Need to send 12 Euros to Germany

sasparillo

I signed up with Revolut but wish I'd read some of the reviews on Trust Pilot etc first. I uploaded the money and thought the verification would be a simple process. I am a UK citizen (lifelong!) with bank accounts, passport, driving licence etc.

Admittedly I tried first with my old-style driving licence. It has struck me that whoever programmed this part of things on Revolut may not have realized that non photo UK driving licences existed (expiry 2032 - what's not to like?!).

Then I tried with my much more recent UK and Northern Ireland EU passport (expiry 2026). And now keep on getting an error message.

The only way to contact Revolut is through the online chat which would be fine if anyone was there. I was informed by a computer that I would have to wait 24 hours to be put in touch with anyone. Reading through the reviews this is not unusual and no guarantee that anyone will get in touch.

The general conclusion is Revolut is fine if nothing goes wrong. But once something goes wrong there is virtually no customer support ...

eDicky

sasparillo wrote: »

Then I tried with my much more recent UK and Northern Ireland EU passport (expiry 2026). And now keep on getting an error message.

Try again in different light condition, brighter or less glare, nearer to WiFi router... Etc...

Circle1987

Revolut is fantastic. Quick, easy and cheap!

EssexExile

All this to send 12 euros to Germany! Stick it in an envelope & post it.

sasparillo

Hmm, probably the last poster has a point. First of all I uploaded £11 but when I tried to send it, the computer say I didn’t have enough money in my account to send to the beneficiary even though there is no fee on weekdays. So I thought I had to upload another £10 (there is a minimum upload of £10). I did that but have now noticed although the top ups say £10 and £11, my account says £0.

You can only contact Revolut through Chat and they obviously don’t have anywhere near enough staff and only reply when I am offline with standard answers which don’t help. If anyone can help me here, I would be much obliged. I am trying to transfer money to a local municipality bank account and have inputted these details which show up now on Revolut.

I have to say I am also rather perturbed by the verification process. First of all, I used my old style driving licence which it didn’t recognise, then my passport again not recognised. Then I was told to take a photo with my passport next to my face and it was then ‘verified’ but frankly I don’t feel this is at all safe. Obviously this may be easier in countries with id cards but without direct links to state vital, driving licence and passport records, it feels open to abuse. In fact just yesterday after dark, a man rang our doorbell, saying he was collecting for ‘local children’s charities’ and flashed a card round his neck which frankly, even if it was genuine, is just not enough proof of anything nowadays. The Revolut set up does not feel any better with it being so easy now with home computers to forge documents. It may be Revolut does not simply use photo technology but has a direct line to passport records but, until I’m told how it is otherwise, it doesn’t appear very secure.

eDicky

You didn't mention that the German municipality can accept a cash payment by mail - obviously that would be simpler, except that the smallest euro note is a five.

Myself and two million plus Revolut users have verified their accounts and use them mostly without problems, for three years already in my own case.

Anthorn

SEPA (Single European Payments Area) for retail payments as easy as transferring money within the U.K. and usually free. Inquire with your bank.

eDicky

Anthorn wrote: »

SEPA (Single European Payments Area) for retail payments as easy as transferring money within the U.K. and usually free. Inquire with your bank.

I didn't know - which UK banks offer free SEPA transfers, as easy to set up as a domestic faster payment?

Futuristic

eDicky wrote: »

I didn't know - which UK banks offer free SEPA transfers, as easy to set up as a domestic faster payment?

Very few do, I know FirstDirect announced they do. But FX rates are not market rates, they are complete rip offs and that's where they make their money now. Best to stick with Revolut/Transferwise etc.

newfoundglory

I'd also go with Revolut.
I opened a Irish bank account in Euros, so I do these sorts of transfers using Revolut all the time.