What is the best way to pay an accommodation deposit in euro's?

aeromint2

Hi,

We have found holiday accommodation in Portugal, and the owner wishes for us to pay a deposit of 300 euro's. We have used this website before, but the owner lived in London, so we were able to send her a cheque directly. This owner has sent their bank details, and I am wondering how can I keep charges to a minimum. We also have a Halifax clarity card, if that is of any use? Any suggestions appreciated.

Many Thanks

zagfles

Do they take credit card payments? If not the Clarity isn't going to much use, unless you can withdraw cash and pay once you're there.

Personally I'd be very wary of paying up front for accomodation using any method other than credit card.

knightstyle

Some banks will issue a € cheque for around £10 with a good rate of exchange.

Voyager2002

You could pay by Paypal: although this is not the cheapest option it does give you some protection against fraud. Otherwise, a transfer via Xe.com is likely to be the most cost-effective method possible (although you need to register first, which takes a bit of time and trouble).

lagoslife

You can arrange an international bank transfer via your bank but this will incur charges. Some online banking facilities allow international payments though e.g. HSBC.

As mentioned, Paypal is an alternative. Your money will only be protected if you pay by credit card so make sure the owner is trustworthy. Get address, phone number, check reviews etc.

benjus

http://www.transferwise.com is probably the cheapest way (or at least one of the cheapest) to do an international bank transfer. It's also very quick and easy to set up.

As mentioned, you don't stand much chance of getting the money back if the other party turns out to be dodgy, so check them out as much as possible first.

aeromint2

Hi Everyone,

I accidentally, came across this website http://www.globalwebpay.com, and they only charge £4.75 per transaction. I have looked at the numerous testimonials, which appear positive, so I am going to use them. The charges are clear, and reasonable, where as my bank quoted £20+, and paypal charge a %.

Last year, I used this website to book accommodation, and there were no problems. However, I will have a look at the website again, to check their policies.

Thanks to everyone who replied.

benjus

aeromint2 wrote: »

Hi Everyone,

I accidentally, came across this website http://www.globalwebpay.com, and they only charge £4.75 per transaction. I have looked at the numerous testimonials, which appear positive, so I am going to use them. The charges are clear, and reasonable, where as my bank quoted £20+, and paypal charge a %.

Last year, I used this website to book accommodation, and there were no problems. However, I will have a look at the website again, to check their policies.

Thanks to everyone who replied.

I've used GlobalWebPay a few times. It's easy to use and cheaper than banks/PayPal, but since Transferwise (which is equally easy to use and a fair bit cheaper) appeared I've stopped using GlobalWebPay.

aeromint2

benjus wrote: »

I've used GlobalWebPay a few times. It's easy to use and cheaper than banks/PayPal, but since Transferwise (which is equally easy to use and a fair bit cheaper) appeared I've stopped using GlobalWebPay.

Hi Benjus,

I have just gone on to the tranferwise website, and yes, it is cheaper than globalwebpay, and I noticed that I pay less pounds to get the same amount of euro's. I might use this website for the next payment.

Thank you.