Can I Avoid Exchange Fees When Paying?

It's not always possible to avoid bank, credit card and/or currency exchange fees when paying for our tours.

Almost all forms of foreign payment involve a fee of some kind or another. If a bank does not charge a fee for sending payment, we suggest you double check the exchange rate they are offering against other institutions.

In some cases, the sending bank will refer the sender's fee to the receiver — that would be Vagabond! — and the result will be an additional charge to be paid against your tour.

Exchange Rate

Different methods of payment will use varying exchange rates.

For example, your credit card provider might offer a better exchange rate than using a bank to send a wire transfer – or the other way around. This might offset any fee’s involved either way.

Protection

Some credit card companies offer insurance on travel products purchased; it's certainly worth checking with your provider if there is protection included.

Banks and International Payments

Some smaller local banks may not be set up to send international payments. We would suggest using a bank that is part of the SWIFT international banking system.

Bank Transfers

We suggest that you don’t calculate exchange rates yourself. Instead, go to your bank and say that you need to transer, for example, €1000. The bank should then tell you the cost in your local currency of effectively buying €1000 and then sending that amount to the receiver account. They should be able to give you an exact amount that will send the correct sum.

Exchange Rates

You can get a good idea of the exchange rates online on websites such as xe.com.

However, please be aware that the rates advertised online are typically 'mid-market' rates and are not always available to retail customers. They will give you an approximate figure. However, to get an exact amount, please contact your bank and ask them what rate they will be using at the time you make a payment.