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Not sure where to post his question???

I am from the US staying in Paris in Oct. I have paid in advance 1k in US dollars for the room (great deal in Latin Qtr). My friend from UK is meeting me and splitting the cost of room. What is the best way for her to pay me in US dollars? Or is there a better way to pay? I was going to suggest she withdraw from the ATM in Paris and pay me in Euro's but I doubt I would need to spend that much in cash in a week. Or have her bring me pounds since I will be in UK next May but again do I want to carry around $500 in pounds? I have tried to research and do not seem to be able to come up with a way for her to transfer the money without incurring a fee.

Any suggestions?

Kathleen

Posted by
7731 posts

Either which way it is going to cost her. Have her bring you USA dollars and just wear your money belt. You both got a good deal on the lodging that offsets any fee and you made it convenient for her.

Posted by
324 posts

Have her pay your share all the expenses (meals, admissions etc) in Paris (up to $500 equivalent). If at the end she still owes you, then take that smaller amount in pounds to use next May on your UK trip.

Posted by
36 posts

My friends and I pay each other back using Venmo. Similar app would be Cash App. Both are very easy to set up and use with your phone.

Posted by
6794 posts

Venmo only links US (maybe Canada too) bank accounts. Your friend could use Transferwise to wire you the money. It's safe and cheap, tried and tested by my American partner and I.

Posted by
36 posts

Oh oops, apologies for the Venmo suggestion then. I'll agree with the TransferWise suggestion then as well.

Posted by
7010 posts

I like Lynn's idea. That makes the most sense so you're not stuck with a large amount of £ or €.

Although if you're not going to be doing the same things or going the same places (sights, restaurants, etc) it might not be so easy.

Posted by
142 posts

Thank you all for the quick responses. Balso it appears Transferwise will work like a charm. Thank you, I learn something new everyday. I had never heard of Transferwise before and did not see it in my searching. This is why I appreciate this forum so much. Shared knowledge.

Thank you,
Kathleen

Posted by
4024 posts

Have you both checked with your banks to see if they allow international E -transfers? This doesn't help you, but I know my bank-RBC Canada does, I can do it straight from my phone. Sadly I wanted to pay for my RS tour last year in this method but RS doesn't accept E transfers from its Canadian customers.

Posted by
11507 posts

Allan what a shame RS makes it difficult to pay in such an easy way !

I work for an American lady who lives in Washington- she etransfer me my pay - so I don’t think it’s an American restriction just a Rs thing

Posted by
782 posts

I agree with lisalu PayPal makes it very easy.
Mike

Posted by
15560 posts
  1. Wear a money belt. It's a good idea in all circumstances to keep your passport in it and on you all the time.
  2. I like the idea of your friend paying for your expenses and giving you some spending money. Do not underestimate how much you will spend in Paris. Unless you are keeping to a shoestring, €70/day is not going to leave you much change.
  3. The $/€ exchange rate has been favorable to the $ for a fairly long period. Without some major event, it's likely to hold for the next month or two. If you don't want to hold onto euros, I'll bet it would take you one post here to find RS-ers in your area who would buy them from you.
  4. With Brexit so up in the air, no one can know what the exchange rate will be for £, but you will probably be left with a relatively small amount of sterling, and it's always nice to arrive in a country with some local currency in your pocket, I mean money belt.
Posted by
4024 posts

Allan what a shame RS makes it difficult to pay in such an easy way !

Pat, on our tour there was 24 Americans and just us 2 Canadians. Our guide says that's a typical demographic. So unless we can get more Canadians to invade these tours I doubt there is much incentive for the business side of the RS company to change its ways.

Posted by
26840 posts

It would be good to have PayPal as a relatively inexpensive option--but are you sure? I ask because PayPal defaults to charging the payer in the home currency, and before digging down and finding a way to change that, I observed what I though was a poor exchange rate. This was quite some time ago, and I don't remember the details, but if the $4+ was expressed as a fee, that doesn't necessarily mean the conversion was done at a good rage.