside per day for living expenses if you were doing it cheap? What about powering my battery charger for my camera - should I be the converter here or there? Storage for my photos?

What should I have asked in this question that I didn't think to ask? Books and websites much appreciated as well as personal anecdotes.

Cheapest method to send $30k to Dubai UAE?

lupefiasco — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 19:51:43 -0800

Simple question: what is the cheapest method to send $30k from the USA to Dubai, UAE? Any advice or experience is greatly appreciated! Options I have considered are - Paypal - Western Union - Moneybookers

Safe way to transfer money

Julnyes — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:40:05 -0800

How to handle an international refundable payment so that all parties are satisfied? I will be staying in an apartment rental on my upcoming trip to Paris.

I went through a website that a friend has used before, but the person renting the apartment is new to the site. They are asking for a security deposit upon our arrival that will be refunded at the end of our stay in case of damage, etc to the apartment.

I am a little uncomfortable just handing over a stack of euros in an envelope to a complete stranger. What steps should I take to maximize a safe transaction for all involved.. Should I request a receipt? Give him the deposit in some other format? personal check? international money order? Should I also request a list of items that would result in the money not being refunded?

Ebay seller in Texas buyer in Europe how can both be protected

stereo — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:32:09 -0800

How can an ebay seller in Texas sell something to me in Europe with both of us being protected? I'm currently in France, and a Texan ebayer has interesting prices. In the US, he sells only to certified Paypal buyers. Ebay doesn't protect him if he sells to me in continental Europe.

The seller has 99.7% positive feedback and hundreds of positive ratings. He has suggested sending a money order, but ebay's buyer protection wouldn't cover me, and why wouldn't my $420 (shipping anywhere included) vanish?

Western Union costs $30 and isn't much safer. Escrow.com costs $50. I have a brother with a certified Paypal account in Berkeley, CA, but he doesn't fly over until August. Is there something else we could use?

Panamaniacs, tell me about Panama!

attercoppe — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:57:39 -0800

My wife-to-be and I are going to Panama for our honeymoon. Following are a whole slew of questions about Panama! These are leftover questions from my research via the internet, Lonely Planet et al, and a guy we know who is from Panama (who tends to be evasive and inconsistent in his answers). (Some of these have been partially answered in other Asks.)

What's the best/cheapest plastic to take? A credit card (and if so, which one) or our regular debit cards (one is US Bank, one a regional bank)? Since Panama uses US dollars, I assume that there would be no currency exchange fees either way, how about ATM fees, international transaction fees, etc?

Where should we stay in Panama City the first night we get in? We'll be arriving about 10pm on a weeknight, can we wait and find a hotel that late or should we make a reservation ahead of time? We'll probably also stay there the night before we leave, as our flight out leaves at 7:30am. Bonus points for cheap!

Any recommendations on places to stay in or near Los Santos province, and/or near Bocas del Toro? Again bonus for cheap, also for long term, near the beach, and private.

Any "just jump in" sort of missions/social outreach opportunities in late May/early June? Not looking for the typical package deal, just something like a soup kitchen, orphanage, construction (or whatever) where we can simply show up and go to work. We'd prefer something Christian, but other options are great.

Wherever we go from Panama City, should we fly (quick but more expensive) or bus it (cheap but long and possibly cramped)? Or other?

Any cultural things we should know? Tipping, handshaking, whatever.

Any other advice you can give! Thank you hive mind!

Magic money?

Solomon — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 09:34:53 -0800

I loan an amount on Kiva. Lets say it's $25, which at the time of lending is £12 GBP. When I get the money back 6 months later, I get £13 GBP back. Where does the extra £1 come from? Bonus question: Could I theoretically make money by putting it in different banks around the world and then withdrawing it to the UK based on how much the £ was worth at a given time?

I know next to nothing about international trade, and the value of the EUR vs the USD vs the GBP etc. Please bear this in mind when responding. :)

Help me get my money out of Japanese bank account from Canada

mariokrat — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 18:16:11 -0800

Help me get my money out of a Japanese bank account. I'm in Canada, and have no plans to go to Japan in the near future. Is there a good, cheap way to transfer money to me? I have an account at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, or whatever it is called now, that doesn't have an overseas bank card on it. Every two months or so, I have need to pull out $1000 or so out of this account to use in Canada. I have had access to another account that does have an overseas bank card, so I've been transferring money from the main account to the other with internet banking and then withdrawing the money here with the overseas card I have. I'm about to lose access to the overseas account, for various reasons, and I'm looking for an alternative way to pull money out of the main account.

I've done some research, and most suggestions are to use xetrade or Western Union, but both of these options seem to require me to be in Japan to make the money available for transfer. I've looked into opening an account online with another Japanese bank, or issuing an overseas card for my main account, but both of these seem to be difficult.

I'm looking into paypal as an option, but there seem to be many people against this.. Is there a good way to do this, or should I resign myself to leaving the money sitting until I return to Japan some day?

Transfer funds internationally - fast!

TrashyRambo — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 19:06:07 -0800

What's the fastest way to transfer money from a British bank account into an American (Honda car dealer's) account? I have identified a car in the US (where I am). I have the money in the UK (where I used to live). I don't have a US bank account but need the car right away. How can I send the money?

How best to transfer American dollars for use in Glasgow during a year abroad?

cowbellemoo — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 20:33:29 -0800

Is this [AskMe post] the best way to use American funds for living expenses in Glasgow? What other options are available? I'm asking for a dear friend who deserves the peace of mind that closure to this question would give.

Hi, I am leaving the US to attend grad school in Scotland. I plan on opening a bank account in Glasgow with either RBS or BoS. There is no American bank with a branch in the city (there is one HSBC but I was told by an HSBC representative that it is treated as a separate bank in each country; in other words I couldn't access an American account in Scotland.) My question is, what is the best way for me to get my money from America to Scotland? From what I understand, an international wire transfer requires a trip to the consulate in Edinburgh for a stamp. Should I just take a whole mess o cash with me on the plane? Some combination of the two? You'd think internet transfers would be an option in this day and age but that suggestion has been rebuffed by the banks at every turn. Thanks for your help!

I will forward this post to a similar question to my friend. It seems like a good idea, but I don't think either of us have the experience to know if that's the best plan or if it will work in his situation, or if it's unrealistic to expect the same luck.

Will an ATM withdrawl (in Scotland) of American funds (in pounds) avoid punishing transfer fees? What other options are there?

Sending money from US to Germany

kickingtheground — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 20:28:46 -0800

A german friend of mine needs to send me ~US$300. What is a simple and inexpensive way for her to send me the money from Germany to the US? Speed is not important.

I'm here, my money's there

like_neon — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 09:47:37 -0800

Can anyone recommend a financial advisor who specializes in clients who live overseas? - I'm a US citizen living abroad (UK), for a non-fixed period of time with possibilities of living somewhere else.
- I'd like someone to help me with my taxes. My first attempt at filling out the 2555 made me want to cry so I'll gladly pay someone to sort it all out for me from here on out.
- I have money in a 401k that's just lying around because I never had a chance to move it to a rollover IRA account or whatever you call it. I'd like someone to do that for me and then manage that fund.
- I also want to set up some long term investments that fit my goals.
- With the time difference it's also hard for me to reach anyone via the phone so I need an advisor who can competently communicate via email.

I've looked around NAPFA but without a fixed location it's very difficult to select one person. Motley fool is nice but it's has very little that can help with my specifics. Thanks!

Alternatives to the "suitcase full of £50 notes" method

doctorpiorno — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 04:45:35 -0800

What is the best, most cost-effective way to transfer about £9,000 from a bank account in the U.K. to another in Spain? I will be relocating from the United Kingdom to Spain in two weeks. This is a semi-permanent move, and therefore I would like to tranfer the funds in my HSBC current account into my existing Spanish (Caja Madrid) bank account. I have looked at previous AskMe threads for advice, but most of it seems to be quite U.S. specific.

Right now the only option seems to be simply asking my bank to wire the money. While their fees are reasonable, the exchange rate they apply means they get to keep about €150 (vs. the exchange rate quoted at XE.com). It's not as horrible as I had feared, but it still strikes me as kind of cheeky.

I have also considered getting a Lloyds TSB International Account, but they have weird restrictions when it comes to accepting money transfers from third parties into these accounts. This makes it unusable for my purposes, since I plan to become a freelance contractor and those transfers would be my main source of income.

I guess there have to be some British expats in the Hive Mind who have been through this before, so I thought I would ask for your input. Does anyone know of a more cost-effective way to send the money over without much fuss and expense? Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks in advance!

International money transfers between family members

Muu — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 19:58:11 -0800

What's the best way to transfer money from my father's (residing in Japan) account to my own in the US for banking/investing, and what complications may there be? Or, if he's not expecting extreme rates, are there better options he can pursue himself within Japan? Bank rates in Japan has been sitting pretty darn close to 0% for a long while now. I flew back over there for the first time in several years for work, and people that I talked to were simply amazed at the rates some online banks offered (4~5%).

Due to some family reasons, I'm in the US now as a full US citizen, and my father's still working in Japan, citizen status Japan. There's probably at least 200~300k that my father wouldn't be spending right away that he's interested in investing. Would he be able to wire money to my account for me to invest over in the US, and if so, what sorts of taxes & other costs might be involved?

Changing the question around a bit, if my father's only looking for a 3~5% return, do money market funds or other similar entities exist in Japan that can offer such a rate?

How to send yen from dollars?

jeffmshaw — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 12:42:23 -0800

I'm looking for a way to send, from the U.S. to Japan, money in denominations of yen. The merchant wants a money order in yen, which rules out Paypal. Do you know of a web-based or brick and mortar business that will take my payment in dollars, convert it into yen, and ship out a money order or give me a money order to ship?

International personal finance

like_neon — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 14:16:30 -0800

I'm leaving in a week and I still can't figure out a good solution to managing my US finances from the UK. I'm keeping my Bank of America account open, but the only activity that I'm going to use it for is to pay off my credit card (Citibank). From what I understand, the only way for me to pay my monthly bill for the cc is via an american account. But for me to fund this account on a regular basis, it seems that my only option is to wire money from my UK account (NatWest) to my BofA account and eat the nasty wiring fee, which will definitely add up!

It's not possible to transfer the Citibank balance to a UK card is it? From my understanding I'll probably have a hard time getting approved since I'm new.

Or is there a credit card company that accepts international payments that I can transfer the balance to?

Or is there a bank that works on both sides of the pond so that I can have a US account and UK account and transfer funds between the two easily (online would be awesome)?

Basically, are there any other alternatives I didn't think of? Surely I'm not the first person to move to another country that has to pay off their domestic loans. Thanks!

(For those who helped me out with the last question, I decided not to live in London for now, the train is too expensive! I'll update when I settle down.)

How should American living overseas handle inheritance

planetkyoto — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 06:51:27 -0800

Expat American hates money, inherits share of house, perhaps $100,000. Do I need an accountant, a lawyer or something else to advise? I have no debts, but a 1-year-old baby I'd like to sock away education money for. Should I keep money stateside and invest, bring it to Japan, send it to Jersey Isle shysters? What kind of accountant/financial adviser keywords should I be looking for?

International Money Transfers

costas — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 06:55:57 -0800

MoneyFilter: I get paid in the US and I live and work pretty much everywhere (mainly Europe). I've had it trying to transfer chunks of cash between the US and abroad: it's slow, expensive and a pain-in-the-neck. Any electronic/web-based solutions to this that people have been happy with? In the internet age there has to be a better way... lemme summarize the existing options so far, for Google:

International wire transfers: Expensive. Usually ~$80 from my US bank and another ~$50 or so from the destination bank. And potentially slow, depending on the amount (I realize I have to thank Homeland Security for this)

Withdrawal from a US-based account using an ATM card on a compatible ATM network: limited in the amounts you can do, esp. from the US side (typical maximum of $500/day). Add another $1-2 fee from the home bank and $2 or so from the ATM-owning bank, and the incovenience of cash and multiple transactions and there's little difference from that and using a wire transfer.

Cashing US checks: expensivish (cheaper than a wire though) but sloooow...

I remember Citibank used to have a web subsidiary (C2it) that was supposed to revolutionize money transfers, but it's dead now. Paypal seems to position itself in the same niche, but I haven't tried it (yet). Any experiences? any other ideas?

And please note that I am not trying to hide from the IRS or Homeland Security, just want to move money from country A to B as quickly and cheaply as possible...

Transferring money Down Under

MintSauce — Fri, 19 Mar 2004 03:47:48 -0800

International money transfers. I'd like to transfer some money, from the UK, to a family member in Australia. I'd like to do this as quickly and cheaply as possible. Preferably online. Any suggestions? (More inside) I've already looked at Western Union (phone only), Travelex (in person only) and Paypal (5 day wait at the other end).

Are there any international virtual currencies?

dabitch — Tue, 16 Dec 2003 04:12:58 -0800

There's Paypal, eGold, amazon bucks et al. Is there a "net-cash" system out there that people from all over the world - from Aruba to Brazil to Zimbabwe - can use?