we are hoping to use a SA based agent recommended by my SA coworker -with very good results so far in planning and customizing the itinerary. Bc they are working with an operator, they noted that usually credit cards are not all that accepted and it would be best for us to wire the money. Now, if this was not someone recommended by someone I trust, I would run the other way. What do all the experts think? have your SA-based agents done the same? I suspect it is because they are working with another tour operator, which is what is driving the discount we saw vs. another US based company.

Yes, they (my SA-based agent) asked for the money to be wired for the deposit.

What does "credit cards are not all that accepted" mean? To me it sounds as if they are not preferred, for obvious reasons, but that they MIGHT be accepted..

If you want to pay by cc, tell them your preference. If they decline, and if you still really want to pay by cc, ask if you can do so if you pay the cc percentage charge..

while my trip is going to be in east africa, the agent i used preferred me to wire the money. While my agent's site says they would accept credit card for just the deposit (and then would have to make wire deposits over the next few months), i asked if i could just pay the entire balance at once by credit and that was fine. There was a fee, but with the wire fees my banks was charging, it pretty much evened out. Plus i feel like i have more recourse if something goes wrong.

Most in-country outfitters work on a cash basis, using EFT (electronic funds transfer = wires) for payment. If an outfitter will accept credit cards, you have to ask whether they charge a fee. Those that will have fees that can range from 5-10%.

For a trip costing $8,500, considering two wires, one for deposit and one for final payment at about $50 each (total $100), is a hold lot cheaper than 5% of $425.

There haven't been many posts here where travelers sent wires and funds went into a bottomless pit.

I've done quite a few trips with cash only, no credit cards. A few in Africa, most elsewhere. Never a single problem.

Why would an operator tack on a 5-10% fee for use of a credit card?

..I can understand charging a client a fee equal to the one the agent pays to the card company, perhaps 3%, but do any card companies charge 5%?? 10%????

It's not only the actual % the card (Amex, Visa, MC) company charges, but bank fees, the machine rental, etc. 5% is quite usual and I've seen some at 7%.

mine was just 2%. It was worth it for the miles! ;-)

Sandi..Just to understand, why would there be bank fees? And those credit card machines..would the vendor charge every client a fee to subsidize the tiny cost of those??

Because banks charge fees to process cc charges thru their financial institution.

In a previous position, when we went from cash only to credit cards, we found it interesting to see that the final costs were higher than simply the fee due to cc company.

The benefit of cc use isn't alway as inexpensive as the salesmen initially advise. If a company doesn't charge an outright % over the amount due, it will be built into the price.

You just have to ask questions. Then decide which is beneficial to your circumstance.

Thanks!

I've done both CC and wire transfer ... both successful.

I had a very bizarre swift transfer experience (not Africa, but to the Caribbean) where it took upto three weeks for the party to have gotten the money at their end. It was all sorted out, though .....

One of the main reasons TA's in Africa don't like credit cards is the charge backs. Seems that Americans abuse this often enough after they have had their trip and leave the agents 'holding the bag'.

I can see that that would be a risk, but do you think only Americans do this?

I was told this by the owner of a large Tour Agency in SA.

LuangwaBlondes,

You mean the user of the credit card tells the credit card company that the trip was extremely unsatisfactory or services were never provided and then they seek a full refund? Is that what you mean by charge back?

I never paid any of my safaris by credit card, neither with TAs in Europe nor with operators in Africa. Never had a problem with wire transfers to Africa.

I'm from a country with well-developed alternative cash-less payment systems, so I fully understand if TAs don't accept credit cards, avoiding all the overhead and additional percentages for the card companies.

Wikipedia has a good basic article on credit cards, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_card. This article also states that credit cards have by far not the same acceptance in every country/culture as in North America or the UK.

atravelynn
Thats an affirmative.

As I understand it, according to Rocco, he refunded a deposit to one of the people that switched to TA and still they did a charge back on him. So he lost out twice over. But that should be verified by Rocco.

Lynn,

The latest edition of the Bradt guide to Botswana suggests that it's in the best interest of clients to book their trips through a bonded travel agent.

Most major travel agents, probably accept both Credit cards and swift transfers. But, in Africa i think Amex isn't widely accepted like V/MC

Hari

When I used the renowned UK-based agency of that Bradt book author a few years ago, they told me that they had to add a surcharge if I wanted to pay by credit card. So these things even happen on the Northern Hemisphere.