Sending Money Overseas

[Teacher Mark 53]

In the past day I have noticed several posts that discuss sending money overseas. Without getting into a debate over whether or not this is beneficial in the quest to document an ongoing relationship I would like to post my experience.

1.) American Express Moneygram.

https://www.emoneygram.com/eMoneyGram/accountLink.do

I only used them 2 times. The money got there w/o a problem. That is always a good thing! I am impressed with the fact that they know that Viet Nam is actually 2 words. I never knew that until we started this journey. They are convenient in the fact that you can go to any Wal Mart to send the money. Thye charged me $10 for a $100.00 transaction. I never researched how much it was to do it online, but I am assuming that it would be $14.00 to send $100.00 to VN since that is the price that came up when I used their calculator (why more when you eliminate the human interaction?). Regardless I found that:

2.) Western Union was cheaper.

http://www.westernunion.com/info/selectCountry.asp

They also suit my particular needs better since I am a truck driver. You can go to any Pilot truck stop or travel center between 7am and 11pm and complete a transaction.

The thing that I did not understand (and some of their agents AND employees don't know this) is that they have a service called Western Union Direct Connect (Pilot may be the only place to do this type of transaction). Call 877.984.0473 and they will ask you for the information. They will then assign you a Money Transfer Control Number. You then take the control number to the desk and give them the money. YOU CANNOT DO THIS AT ANY W/U. They must be a direct connect agent. It is only $6 to send up to $300.00? to Viet Nam. I used the regular service once and it was a little more. The reason was that it was not direct connect. What amazes me is that it is actually much cheaper to send money there that it is to send it to the other side of the world! I am sure that they make a little on the exchange rate but it is nominal. You can also opt to have your loved one receive U.S. currency. I was also amazed to find out that they wanted $20.00 for an online transaction (once again why more?). You can also sign up for a preferred customer card and get a free transaction occasionally plus phone card minutes. I think they may have made changes to that program though. The thing I like about the card is that I only have to give them the information once. In my subsequent transactions I provide the Customer number and they have the information from the previous transaction already. Which brings me to another problem I ran into with them once. It was the formatting of the name for the receiver. This was a Viet Nam specific problem (Last, First, SPACE Middle). We had an instance were my fiancee' was unable to get he money (temporarily) once because of this. I was actually the one to blame there. I took it upon myself to format the name properly. They switched it automatically and things got all screwed up. You should give them the information in your local format and they will change it automatically. If you run into a problem call the International Desk (make sure and ask them if it is the I/D at the beginning of the conversation as sometimes their lines get crossed) at 800.752.6077. They resolved my problem quickly (on a Friday night/Saturday morning). I now make sure and check my receipt to make sure everything is correct. The only other problem I have experienced is the outsourcing problem that has permeated customer service in America. I mean no offense to anyone but sometimes it is hard to understand their agents (I think they are in Mexico).

I don't want to sound like a Western Union pitch man here but this has been my experience. They pissed me off on more than one occasion because their agents seemed inept. I threatened never to use them again and found myself right back there the next month because of convenience and safety. Sprint customer service has hardened me to the point that Western Union is like a walk in the park! The fees that they charge are very reasonable considering the time and distance involved. I am sure that every country has different fees. Check the exchange rate and make sure they are not taking advantage. I hope this information can help somebody. I had to learn through trial and error!

[PeterFB 0]

I have been sending money to Thi thru Xoom.com They will deliver the money to her home and it's cheap.. $2 for $100 if you use your checking account. Since I've been using them a lot , they now deliver the money before it comes out of my account. That means the money will show up the next day usually.

Peter and Thi

I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26

I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11

I-129F RFE(s) :

RFE Reply(s) :

I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26

Touched: 2007-11-02

NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16

Consulate recieved ??????

Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11

Packet 3 received 2007-12-24

Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28

[Etrnaly 0]

The cheapest way to send money is by Wells Fargo. Your wife/husband in Viet Nam will need to get a bank account at InCom Bank.

https://www.wellsfargo.com/per/intl_remittance/vietnam

Talk to the accounts person at Wells Fargo. I was able to get a plan that allowed me to send money for free (I think I got one of these accounts: "Fee discounted 100% for each remittance if you own and maintain a Wells Fargo®PMA® Package, Wells Fargo Complete Advantage® Package, or Wells Fargo Premium Membership® Package"). All I needed was a monthly recurring transfer of $75 from my checking account to my savings account. I just leave $100 in my checking, and set up another recurring transfer of $75 back from my savings to my checking. What's also nice is that the bank gives your SO a call when the money went through. Even if your SO doesn't have a bank account at InCom Bank, the transfer fee is $8-10, which will be cheaper if you send larger amounts of money. I believe Western Union charges $0.50 per $50 that you send.

[wait4ever 0]

If there is a Vietnamese community near where you live, often they have a money transfer service. It can be a separate business sending faxes and transferring money, or it could be a Vietnamese video store or grocery store offering money transfer. I paid about $3 to $4 per $100 sent. It was a very fast and reliable service. My wife says they usually give the delivery person a tip(optional) when the money arrives, usually about 50,000 dong.

[Jasman0717 9]

I opened a savings account at my credit union and gave Claudeth the ATM. The charge was $1.50 to withdraw money, up to 15000 pesos at once, and the conversion rate was very good. This saved me a ton of money from using Western Union.

[Kevin and 10]

If there is a Vietnamese community near where you live, often they have a money transfer service. It can be a separate business sending faxes and transferring money, or it could be a Vietnamese video store or grocery store offering money transfer. I paid about $3 to $4 per $100 sent. It was a very fast and reliable service. My wife says they usually give the delivery person a tip(optional) when the money arrives, usually about 50,000 dong.

This is what I use. They charge a minimal fee and its usually a day or two for Tuyen to get the money.

[David_n_Amber 3]

I transfered money from my account to my fiance's account in the USA through my bank. Its a standard 30 dollar Fee for any transactions under 25,000. I think its a good deal and you're 99% sure it'll get there.

[CK&Tydi 0]

You guy should try this place

http://www.legoitienle.com

It costs $1 for $100 sent to HCM City. Money will arrive within a day. For Saigon, it is much faster. I sent the money Sunday afternoon at 2PM. My wife family got the money around noon time in Vietnam. It is much cheaper than Western Union.

[ding 1]

Bangkok Bank is the ONLY Thai bank with a (domestic) FED routing number -- with any other bank the routing must be by international SWIFT code.

The BKK Bank Fed routing Number is: 026008691

Washington Mutual's free checking gold card charges no fees on this end. Platinum account will charge, however.

[Jasman0717 9]

I found Western Union to be overly expensive so opened up another account with my credit union and gave Claudeth the card. She could withdraw up to 15,000 pesos a day and the transaction fee was only $1.50, way less than WU.