Pay your Deposit with a Card

How to beat the currency exchange system with credit card payments on property purchases.

Pay your overseas property deposit with a credit, or debit, card and get a better rate of exchange than you would by using the card abroad.

If you find yourself in the fortunate position of being able to buy that property abroad, and you need to place a deposit on the property to secure the one you want, then there is an answer. It doesn’t matter if your deposit has to be paid to a builder, your lawyer, or your overseas bank account.

Pay your initial deposit with your debit, or credit, card.

However, before you get too excited, consider this. I was in Spain towards the end of last summer, and used my UK Bank debit card to draw some Euros at the “Hole in the wall”. I drew money on two consecutive days. The exchange rate between the pound and the euro had barely altered, but one bank gave me 1.19 euros to the pound. The other bank gave a rate of 1.23 euros to the pound. If, like me, you suffer from terrible thirst when it’s hot and you need £200 to pay for the drinks, the difference is €8. “Just €8!” I hear you say.

Well change that figure of £200 to £3000 as a house deposit and the difference between one bank’s foreign exchange rate and the other’s is now €120. Not a huge amount, but still worth saving.

FX-Foreignexchange have a facility, through their currency exchange partners, where you can now pay your initial deposit to secure a property abroad by using your debit or credit card. You get an even better rate than the banks can offer. It’s a safe way to pay and painless.

Just call FX-Foreignexchange on 0044 (0)1480 458400, (or email for them to contact you from here) , register your details with them, give them the details of where you want your deposit to go, and they take the payment in your local currency, change it, and send it to the account you’ve asked for it to be sent to.

Paying your overseas property deposit couldn’t be easier. You may even want to spend the money you save on a special dinner to celebrate how clever you are!

A couple of little things, FX-Foreignexchange can’t take card payments over £10,000, and they can’t take less than £2500. On the basis that most initial deposits for new homes abroad are €3,000, or £2,500, this shouldn’t present a problem.

The other area to consider is if you use the same company to change your further stage payments, the difference when using my example, is €1,200 when you change £30,000.

That’s a bit more interesting than the €8 I saved!

Money Transfer to Canada

Money Transfer from the UK to Canada

There are many ways to transfer your money from the UK to Canada. In the past, most people have called their own bank and asked them to change their GB Pounds to Canadian Dollars. Currently, there are so many more cost effective ways to do this.

If you choose to use your bank, it’s likely that they will not necessarily:

1. Grant you the best rate of exchange available at that moment
2. They are likely to charge you a commission
3. They will almost definitely charge a fee for making the money transfer to Canada

If you knew about a way to save on each of the 3 areas, it’s likely you would use it, especially, as the foreign exchange specialists are usually faster than the high street banks as it’s all they do!

Some Expats, or second home buyers, in Canada simply open an account with HSBC as they allow the client to have accounts in Canadian Dollars and GB Pounds.

• The advantage of doing this is you have flexibility to move the money between your accounts when the currency exchange rate suits you.
• The disadvantages are that HSBC don’t have as many branches as Canada’s own local main banks in the cities. And, you are unlikely to get a great rate of exchange each time you switch between accounts.

Foreign exchange specialists, like fx-foreignexchange.com are now the more likely route for a second property buyer, or expat, to use for larger currency transfers from the UK to Canada. They already have an account with HSBC in Canada and the UK.

The advantages of using FX-Foreignexchange to exchange your £’s to Canadian Dollars are:

• The service is safe and swift.
• They generally offer a better rate of exchange (Saving thousands on larger transactions).
• They don’t charge a commission.
• They don’t charge a fee to transfer the money.
• You can also set a rate of exchange that you are prepared to deal at, and FX-Foreignexchange will contact you when the currencies meet that figure so you can buy at the best rate of exchange.

The disadvantage, when compared to a high street bank, is difficult to see as there doesn’t appear to be one!

If you are looking to exchange GB Pounds into Canadian Dollars, call FX-Foreignexchange on +44 (0)1480 458400 for a quote, or simply ask for an explanation on how to save money when transferring abroad.

Or go to the fx-foreignexchange site

Tips on Emigrating to Australia

Emigrating to Australia on your own steam
The first step in emigrating, is to find out if you are eligible to live in Australia. You can do this by contacting your nearest Australia High commission who will be able to assist. They will send you the relevant information regarding your application process.
You should allow a minimum of 12 months for a successful application to be processed. It is absolutely crucial that any paperwork submitted to Australia House is done so correctly or your application will be returned to you, and you will, unfortunately, have to re apply. Fees will also vary dramatically depending upon the visa category you are applying under. With police checks, medical records, government fees, and more, the cost of the application can sometimes be a considerable expense.
Use an emigration specialist consultancy
A migration agent is like using a lawyer to represent you in court. They will initially give you a free consultation and will let you know straight away if you are eligible for migration. If you are, they will begin to advise on the fees and time limits involved. They will then advise you of all relevant forms, references and documents that you will need to obtain for them to submit the application on your behalf.
If you choose to use an agent your migration process can be a lot quicker. In some cases, they may even save you money as you can be certain that your application will be submitted correctly the first time. It certainly will take a lot of unnecessary stress away from the migration process. For that reason alone, we would strongly recommend to anyone who is considering emigrating, to use a Migration Agent.
Buying your Australian Dollars.
Whether you are buying your Australian Dollars with British Pounds, American Dollars, Euros or any other foreign currency, it pays to shop around.
The standard route, involved beating a path loyally to your local bank and asking them to make the money transfer on your behalf to Australia. This generally involves a few costs that you won’t have to bear elsewhere. You are likely to be charged extra for making the currency transfer, and for your Australian bank to receive the funds. In addition, a high street bank doesn’t necessarily give the best foreign exchange rate which is the biggest difference between the bank and a foreign currency exchange specialist.
Consider this:
Your bank offers you a rate of 2.10 Australian Dollars to £1. You buy £150,000 worth at that rate, believing that it’s the same everywhere and you end up with 315,000 Australian Dollars, before they have taken their commission!
OR, you use a global currency exchange specialist and they give you a better rate of 2.1549 Australian Dollars (as it is today) to £1, giving you net proceeds of 323,235 Australian Dollars for your £150,000.
Net result, you have saved yourself £3,821 ( or 8235 dollars) to spend on something else when you get to Australia like a second hand car, tax and insurance! No effort was required. It didn’t take any longer. You just end up with more money.
Save money when emigrating, buy your Australian Dollars here, or just visit the site to view the latest rate.

Buying Thai Property, Currency Transfers

Buying Property in Thai Baht.

Buying Thai Baht at the best currency exchange rate is a relatively simple exercise. Call your broker!

However, buying Thai Baht at the best exchange rate in order to buy property in Thailand, as a foreigner. That’s not such a simple task. Choose a broker who understands the Thai property system, as there is a specific Act, the 1991 Condominium Act, which applies to non-residents who aim to buy a condominium in Thailand.

If a non-resident person wishes to transfer money into Thailand to buy a property there, they must obtain a Foreign exchange Transaction Certificate for each payment. This certificate comes from the beneficiary bank and every certificate will need to be shown to the Land Department in order to register the title of the condominium. As an aside, the currency exchange transfer instruction needs to state that it is for the purpose of buying condominium.

There’s a catch though. If you transfer money into Thailand for this purpose, you need to ensure that each currency exchange is for US$20,000 as a minimum, otherwise you would need to obtain a credit note from the bank instead.
Transferring money to Thailand:
1. The money must be T/T (Telex-Transferred), with a document identifying the name of the purchaser in the form of either the sender’s or receiver’s name. For example:

Mr. Jones wants to buy a condominium in Thailand. He has his own account at an overseas bank to buy the condominium, he has to instruct the overseas bank to issue the document in his name as the sender of that amount to his (savings) account in Thailand, or any law firm (with the permission from the particular firm) after which the appointed company will buy that condominium for him,

(or)

It is possible for the buyer to ask a third party to transfer the money for him to buy the property by identifying himself as the receiver. This could be done by using a currency exchange Company such as fx-foreignexchange, who would offer the best rates at that moment for buying Thai Baht and would then organise the money transfer to Thailand.

2. The purchaser has to include the transfer instruction indicating that the purpose of this money is to buy a condominium unit.

The bank that receives money in foreign currency will issue the document (Foreign Exchange Transaction) which contains the following information:
- The transferred amount in foreign currency
- The transferred amount in Thai Baht
- The name of money sender

In order to get the best currency exchange rate in Thai Baht, whether selling Australian Dollars, US Dollars, GB Pounds, AE Dirhams or Euros, contact the experts, Fx-Foreignexchange.com and they will quote the best rate for the Baht today.
+44 (0)1480 458 400

Getting the Best Exchange Rate today

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