Easiest AND CHEAPEST way of paying a $ cheque into a UK bank account from abroad ?

AdamBrunt

Hi all,

Hopefully this is the best place to ask - I couldn't find a more relevant place.

So my daughter is two weeks into her first Camp America placement in Los Angeles. She was expecting to be paid in two installments and has just received the first one in the form of a US $ CHEQUE !!! How very modern She has both a UK Barclays and Chase Savings account. She was planning on using the money to part-fund her travel round the States for a few weeks after her Camp America stint is over. Whilst, theoretically, we could sub her the money until she gets back - I am not keen on her keeping hold of two cheques (which will total about $1400) until mid-August. We are also not keen on her simply cashing the cheque(s) and then wandering around with that much cash.

So ... does anyone have any suggestions on the best/cheapest - or even ANY - way of paying the cheque(s) into, either of, her UK accounts whilst in the US. Presumably she could deposit the cheque, to her UK account, via a US bank but would she need to know her IBAN(?) number to do that and would be particularly cheap ? The only other thought we had was cash the cheque, give the cash to one of the Americans (working at the camp) who then Paypals/transfers the money online ?

FYI - the only form of ID she has out there is her UK passport.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Daliah

If she can return the cheque and get them to pay her into a USD account, all she would need is a Wise account, using her UK address.  The Wise account will give her account details the Americans recognise, and it doesn't cost them anything extra to pay into a Wise account. Your daughter can then transfer as much as she wants into GBP, or spend with the Wise Mastercard (though she'd obviously needs to get her hands on that card...Shame she didn't sort this out before she went.)

Paying a USD cheque into a UK account is a challenge at best of times, let alone trying to do it from abroad. Chase UK doesn't take any cheques, and any other bank that would do it (Barclays might) would charge a fortune for it.

AdamBrunt

Thanks for the reply.

Daliah said:

If she can return the cheque and get them to pay her into a USD account, all she would need is a Wise account, using her UK address.  The Wise account will give her account details the Americans recognise, and it doesn't cost them anything extra to pay into a Wise account. Your daughter can then transfer as much as she wants into GBP

The problem with that is she doesn't have a USD account - or am I missing 

Daliah said:

Shame she didn't sort this out before she went.)

None of us, arguably quite rightly,  were expecting her to be paid in such an antiquated way.

Daliah said:

Paying a USD cheque into a UK account is a challenge at best of times, let alone trying to do it from abroad. Chase UK doesn't take any cheques, and any other bank that would do it (Barclays might) would charge a fortune for it.

We/she is beginning to find that out. Quite why people are still using cheques in this day and age is beyond me

eDicky

Your daughter should point out that USD checks are no use to her, there should be alternative ways to pay her wages, foreign students are quite common for Camp America. Best if they can pay into a virtual USD account with Wise as mentioned

If a check is the only way she could try to open a bank account to deposit it, useful anyway during a few months' stay, then transfer electronically.

As a last resort, just cash it, it's only fourteen $100 bills so easy to store discretely. US checks can still be signed over to somebody else, I believe, if that's helpful somehow.

Daliah

AdamBrunt said:

Thanks for the reply.

Daliah said:

If she can return the cheque and get them to pay her into a USD account, all she would need is a Wise account, using her UK address.  The Wise account will give her account details the Americans recognise, and it doesn't cost them anything extra to pay into a Wise account. Your daughter can then transfer as much as she wants into GBP

The problem with that is she doesn't have a USD account - or am I missing 

Wise gives her a multi-currency account. One of them is a USD account.

AdamBrunt

Daliah said:

Wise gives her a multi-currency account. One of them is a USD account.

Ah, OK.

So she can set up a multi-currency account at Wise (or I could it for her from here ?) and then she can pay the $ cheque into that account from any US bank and then transfer it to her UK account from within Wise ?

Sorry - for the newbie question - I don't have much, or even any, experience of Wise

CKhalvashi

AdamBrunt said:

Thanks for the reply.

Daliah said:

If she can return the cheque and get them to pay her into a USD account, all she would need is a Wise account, using her UK address.  The Wise account will give her account details the Americans recognise, and it doesn't cost them anything extra to pay into a Wise account. Your daughter can then transfer as much as she wants into GBP

The problem with that is she doesn't have a USD account - or am I missing 

Daliah said:

Shame she didn't sort this out before she went.)

None of us, arguably quite rightly,  were expecting her to be paid in such an antiquated way.

Daliah said:

Paying a USD cheque into a UK account is a challenge at best of times, let alone trying to do it from abroad. Chase UK doesn't take any cheques, and any other bank that would do it (Barclays might) would charge a fortune for it.

We/she is beginning to find that out. Quite why people are still using cheques in this day and age is beyond me

Wise will give her a USD account. I hold account details in GBP, EUR, PLN and RON with Wise, and hold a small (about £5) balance in UAH (for which bank details are not available). I also hold one of their multi-currency debit cards.

The US is a very cheque-dependent country still. I could have told you that despite having not been there since 2002 and not really wishing to return. Anything except this is normally subject to a 'convenience fee', such as a bank transfer or card payment, despite presumably also being more convenient to whoever is being paid as they don't have to go to the bank.

Marchitiello

AdamBrunt said:

Daliah said:

Wise gives her a multi-currency account. One of them is a USD account.

Ah, OK.

So she can set up a multi-currency account at Wise (or I could it for her from here ?) and then she can pay the $ cheque into that account from any US bank and then transfer it to her UK account from within Wise ?

Sorry - for the newbie question - I don't have much, or even any, experience of Wise

I am not sure if she would be able to pay that cheque in her wise account from a US bank. I am not sure how it works in the US but in many countries you can go to a branch of the issuing bank of the cheque and cashing it there and then, no need to deposit it in a bank account. Also if she has a UK Chase bank account, I would pop in a CHASE branch over there and see if they can offer some options (they may well be able to open an account for her or cash it  exceptionally etc.. I did that in both Italy and East Africa many years ago with Barclays, when they used to operate in those countries, and although they were separate entities from the UK operation, they went above and beyond their standard processes to help a UK Barclays Customer.

AdamBrunt

Marchitiello said:

I am not sure if she would be able to pay that cheque in her wise account from a US bank. I am not sure how it works in the US but in many countries you can go to a branch of the issuing bank of the cheque and cashing it there and then, no need to deposit it in a bank account. Also if she has a UK Chase bank account, I would pop in a CHASE branch over there and see if they can offer some options (they may well be able to open an account for her or cash it  exceptionally etc.. I did that in both Italy and East Africa many years ago with Barclays, when they used to operate in those countries, and although they were separate entities from the UK operation, they went above and beyond their standard processes to help a UK Barclays Customer.

Ideally we don't want here cashing in the cheque if possible as that leaves with a load of money she then has to keep safe

[Deleted User]

There aren't any easy answers:

1. She could to open a local account & deposit the check there.
2. Cash the check locally and get $100 bills.
3. Get them to cancel the check and do an ACH payment to Wise.

CKhalvashi

Another option is cash it, give the cash to someone (presumably American) who is there and ask them to transfer the money to her. Informal, but should work equally well.