yestravel

On another thread there were a couple posts about how/when to pay Tonkin. I'm wondering how others have handled it? Did u use our cr card & eat the 3% credit card fee? Carry $$'s around until u get to VN? or keep hitting ATMs? Tonkin says they "prefer" cash. Of course there is the issue if u pay up front in cash then u have no/little recourse if there is an issue and u want a refund. We have only used a TA once or twice b4 so I'm not familiar with the best way to handle this.

VN is the end of our trip and I'm not sure I'm comfortable carrying that much money around for so long. ATM fees seem rather high with limits on withdrawals. Would be interested to hear what others have done. Thanks

rhkkmk

i believe i paid by credit card, both the deposit and the final payment upon arrival... i paid the 3%--no big deal...it is common in asia to be asked for 3-5% when paying for anything with a credit card..

WillJame

Yestravel, as I said on the other thread, I did pay Tonkin by credit card.
That wasn't what worried me as much as the way that I had to email very full details in order to pay the deposit by credit card before the trip began. Here's what Ms Nhung of Tonkin wrote:
<<To deposit by visa card, please full fill & sign in 'credit card authorization form in attached file then resend it to me. Please send me copy of credit card holder's passport and copy two sides of credit card. Bank in Vietnam require all these documents before paying us.
Please note, 3% bank fee surcharge is applied for visa card payment. So the amount you should fill in the form is 206usd, please.>>
Have you had that request yet when paying your deposit by cc?

Kathie

The request for all that documentation is very common in making deposits in Asia.

yestravel

Yes, WillJame - I did fill out the info requested when we paid our deposit. I thought we were NOT charged the 3% on the deposit, but it's been a few months so I could be wrong. Sent the info requested in a few emails and we actually have a new passport now. Over the years I find that many places require such info and I email it in multiple emails.

WillJame

Yestravel, I did something similar, taping out part of the credit card information alternately before copying it (by .jpg using a cell phone camera) and then sending three emails from different accounts. I also took the precaution of phoning the credit card company to inform them of what I had done and to limit the payment. The upside was that when I made the final payment to Tonkin in Hanoi, my information was already on file.
Despite what Kathie says, I have never had this kind of request before, and am very wary of providing this kind of information via email. Sending a credit card number is bad enough, but copying both sides (including your signature)???

yestravel

WJ -- I did not copy both sides of my credit card. I see that they asked for that, but I either messed up or deliberately didn't send it. The deposit went thru fine. In my case, when we arrive they will not have correct passport info and or copies of the actual card.

I'm with u re sending so much personal info, but have had to send info previously. Breaking it up into multiple emails provides protection, but would prefer not to have to provide so much. Other places hotels, airlines etc didn't require this, but I am certainly no expert on VN.

qwovadis

Personally always pay with no fee Credit Card

capitalone.com Visa for me get FF miles

can always dispute/reverse service not as promised.

Black out signature if I fax it.

Works fine for me lots of nightmares paying cash wiring money.

I just do not do it EVER.

Kathie

I've never had a hotel or airline ask for this, but Asian travel agencies often ask for this. Many people have reported that their VN travel agency asked for this. No one has reported here any subsequent difficulties (credit card fraud). The agency we used in Sri Lanka asked for this documentation.

yestravel

qwo - Yes, of course one should pay with a no fee credit card. That is NOT the issue. No fee credit card has nothing to do with this. The 3% fee is charged by Tonkin Travel, not by my credit card.

Kathie

Of course, it's always best to pay by credit card. But sometimes, qw, wiring money is the only way. And sometimes, only cash will do.

rhkkmk

i sent my credit card number and the security code in two different e mails, seperating the number.... it made me feel good..

crellston

I would never, ever send copies of credit cards by email or indeed even the credit card mumber. This is the electronic equivalent of writing it on the back of a postcard i.e. anyone can read it. That email can be intercepted, hacked or even read by a dishonest employee at the agency.
If the details were hacked then it is highly unlikely that a credit card company would cover any losses as the card holder would be considered responsible for releasing the info.

By far the safest way is an electronic transfer direct from a bank account. It does take longer mainly because they are routed through a minimum of 2 banks and it is necessary to get the recipient to check there bank for receipt but at least it is limited to that payment only.

Someplaces now accept paypal as and alternative and it is worth asking (although this system also has its problems)

rhkkmk

true, but bank transfers can be very expensive..

Kathie

And you have no recourse with a bank transfer - you do with a credit card.

yestravel

If u send the credit card numbers in multiple emails the likelihood of the numbers being intercepted and strung together is pretty slim as they would have to intercept 3-4 emails. A dishonest employee could steal your cr card #, but that can happen whenever u use a credit card. An I prefer to have some recourse if there is a problem and credit cards offer that protection.

WillJame

Crellston, others have well covered some of the issues you raise, which are, by the way, exactly the kinds of concerns I had initially.
But let me deal with this one: <<If the details were hacked then it is highly unlikely that a credit card company would cover any losses as the card holder would be considered responsible for releasing the info.>>
When I phoned Visa to explain what Tonkin wanted, they told me, to my surprise, that this was "quite normal," and had no objections. They wanted the name of the merchant (Tonkin) and amount of the transaction ($206 US). I was able to tell them, at a time two months before our trip, that there would be no further transactions from Asia until after our departure. It was Visa's reassurance that gave me the confidence to go ahead and send the information as requested (though sending it by three emails, each one from a different account).
I did pay for one hotel by means of a bank transfer, which cost $75 for a few hundred dollars payment.
When you think about it, this is an advantage to using a travel company for a trip to Vietnam involving airlines and multiple hotels: you transmit the cc info only once.

hawaiiantraveler

Faxing is the most secure way to send your cc info

Aloha!