Has anybody tried the debit card funds transfer scheme?
 

To get a large amount of money to Europe without sizeable wire transfer fees, the following method has been suggested:

Open a checking account with your apartment or <i>gite</i> payment in full - plus a reserve for currency markup.

Mail a debit or ATM card for the account to the landlord.

Email the PIN to the landlord.

Then ll can then extract the rent from a local ATM, a few hundred &pound; or &euro; at a time - whatever your bank and the ATM bank allow.

I'd be interested to hear from someone if this works.

When I did a wire transfer to a landlord last year it was an extra 15 euros for his end and a few dollars at my end. Certainly not sizeable IMHO.

How much do your banks charge for a wire transfer?

I've just booked a Paris apartment and the landlord had paypal - that made life a lot easier.

I think this is my &quot;scheme&quot; although I wouldn't use those exact words.
Last summer we saw an apartment/gite that we will rent for this summer. I have reserved my dates and proposed this payment plan. She thinks it might be a little to complicated. I will give her a deposit after the new year and will try one last time to do it this way. I have looked into other transfers and there just isn't an easy cheap alternative, western union $$$, bank wire $35, bank draft $20 + 15.
I have used this now with a niece and nephew who were traveling in Europe and the middle east. I sent them the cards, they emailed me to thank me, I emailed them the secutity code and how much they could take out...worked like a charm. They gave me back the card when they returned home!

&quot;Scheme&quot; doesn't connote &quot;scam&quot; - it merely denotes an arrangement or plan.

I'm surprised that anyone would think that tapping an ATM was complicated.

Yes, but you usually do this to send money to your family or friends abroad. You get a free bank accout or just a debit card from Deutsche Bank (sparcard24) or Postbank (Sparcard). Those ones don't require that you open a checking account, but you still get a BIC, IBAN number so it's easy and free to transfer money to that card from Germany or anywhere else in &euro;-Land.

You send card and pin abroad to your family member, so he can use it without having to pay conversion fees.

If it works like that TO Europe, I don't know, but FROM Europe it's rather common.

It's a good way for parents to get funds rapidly to their children overseas - whether touring or university.

It also allows you to monitor their spending

I'm planning to employ the &quot;Just Discovered Gold Ring at the Foot of the Eifel Tower&quot; scheme on my upcoming vacation. I should be able to finance the entire trip if I can find the right non-Fodor's-reading tourists.

Otzi, don't forget the &quot;I'm a wealthy business person and need to sell my coat scam&quot;

You can also say your are on an American reality TV show and you need to beg money on the streets to finish your task.

Wait, don't do that, I'm going to try that on my next trip...

:-)

dave

Hi Robes,

Have you considered asking the LL to take a check in USD for the necessary amount plus bank fees to hold against you making the payment in cash when you get to Europe?

Depending on what you have your bank set your daily limit at, you can provide the cash amount in one or two payments.

((I))

Yes. I already know how that works.