bank transfer for apartment rental
 

Hi,
We are getting ready to book a place on VRBO in Seville. I have used both airbnb and VRBO many times while traveling but have never paid by bank transfer.
Has anyone ever done this? I assume it is a safe option but just want some input.
Thanks
Kris

I do this all the time, have done hundreds of international wire transfers. Doing one today, in fact.

What are your concerns? What kind of input do you seek?

I'd say it's safe almost all of the time. There are 2 difficulties as I see it, that if from the US it's expensive, and if for any reason it isn't received or you're told it wasn't, there's no recourse. I much prefer going through the websites mentioned for payment so there's an entity overseeing the transaction. I assume your VRBO is avoiding fees by asking for the transfer, good for them, but conceivably not for you.

In all likelihood you'll be fine if you don't mind what it costs you in bank fees at your end, if any. I've only done it once, before almost every vacation rental had the capacity to take credit cards online.

It's not my preferred method because of the bank fees associated with the service. I'm too cheap to pay them. The only time I will agree to a bank transfer is if the property rental is cheap enough to warrant that extra expense. I have done it on 2 occasions in France.

Before you conclude to send the wire transfer google and see about vacation rental wire transfer scams. Criminals have been able to hijack legitimate rental information and have unsuspecting travelers wire money and then end up with no place to stay and no recourse for the money. If you found it through VRBO I would expect that VBRO can help you find a safe way to pay.

My understanding is that VRBO allows owners to collect their own deposits, or they can opt to receive it through the site which probably costs them something. Before I sent money I'd ask the owner if you can please pay through the VRBO website. If they say "no" you'll then know something more about them and may want to consider an accommodation with a more flexible owner.

I realize that within Europe wire transfers are common and that it costs little or nothing to do between European banks. As it is for me, though I was glad to stay where I did the 1 time I sent my deposit by transfer, I no longer do as there are just so many available to pay by credit card with the protections it affords, by the rental site and also by the credit card company.

My US-based credit union charges nothing for me to send funds (in euros; it's US $20 to send in dollars - don't ask me why) to my French bank. My French bank, OTOH, charges something like 69€ back to the USA. Fortunately I hardly ever need to do a wire transfer to the USA.

But it does seem to me I'd be asking VRBO if this is necessary step and if you can just pay by credit card and be done with it.

Just asking the obvious here, but are you ARE dealing with airbnb and VRBO and not with the apartment owner? I don't mean to insult, but there have been so many scams perpetrated here in the UK of late I thought I would check. :)

regards

"This owner offers the following payment options*


Bank Transfer
 - 
Once your reservation has been confirmed by the owner, VRBO will email you instructions for paying by Bank Transfer"

This is what it says on the VRBO page. I've always just paid by credit card or paypal for other rentals, so that is why I am concerned. I will ask the owner if any of those options would be possible.

Thanks everyone for you quick and helpful responses!

I don't know where you live. We live in the US, and it is very pricey for bank transfers. Many European apartment owners do not know this because intra-European transfers are extremely cheap for them. We used to pay the exorbitant fees, but last year we heard about a new method which has very low fees compared to other methods. We successfully used it for a trip in France last fall and will definitely use it again when we need to make transfers.

https://transferwise.com/us/

I think PayPal is also expanding its availability outside the US.

This is why I prefer to use AirBnB. I have done bank transfers for Africa and Ecuador. I once had trouble about incorrect information on a transfer to Africa - bank's fault. It took over a month to fix and cost mr even more money. Every time I would go to the bank I got doom and gloom warnings about the money not getting there, grilling me that all the details were correct and then them expecting me to know how they had to fill out THEIR computer screens. Very stressful and no guarantee they would do it correctly.
As stated, VRBO, Homeaway and other common 3rd party sites allow the owner to dictate method of payment of deposits, final payments,and also security deposit.
In Europe, I have ample lodging choice. My criteria is credit card payment, no final payment until after I have seen the lodging, and no cash security deposits.
That all being said, this is my experience and may not be yours. If you work with an institution used to sending bank transfers, and they won't make you feel guilty, stupid or a fool for sending it, then it should go fine. I am sure you have balanced the pros and cons of the extra costs to the apartment. Some are so enticing and beautiful, the extra work to rent it is all worth it in the end.

I had the same issue with an agriturismo in Cilento, Italy. They had also said I could pay by Western Union. But the transfers were so $$$$, so I wrote to the owner who agreed to hold a credit card number as a deposit if I would pay in cash upon departure. Maybe you could ask about that...then you could get the cash at an ATM.

If you have to transfer money, it's much better to use a service like Transferwise.

I use Xoom, which has been bought by Paypal. I don't know if that's what was meant above when Mme Perdu mentioned Paypal being available for international use. However, Xoom is not for commercial transactions. I use it to send money to family members in the US and to transfer money from my US account to my Italian account.

Paypal has been available internationally for a long time for making purchases online.

Bank transfers are slow, expensive, and I have also had mistakes made.

huh, I don't use VRBO so have no idea what they require, but I have paid by Paypal quite a few years ago to apt owners in France. A bank transfer isn't really necessary as there are other options. Paypal has been available to pay foreigners for a long time. I think they charge a fee but am not sure what it is. Of course so do bank transfers, and I'd much prefer using a CC with Paypal. I think the fee may be 0.5 pct, at least used to be. But doesn't matter if you have no choice, I guess, what Paypal charges.