My bank charged me £20!!!!

[johncr]

I opened an account at NatWest and they charged me £20 to pay the Google check. What is worse they told me one thing (they said no charges apply) and did the contrary. Please let me know how much your bank charge you to cash US$ checks, outside US of course.

[SEbasic]

Barclays are better.

I can't remember how much better though. I think it's about a tenner.

[johncr]

Will check that, thanks. Another one please?

[l234244]

HSBC charged me a £5 through a current account, I think it is less for a business account.

[Trance-formation]

Halifax charged me £10 (IRC)

[johncr]

Hmmm. Your banks are much better than mine. However, have checked HSBC and saw no tariff for US$ checks. £5 is reasonable though.

[Sven]

I opened an account at NatWest and they charged me £20 to pay the Google check. What is worse they told me one thing (they said no charges apply) and did the contrary. Please let me know how much your bank charge you to cash US$ checks, outside US of course.

Open a USD account with Natwest (took me minutes over the counter). Cost = £0.

And plus the USD might grow against the GBP and be worth more.

Plus you might go on holiday to the states and have some commission free spending money.

I don't use the google money, it goes in the USD account and sits and waits :)

[Trance-formation]

Now thats a good idea... didn't know you could do that

[johncr]

Open a USD account with Natwest (took me minutes over the counter). Cost = £0.
And plus the USD might grow against the GBP and be worth more.
Plus you might go on holiday to the states and have some commission free spending money.
I don't use the google money, it goes in the USD account and sits and waits :)

Sure! It sounds good to me too. Will ask tomorrow at Natwest while asking why they charged me £20. Good input Fira.

But Fira, wait a minute please. Do you mean NatWest charges you nothing when you deposit the Google checks or they still charges you £20 for such transaction?

[l234244]

John that was £5 not $5, just to clarify. Seems like there is a better option now available.

[Sven]

Sure! It sounds good to me too. Will ask tomorrow at Natwest while asking why they charged me £20. Good input Fira.

But Fira, wait a minute please. Do you mean NatWest charges you nothing when you deposit the Google checks or they still charges you £20 for such transaction?

Nothing at all. Because you're putting the currency into a currency account. Therefore theres no exchange rate / administration costs.

I'm full of good ideas on Tuesdays :)

[johncr]

Yes l234244 it was my fault. I use a US laptop you know :) it's £5 not $5. Thanks. Will edit that typo.

Nothing at all. Because you're putting the currency into a currency account. Therefore theres no exchange rate / administration costs.
I'm full of good ideas on Tuesdays :)

Yes you are!!! Thanks a lot will ask that morrow morning.

[l234244]

I wish the HSBC bank had a US laptop, wouldnt cost as much to put all these cheques in.

[THT]

barclays charge £5 over £50 after conversion and £9 over 100

[johncr]

So, Barclays seems to be better option than Halifax for the later charges £10 over $100 (this is dollars) :). Thanks THT

[DomainLoot]

Bank of Montreal (Canada) - No charge!
They simply convert it to CDN$ and deposit it in my account.

I wouldn't mind paying $1 or $2 per cheque, but $5, $10 or $20 - forget it...
there has to be another way!

Mike

[johncr]

Worse maxweb! I'm talking about £20 that is US$37+.
Move your bank to London :)
That's why some people says America (I mean the continent) it's the best place to live.

Another way? A global common currency?

[vord]

Hello - I'M BACK!

I contacted Google about this. They say they can hold the cheques (checks) for up to 6 months - they just tot up the earnings and send you a cheque at the end of the hold period. That means you pay once per cheque rather than once per $100.

If you want payments holding for longer after that you can ask them again.
Just e-mail the normal adsense contact address and say please hold my payments from this date to that date.

You have to send the e-mail by the 5th of the month following the first month for which you want the payments to be held.

:)

[johncr]

Thanks Vord, I was waiting for new rules on this matter but I never asked Google.
The danger is: what if they close AdSense, say due to bankruptcy. Many years ago I lost $900 when Heathkit shutdown the Heath Users' Group.

[oziii]

Here in Australia I only pay $10 to cash a cheque - in fact they only charge me $10 to cash as many as I want to do at once. However the thing that peeves me off is the length of time $US cheques over $2000 take to clear.

It takes 6 weeks! They have to send cheques of that size back to the US for verification.

So from the first day of the month when I earn money on my site it takes 7 or so weeks to get the cheque and then another 6 weeks to get the money from it.

Its a bit of a joke.

[melfan]

Thanks Vord, I was waiting for new rules on this matter but I never asked Google.
The danger is: what if they close AdSense, say due to bankruptcy. Many years ago I lost $900 when Heathkit shutdown the Heath Users' Group.

Closing adsense for the coming months is quite near to impossible. Alot a reasonable delay for example every 3 months then you'll be safe

[jarvi]

Here in Australia I only pay $10 to cash a cheque - in fact they only charge me $10 to cash as many as I want to do at once. However the thing that peeves me off is the length of time $US cheques over $2000 take to clear.

It takes 6 weeks! They have to send cheques of that size back to the US for verification.

So from the first day of the month when I earn money on my site it takes 7 or so weeks to get the cheque and then another 6 weeks to get the money from it.

Its a bit of a joke.

Ozii, if you use Westpac they charge $10 for up to four cheques for the same currency. If you get to know the local branch people and hold a sufficient amount in your accounts they can negotiate the cheque on the spot and deposit the cash as cleared funds. Of course you sign a disclaimer that if there is a problem then they'll grab the money back. I think it is up to the local manager as to how they deal with them. Most bank staff try to tell me it will take 6 weeks and I say no, check with your manager. This is with checks way over US$2000. If they still baulk then just say you will go to a different branch that you know will do it.

That said, Westpac is still a crappy bank with crappy service but they are all as bad as each other and it would be too much paperwork to change.

[john_loch]

Ozii, if you use Westpac they charge $10 for up to four cheques for the same currency. If you get to know the local branch people and hold a sufficient amount in your accounts they can negotiate the cheque on the spot and deposit the cash as cleared funds. Of course you sign a disclaimer that if there is a problem then they'll grab the money back. I think it is up to the local manager as to how they deal with them. Most bank staff try to tell me it will take 6 weeks and I say no, check with your manager. This is with checks way over US$2000. If they still baulk then just say you will go to a different branch that you know will do it.

That said, Westpac is still a crappy bank with crappy service but they are all as bad as each other and it would be too much paperwork to change.

Well, actually, if you're in Queensland, you could use UNICU (University Credit Union - http://www.unicu.org.au/)

I'm charged $10AU for as many cheques as I care to cash simultaneously, and the funds are cleared to my acct straight away - I'm yet to see a ceiling on the amounts.

What's more, the service is impeccable. They know me by name, and my local branch manager even knows my acct no off by heart !

I'm yet to receive bad service from them, and for me, that really is saying something - I insist on the best service. I've put them through the mill too - like: I'm getting wired x amnt, so cheque xyz will have a stop payment on it. When it comes back, call me and pull funds from x to cover it etc etc. VERY good ppl to bank with.

And you know what ? I'm a nobody. If you know banks, that says it all.

The key is to find a credit union or bank that caters to a large international community (like university students), that need immediate access to their funds. I think there would be a simillar arrangement in other areas/regions :)

Cheers,

JL

[expat]

I opened an account at NatWest and they charged me £20 to pay the Google check. What is worse they told me one thing (they said no charges apply) and did the contrary. Please let me know how much your bank charge you to cash US$ checks, outside US of course.
Is it private or business account?

NatW business account presently US cheque on US Bank £5.50 and 1%

Just complain!

Cheques are valid 90 days it maybe an idea to bundle up they had an offer like
£5.50 for up to $500 regardless of amount of cheques paid in on one slip.

Also be carefull NatWest has a computer glitch where they make you pay when you transfer money from business to personal account.
Vie cheque it should only be .50 but they regularly overcharge me £18!!
M

[ojm]

Does anyone know how much Australian banks charge, prefrably the National Australia Bank? I should be getting my first cheque soon, hopefully it isn't too much.

[johncr]

Open a USD account with Natwest (took me minutes over the counter). Cost = £0.
Fira, I did search this forum and found this gem:
(I tried a US dollar account with NatWest who said there were no charges but when I opened the account and paid in some cheques I found I had been mislead!)
Any advise would be gratfully accepted.The thread (http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=4428)
Should I open a US$ account with NatWest or move out? Critical decision I hate $%&# banks!! :mad:

[johncr]

I received an apologize letter in response to my claim. In short: exchange rate: 1.873, Comission: £5.50.

I thought you might be interested.

[Weirfire]

I may open the Natwest USD account as well. I'll have to find something to buy in America which I can sell in the UK. ;)

[expat]

I may open the Natwest USD account as well. I'll have to find something to buy in America which I can sell in the UK. ;)
Tip send it to your paypal account in $ and pay hosting / domains / software / membership fees etc directly to the US in $ also "saves" you vat if you're not vat registered....

M

[Weirfire]

That's actually a very good idea. My hosting is a UK company but I pay them in USD.

Is there tax on currency exchange? I'm just wondering if it would be illegal to exchange USD for GBP with friends who are going to US for a holiday. I'm not going to be making thousands on adsense but enough for me to want some of it in GBP.

[jontelofot]

My bank here in Sweden charges me 120SEK = £12 = $17. I guess it doesn't really matter as long as the checks are for more than $200-300, but if the checks are for less, it could be pretty annoying...

[Rik]

Can anyone tell me how many days barcklays or halifax takes to cashout the Google Cheque ? I got my first cheque yesterday.

[crazyhorse]

Read somewhere twenty days but i guess that depends on what your location is..

[SEbasic]

I may open the Natwest USD account as well. I'll have to find something to buy in America which I can sell in the UK. Natwest are crap.

I hate natwest but just can't be arsed to move.
I've used those guys since I was 8 or 9 years old, and in that time I have had many a bad experience with them.

My reccomendation - Go anywhere other than Natwest.

[Rik]

I asked how many days barcklays or halifax takes?

Anyone from UK and knows about it? Please let me know.

[Doortek]

John, is it possible that you could open a PayPal account, get their debit Master Card and then have Google make payment to your PayPal bank account? You could then use the debit card to pay or buy whatever you want; or transfer monies from PayPal to your now bank account via ACH transfer without a conversion fee. Just thoughts... Dave

[eduardomaio]

Here in Portugal my bank charged me €11.80 for it... I'm now waiting to see how much time it takes for them to clear the money...

[dct]

I asked how many days barcklays or halifax takes?

Anyone from UK and knows about it? Please let me know.

I paid 2 cheques into Barclays on the 29/12/04 and they show cleared in my account on 30/12/04.

On the provided form I used the 'Currency to Currency Deferred' option, this means the bank credits me the balance before they have received the funds hence I receive credit quicker. You can try asking at the bank for an explanation of the process, in my experience most of the counter staff don't really know. The last page o the forms also explains how the different exchange methods worked, but this just read as typical banking gobbly gook to me.

[Rik]

I paid 2 cheques into Barclays on the 29/12/04 and they show cleared in my account on 30/12/04.

On the provided form I used the 'Currency to Currency Deferred' option, this means the bank credits me the balance before they have received the funds hence I receive credit quicker. You can try asking at the bank for an explanation of the process, in my experience most of the counter staff don't really know. The last page o the forms also explains how the different exchange methods worked, but this just read as typical banking gobbly gook to me.


Hey dude,

How much Barclay charged to clear your cheque?

[dct]

They charged 9 UKP, this was to a business account but I think personal account charges are the same.

[CrazyBoy]

My bank charges $2.5 or 0.25% of check amount. Whichever is greater.

[vord]

Mine has now started charging £0.25 for incoming electric transfers. With a £10 minimum charge per month of course.

I'm changing banks.

[Blogmaster]

Are all british banks that high when it comes to charging fees?

[vord]

Personal accounts tend not to have any transaction fees in the UK for normal day to day stuff. (US currency checks aren't considered day to day, so the fees you see here are normal).

It's a bummer if G gives you £60 and your bank takes £20 (which has happened to me in the past).

Business accounts tend to charge a monthly fee plus transaction charges. Mine keeps adding random charges, so they'll steal more than £300 from me every year - and that's not unusual. I've moving to the Abbey that has free business banking.

[Blogmaster]

ahh ic. I don't think I've ever deposited an international check. international money orders, yes. but I didn't think it would make a difference where the check was coming from, other than how long it may take to clear.

[greenway]

Why are your cheques in dollars and not £,s ?

[SEbasic]

Because they come from America.

[aeiouy]

Because they come from America.

Actually I think that google mails its checks out of Ireland. :)

But they are on an American Bank.

[SEbasic]

Huh - Well there you go. :)

[Design Agent]

Why not use eft?

I only took the first google cheque because I wanted to see what it looked like. - wasnt worth holding onto though.

[greenway]

Actually I think that google mails its checks out of Ireland. :)

But they are on an American Bank.

They send them out of ireland or sweden.
Just change to £,s in your account,there conversion looses you no money.

[Weirfire]

They send them out of ireland or sweden.
Just change to £,s in your account,there conversion looses you no money.

Except for the ridiculous exchange rate they give you. :eek:

[Blogmaster]

I wished the world had just one currency and one language ... life would be so much easier ;)

[Weirfire]

I wished the world had just one currency and one language ... life would be so much easier ;)

They did used to have 1 language until man tried to build a ladder to God, so before man hurt themselves God made them have different languages so they couldn't communicate. ;)

(When I say ladder I really mean the tower of Babel lol)

[Blogmaster]

I remember that story. Haven't been to Sunday school in quite some time. Amazing how much confusion and miscommunication exists between people on earth. And different languages and banking systems don't help make things any better.

[Weirfire]

I remember that story. Haven't been to Sunday school in quite some time. Amazing how much confusion and miscommunication exists between people on earth. And different languages and banking systems don't help make things any better.

And if that wasn't enough, different accents for different regions. There's this fella over here in Ireland thats from Ayr, Scotland and I can't make out a word he says lol.

[Blogmaster]

That is what tripped me out about Europe when I was there. Everywhere you go there is such a strong sense of nationality. Like who cares if you're from Wales or Scottland. All Britain to me ;) Even worse on the land ... Germany, Austria etc. You confuse one with the other, they get ready to kill you ;)

[vord]

The dollar seems as close to an international currency as we have. It's funny - the dollar is accepted in lots of different countries where the local currency is unreliable or restricted in some way. That means there are billions of dollars circulating outside the US. The funny thing is they are just bits of paper, but the US sells them for $1 each. :D Big money spinner for them.

[greenway]

Is the dollar international currency ?
What i mean by that is,if there is say a war in some country I always thought that with us dollars you could buy anything.

[Weirfire]

Like who cares if you're from Wales or Scotland.
I'm glad you said Wales and not England :D

[Blogmaster]

I'm glad you said Wales and not England :D
I think I almost did .... heh

[Weirfire]

i cant believe you're nearly at 9000 posts site tutor :D

[Blogmaster]

Time flies. Kinda scarry. That hasn't happened at any other forum that my post count just goes up like that. I now have 25 posts on WMW as well, but that took me 3 years.

[3mice]

my bank charges me $13. For me it also takes 6 weeks to clear the cheque

[forgetmenot]

I was charged USD$30 + about $20 in local currency for postage,etc per cheque for last 2 years. Recently I switch bank and discover that I was supposed to be charged only USD$15 + about $20 postage....