I am trying to pay for a tour ticket online, but I cannot pay via credit card. I have to transfer money - how does one do that?

Here were my instructions:

<<It isn’t possible to pay the ticket with a credit card online.
Please transfer the money, € 7,50, to bankacccount;
IBAN NL75 INGB 0650 6908 69 BIC code INGBNL2A and mention number 42408.
After payment you will receive the ticket by e-mail.

Thanks for any assistance!

If you call your bank and tell them to do it with that info,I bet it will cost you at least $25. I wouldn't book any such ticket myself, that seems ridiculous for a business to require bank transfers rather than accepting credit cards. Of course you have no security that way in any manner, nor if the tour doesn't exist.

If you have a Paypal account attached to your bank account, I think you can do it through Paypal with less fees than your bank would charge, if you have a US bank, in any case. I think they charge about 3% (Paypal).

There are various other websites where you can do that, such as www.forex.com, but they charge at least $5. There are apps on smartphones also that can do this, but I don't have one so can't advise on best deal there, like Transferwise or Currencyfair or Worldremit. Worldremit has a website that gives you fees, not too bad in USD, of course terrible in percentages to send that small an amt. But you can also check as it tells you what the recipient receives for some amt -- to get them to receive about 8 euro, I think you need to send about USD 9-10 and you have maybe $4 in fees.

>> that seems ridiculous for a business to require bank transfers rather than accepting credit cards <<

American arrogance. In Europe, we have the SEPA system of money transfers. Sorry that you Americans are so antediluvian when it comes to modern technologies. You may have to adapt to the modern world sometimes.

You can use a credit card with PayPal too. I don't know if the recipient has to have a PayPal account as well or not.
Make sure you carry all costs no matter which way you choose.

Which tour are you trying to book?

Yes, the recipient has to have a Paypal account too.

The tour is the Wonderous Climb at St Jan Cathedral in den Bosch.

Don't have to ask them if they have a paypal
Account?

BTW - heti, whereabouts generally are you in the Netherlands? Maybe we could meet for s quick lunch....

PhillyFan, are you going to the Hieronymous Bosch exhibit in Den Bosch? I hope so, knowing your fondness for art. We have tickets for the end of March.

We intend to go to the Jheronimous Bosch exhibit as well but haven't purchased tickets as yet. I have found the info a little confusing. How did you purchase your tickets? And thanks for mentioning the Cathedral tour.

Whatever the state of art of American banks compared to those in Europe (weren't there also all kind of issues with chip technology?), the tickets for the Bosch exhibition can be bought online with a credit card. And they even have provided an English language version of their website www.hetnoordbrabantsmuseum.nl/english

You may be able to book your tour once you get here, by phone rather than booking it online, or even once you are in Den Bosch. You know the tour is only in Dutch?

We are going to the Jheronimous Bosch exhibition on 15th February. You can buy those tickets online with a credit card, as Tom says. You then print them out. You can also book an audio tour at the same time.

I live not far from Amersfoort and Utrecht, about an hour by train from Amsterdam, due the changes I have to make - Amersfoort is only about half an hour away.

When are you visiting PhillyFan?

I used either xe.com or transferwise.com to pay a deposit on my rental in Amsterdam. Both tend to be cheaper than dealing with a bank, at least that was true in my case. Xe.com requires a registry the same as a bank, transferwise was les demanding, but that may depend on the amount being transferred, as it asked me for more information when I tried to transfer larger amounts (I started with low test amounts).

PhillyFan, you can email me a hetismijnl at gmail dot com.

Yes, I am going to the Bosch exhibit and am looking forward to it!

I did already purchase my Noordbrabants ticket.

Michael and Christina, I appreciate that info, as my bank said they would charge me $45 to do this!

Have you all seen all this info on things going on in Den Bosch for the Bosch 500?

http://www.bosch500.nl/en/press/press-kit

I spent all morning yesterday perusing all the plans.

I would love to do the Heaven And Hell cruise down the Binnendieze, but it notates that you can't go through the hell-gate in March because of the "hibernation of bats".

And thanks, heti, I will email you!

We didn't have any problem buying tickets online for the Bosch exhibit. Just went to the museum site, plugged in our credit card info, and voilà! But we have a French CC, so maybe that makes a difference.

It isn't for the exhibit that PhilliyFan is struggling, it is for an extra tour offered in connection with the whole Bosch celebration.

When are you in Den Bosch St.Cirq?

Phillyfan, you have mail.

Can you pay by card over the phone?

They don't accept credit cards. It isn't that unusual. It is a small organisation, aimed mainly at Dutch and European visitors who can pay either by bank transfer online, or with their bank card/cash in person, for free.

Credit card transactions are expensive, and they wouldn't get enough to reduce the fees they pay.
They rely to a large extent on volunteers to run the entire organisation.

I recently had to pay $45 to have a bank transfer made from my US bank to rent a cottage in Ireland. I also had to spend half an hour on the phone with my bank. It's true that these things are much more routine in Europe. It would have taken 2 or 3 minutes and cost very little to do it from my Italian bank account.

I use Xoom.com to transfer money between my US bank and my Italian bank. It costs a little less than $5, but with an exchange rate that isn't brilliant. It also takes about 4-5 days, but that's the fault of my Italian bank. Xoom doesn't do commercial transactions, though.

Explain the situation to them and ask to pay cash on the day?
It's not unusual for Dutch companies not to take credit cards. A bank transfer would work for anyone from Europe.

Den Bosch is a lovely town, enjoy your stay!

<i> It would have taken 2 or 3 minutes and cost very little to do it from my Italian bank account.
</i>

Same with xe.com. Transferwise takes longer, and when I used it, one could not specify the amount of deposit, only the amount of withdrawal. That's fine when transferring within a single currency, but creates problems when transferring between currencies. Xe.com has a friendlier interface in that regard.