Purchases in USD

atdavidson

Hello Money Savers!

I'm looking for advice on spending in United States Dollars $$$

I run a few websites and the domain registrar, hosting company and other costs are charged to me in USD. I'm a UK citizen with UK bank accounts.

The fees vary from a few cents to around $12 per month (about £8) but when I pay these through my bank account (Santander) I was being charged £5 per transaction for a "non-sterling transaction" fee. That's a big mark-up on a 6p charge :mad:

I've spent a few months trying to open a US bank account, but after speaking to dozens of banks, I'd need to visit the US to prove my identity and open an account.

I'm currently paying the charges on my Santander Zero credit card which does not have a "non-sterling" transaction fee. However, they've just offered me a 0% balance transfer which I'd like to take advantage of, so I should stop spending on this card.

Does anyone have any ideas how I cam avoid these ridiculous "non-sterling" fees?

Thanks in advance!

rickypatel89

Get hold of a Metro Bank current account. The debit card doesn't charge for any foreign transactions. But requires a visit to a branch to open though.

malc_b

Why no get another 0 fee for $ card such as halifax clarity, or AFAIR post office. Check MSE for best cards etc. to use abroad.

grumbler

MSE article: Your Card's Overseas Charges

Caladan

If you're paying by card isn't it just treated as a purchase rather than an international payment? In which case the only fee payable would be a loading on the exchange rate...

Can someone clarify this? I know when I buy items in dollars I don't pay an extra fee for it.

Kind regards,
Cal

grumbler

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/overseas-card-charges

Some debit cards do charge an extra flat fee £1-£1.50 per purchase, but it's £1.25 for Santander, certainly not £5.

brendon

Firstly find out if your provider accepts GBP payments e.g. GoDaddy now accept GBP payments, if you enable it. I saved some money on my hosting (Linode) by paying per year rather than per month -- paid £4.08 in fees, rather than £36, and got a 10% discount, too. Obviously, you need to see if you can afford this.

Also, if you accept PayPal on whatever you are selling, you can set up a "USD purse" so you are never hit with PayPal transaction fees. You can use this to pay for things in USD, and transfer the rest to GBP if you wish.

nikki1520

Or most UK banks will allow you to open a US$ business account

sabretoothtigger

Kinda similar but receiving euros transferred from another mainland account, are most banks ok with that or charge fixed fees