Paying for lessons abroad

A snowHead

I am being asked to pay for ski school lessons via bank transfer with the ski school in Radstadt.

This also was asked for a ski school in Val Thorens though ended up using a different one which would take credit card.

I am rather concerned by using bank transfer firstly looks like I am going to get hefty fees on top. Secondly though, I have no protection paying by this method.

Am I alone in thinking this isn’t an acceptable ask?

A snowHead

@NickyJ, it's usual in Austria. If they wont take a card I can transfer euros from my Euro bank account for you and you can pay me in £s. It would suit me at the moment

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Why not ask Flangesax, aren't they local and would know the score and likely to know the ski school?

We paid (after a bit of to'ing and fro'ing) via bank transfer for accommodation in Austria so looks like its not unknown there.

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@NickyJ, I have paid for various things in austria via bank transfer in the past. It's expensive from a UK bank account but there are much cheaper ways, e.g. Transferwise (which I've used most recently) and Currencies Direct. Check out the info on Money Saving Expert - there are several options depending on how much you need to send.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I have used a credit card at this ski school Puzzled

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@NickyJ, OFX are good for doing foreign currency bank transfers.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free · Last edited by After all it is free on Wed 31-10-18 7:16; edited 1 time in total

@Tubaski, thanks I found that article which will help with the fees (but I made sure I got a the Halifax clarity card specifically for paying for this sort of thing!)

However it is the protection for me part,which makes me nervous. You have absolutely no come back and that makes me nervous.

Ok I guess it is unlikely but if the ski school go bust I will lose well over £700 paid by bank transfer. By credit card they are jointly liable so I will get that money back.

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Hi @NickyJ,

I've had a look through my emails, facebook and on here too... can't find a message Crying or Very sad

Drop me a PM and we can work out where we've missed it!

Paying by IBAN for all euro countries is pretty standard and incredibly easy, plus certainly within euro land there is a certain amount of protection too.

If you want the best deal I wouldn't through checkyeti!
Firstly, you won't get any discount that should be arranged by saying you are our guests (10%), secondly I can only imagine the commission rate is enough that there wouldn't be an easy way to grab any further discounts Shocked

There is a chance that the owner of the ski school (Berndt) is away at the moment. In which case he may not be able to process credit-card payments until he is back.
It looks like he has offered you a way to guarantee your slots at the school using bank transfer.
I'm sure if you ask again he may be able to arrange a time to pay by card.

However.... I've used this app since its release about 3 years ago.
I'm going to put my hand in my mouth and say that it offers THE cheapest transfers... interbank rates... that's a non-markup rate!... Oh and there is no commission to pay either.... oh, there is no transfer charge either...
There is a standard use clause (limiting spending to loads a month) but even if you pay for the service it comes out at about £7 a month and that is opt-in/opt-out so you don't have to pay a year up front, oh, and it is also a guaranteed account too... oh, and you can get a card that you can use that automatically debits from your swapped currency balance, or just debts from your main account (£'s if you like) to hole-in-the-wall euros for no charge...oh, and it offers peer-to-peer spending... told you its good wink

https://revolut.com/r/bend8l

and yep.... that is a referral code wink

@NickyJ, I'll also get in touch with the school to see whats happening!

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@NickyJ, if they won't take a credit card I would offer a 100€ deposit by bank transfer and the rest to be paid in cash at the start of the training. I certainly wouldn't pay the whole lot up front unless you have full confidence in the company and you get a discount.

Alternatively I would look for someone else. There's really no excuse nowadays for refusing credit card payments in an international market.

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@Alastair, I would hope she is already being offered a 10% discount.
A €100 transfer will probably carry the same cost as a €700 transfer.

@flangesax, NickyJ says she's concerned about payment protection, hence my suggestion which clearly limits her exposure.

I stand by my view that failure to accept international payments by credit card is daft. Yes, I'm used to accepting payments that way and it's easier for both customer and merchant.

You know it makes sense.

@NickyJ, Use Transferwise, I've been using them for years and they charge a fee of (currently) £4.29 for a £1000 transfer getting cheaper %wise as you transfer larger amounts. Safe and easy.

transferwise.com/u/petera94

I think it's about 5 years I've been using them for everything from ski accommodation to large European mortgage transfers where they bear teh brokers on fees. As well as minimum advertising (cuts costs) they rely on word of mouth a lot, if you use that link above it helps me as if 3 people you recommend use them you get £50. I've had that before and everyone who has used them (quite a few snowHeads) has been very happy Toofy Grin

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

TransferWise is an authorised Electronic Money Institution regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK.

We're required by law to protect your money by storing it in a low-risk financial institution (in Europe this is in our UK Barclays bank accounts).

That means that, in the unlikely event that TransferWise became insolvent, your money would be unaffected and should be refunded to you in full.

If our official Banking Institution (in Europe this would mean Barclays), became insolvent, your return of funds would not be guaranteed as the account is not guaranteed by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).

We take the safety and security of your money very seriously. We fulfil rigorous regulatory standards in UK, Europe, US, and every country we operate in. As such, millions of customers trust TransferWise with their money, we currently move over £1 billion around the world every single month.

A snowHead

@Scarpa, I've told you for bloody ages.... Revolut has NO FEES!... and exchanges at interbank!... It is one of those weird things you choose to ignore I think!

A snowHead

@Alastair, I get you but from a small business' point of view; I'll ask are there many undisclosed pre-paid cards from Eastern Europe you have to deal with? (These are useless for deposits). How many cards are cancelled between deposit and due full payments? How many clients cancel and then request a balance payment in cash? If you have a strong enough business or high demand, then you can ask a client to pay whichever way is best for the business rather than the client.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

get a currency card like Revoult. They do not charge fees.

I have used it to book our chalet. Obviously there is an element of risk, but I do my due diligence first.

Maybe offer to pay only a deposit?

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@flangesax, my Barclaycard doesn't charge me fees, exchanges at Visa market rates and gives me payment protection.

Refusal to accept such a card is the problem for NickyJ.

For a larger transfer I checked with multiple brokers and then got a better deal from my bank, saving me more than £800 compared with any other provider. The transfer was also immediate.

Cut out the middleman!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

https://revolut.com/r/bend8l

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@Alastair, I agree about the payment protection. Payment by credit card (not debit / visa debit / delta) can certainly offer piece of mind.

@NickyJ, Did the ski school actually refuse the card or only offer you a way to pay by IBAN? Have you asked the school if credit card is possible?

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

@flangesax, thanks. I used WhatsApp and will copy my message from there to a snowheads pm.

I have tried to follow the link but as I am now at work and in my mobile it just tried to open the apps store.

If the boss is away this could explain why I get the feeling the person I am exchanging emails with doesn’t fully understand me which was strange having spoken to the boss a month ago, and having a reasonable conversation.

So are people saying that if I transfer money using revolut or similar and the ski school goes bust (hell or just denies have anything booked!) I can raise the case with that intermediary to get my money back in the same way as I can with a credit card?

@flangesax, if you PM me your email I will forward the whole email thread. As I said in my WhatsApp message they just seem to be ignoring that part and I am getting half a feeling there is language barriers.

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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

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I have nothing against Revolut, it is great, but if you're after payment protection then Revolut is not the way to go. As I understand it they don't have a banking licence so any money you move into them isn't protected by the UK schemes and it's using the debit card system rather than credit card so you aren't covered by the additional Consumer Credit Card Protection on purchases over £100. ie if you pay for something in advance and the supplier goes bust then the payment provider, revolut, is not additionally liable.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@flangesax, You forgot to mention that Crypto currencies can now be bought through Revolut…. !

A snowHead

I've booked loads of lessons over the years at our international ski school in Les Saisies. I always have to pay the whole bill upfront (ie at the time of booking) but have always been able to use credit cards - whether or not I'm in the country. I've also used credit cards, online, to book ski hire through Skimium. I can understand why the OP wants to pay that way!

A snowHead

@pam w, Whilst getting better quite a few places in Austria don't take cards

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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@flangesax, Yeah, but I don't keep making £50 out of them wink

Actually, a question. Can you look at the exchange rate with them in real time and lock in the precise second you want to fix the exchange? Also, Revolut do actually charge 0.5% fees on transfers above £5000 which I often make. Plus the security was useful for making the big house deposit transfers.

So Transferwise will cost £18.24 to transfer 5K, Revolut will cost £25.00. Both use interbank rates but I know that Tw is instant and I use this site https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=GBP&to=EUR to monitor the fluctuations.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@NickyJ, I wouldn’t pay anything in advance for ski school lessons....sort it when you get there is my suggestion, keep your cash and sort it locally on arrival. Worst case they should reserve it for a nominal deposit not need it all up front. If they won’t do it go elsewhere....

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@Markymark29, that is contrary to advice given on here for peak weeks and contrary to our own experiences at easter school holidays which is considered low season by some. Feb half term is absolute peak season

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@NickyJ, you didn’t say it was a peak week. If it is and you are a group Why not get your own instructor and not go in a class, the groups may be crazy large and unless you are in the first 1-2 you’re wasting money following others not the instructor I’d suggest.

If in a smaller group then maybe get a private instructor say alternate days and practice in between, you’d learn more I suggest. Big groups at peak weeks are not good imo.

After all it is free

Yeah, @Markymark29, you clearly haven't tried to find anglophone lessons at half term on arrival have you?

Fixing up the optimum lessons for kids - well in advance - is essential in my (considerable) experience. Ski schools are sometimes completely booked up, for group and private lessons, months in advance. And if you have kids with special needs it's doubly important. Personally I think it's reasonable for ski schools to require payment on booking - these peak weeks are very important for them and they will not have good instructors sitting round twiddling their thumbs on the off chance that some last minute bookings turn up.

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