Credit Card not accepted for cottage rental in Scotland
 

Hi,
Does anyone have suggestions for another way of paying for the deposit on a rental in Scotland? I would prefer not to do a bank transfer if possible. I was asked to send a check in pounds. American Express Travelers checks in pounds seems like a possibility but I see on these forums that they are no longer accepted universally.
Thanks for your suggestions.
Nancy

We had a similar situation in England. First, email or phone and ask if they accept travelers checks and which kind. Some use PayPal which is secure, easy and less costly -- I use that whenever possible. Your hosts may suggest alternatives. Inquire (or as the Brits say, "Enquire").

Call or e-mail the owner. They probably have rented to Americans before and may have another option. Or if they haven't rented to colonials before - they may not realize how difficult/expensive it can be for us to issue £ checks or bank drafts.

One thing you can discuss w/ them (which is why a phone call may be better than e-mails) -- is to send them a US$ check that they would hold until your arrival and return to you when you give them the cash in £.

I've done this maybe 4 or 5 times over the years when dealing w/private owners who aren't set up for credit cards. Worth a shot anyway.

Why would you prefer not to do a bank transfer?

Certainly the other way round (sending money from Britain to the US) the price - and complexity - is broadly the same as paying by credit card. Maybe your bank's different: but have you asked?

Or are you just trying to dump the cost of the transaction onto the vendor?

In general bank transfers cost quite a bit from US banks to Europe. Mine charges $15 plus an awful exchange rate. Some banks charge as much as $50.

It is significantly more complicated and expensive to get a bank draft or a check in pounds in the US than to use a credit card. It is not a common transaction in many banks.

janisj. You are lucky if it only costs you $15. Our last deposit was more but that may have changed since PNC took over. And Nikki our local bank always looks at me like I am from Mars whenever I have had to do it. Talk about complicated. I have actually had to tell them how.
I would second the suggestion of contacting the owner and just asking. Sometimes they are flexible.

Could you get a UK prepaid card? Send them the card and once they recieve it you transfer the ballance - they can take the card to a cashpoint and withdraw cash.

http://www.compareprepaid.co.uk/pay-as-you-go-card.html

http://www.fairfx.com/wizard/start/card