Patty,

Not just the credit card charging whatever fees, but, some agents charge for payment by credit card?

Hari

Yes Hari. The card issuer charges the merchant a fee to accept the card and for each transaction, so the merchant charges the client to make up for the fee.

ok, thanks........

No travel agent should charge a % on credit cards. It is against the bank policy in most countries and for that matter in africa too aight!

if you live in California, you can get three times the surcharge back:

* California Codes
o California Civil Code
+ CIVIL CODE SECTION 1747-1748.7
"1748.1.
(a) No retailer in any sales, service, or lease transaction with a
consumer may impose a surcharge on a cardholder who elects to use a
credit card in lieu of payment by cash, check, or similar means. A
retailer may, however, offer discounts for the purpose of inducing
payment by cash, check, or other means not involving the use of a
credit card, provided that the discount is offered to all prospective
buyers.
(b) Any retailer who willfully violates this section by imposing a
surcharge on a cardholder who elects to use a credit card and who
fails to pay that amount to the cardholder within 30 days of a written
demand by the cardholder to the retailer by certified mail, shall be
liable to the cardholder for three times the amount at which actual
damages are assessed. The cardholder shall also be entitled to recover
reasonable attorney's fees and costs incurred in the action.
A cause of action under this section may be brought in small claims
court, if it does not exceed the jurisdiction of that court, or in any
other appropriate court."

Interesting civil code. Anyone had luck in enforcing it on the board? Since the operators run a business you've got to figure that if they don't add a surcharge as such, it will still end up in an adder somewhere. They have to cover their costs.

Patty - checked my bank statement and looks like my down payment was billed in USD from ATR. They do have a London and San Francisco office, mostly if not entirely working from London when I was knee deep in the quoting process.

Marnibe - did you get the transfer to work?

when you give the swift code,Bank name, Account name, account number and the branch name, your bank will be able to know which bank is that.

Thanks for all your help. I did what was suggested and wired money through my bank using the swift code. I was suprised that your costs were so high. Mine were $50 US, but the 5% surcharge would have been almost as much. Also the $50 would have covered any amount.