Paying a bill in Euros

[canasta]

I have received a bill for about €58 for a visit whilst on holiday in May to A &E in Cahors in France under the reciprocal EHIC. (formerly E111)

I have been told that I have to pay this and provide proof of payment to the office in Newcastle before I may make a claim to be considered for any refund.

I thought I could pay by debit card but my bank has told me that it will have to be paid by SWIFT at a charge of £25. This sticks in my craw.....

Has anyone any bright ideas of how may pay this more cheaply

[canasta]

Thanks Eddie. We had thought about sending cash but the bill says card or cheque.

I tried ringing the tel no on the bill but my French and their English were virtually non existant!!

A friend with excellent French rang for me yesterday. I was prepared to pay bycard but she was told that payment needed to be via the internet and they would email details.
When I opened the email it appears to just be details of the bank account to credit the amount to.

Is this all I need to pay via Pay Pal? My husband has a Pay Pal account but would it show as a payment from me for proof of payment and how do I ask for a receipt?

I can't believe this is so difficult in this electronic age.

[Kathyan]

They would have to have a Paypal account, not just an email address, to receive money sent through that method. Have you tried asking your bank for advice?

[boxtops]

Good idea, ask your bank in the morning - they must be doing this all the time. PayPal is an excellent safe service but both sides have to be enrolled in it before you can use it.
When OH had medical treatment in the hospital in Ghent a few years back, he paid by credit card straight away while he was there - hopefully you won't ever need to do it again but it's worth considering, saves all this trouble afterwards.

[buildersmate]

Yes - the bank's solution is to use SWIFT for which they want £25 extra. It's in the question.
Credit card is going to be best - if they will take it - even if they want another 2% for the extra costs. Or force them down Eddie's good solution route.

[boxtops]

PS if they do have a PayPal account, I would hope that Newcastle will accept a print-out of the transaction from the PayPal site as proof of payment.

[dzug2]

Your bank should be able to provide a cheque in euros for less than £25 - maybe not a lot less though. Other banks may be cheaper

Just not paying it may the the easiest solution - I doubt it it will be followed up.

[dzug2]

The recipient DOES need a paypal account

<<The funds are stored as balance on the recipient’s PayPal account. >>

is what the paypal site says about it under 'how does the recipient access their funds?'

Whilst I'm prepared to be pleasantly surprised, I can't see French bureaucracy having a paypal account.

[KARL]

It is correct to say that the recipient must have a PayPal account (the only way to access the money at PayPal) and just as British bureaucracy would get very sniffy (or simply rude) at the suggestion, the French one is unlikely to go through this for one foreign ex-patient. By far the simplest way, if it is an option for you, is to ask someone with a French bank account to pay on your behalf and you reimburse them. Another is if you know someone going to France who can perhaps make a transfer by depositing in another branch of the bank they state they use. Ignoring the issue is not an option I would recommend, if only because you may again find yourself in France...., quite apart from the dishonesty that involves. All options that involve banks, Western Union, etc. will cost you money - one option is to use this as an excuse to go back. Then you can hand over the money in person and tell them that since they are so inflexible you went to a lot of trouble in order to remain correct and meeting your obligations.

[canasta]

Not paying is not an option. I would have gladly paid this at the time but I had spent about 4 hours at the hospital with my husband excluded from and being kept completely uninformed of anything that was happening to me and when I was discharged there was no mention of any payment due. We waited at reception for about 10 minutes to ask whether there was anything to pay but no-one was around to ask so we left.

Friends of mine are intending visiting France (but not Cahors where the payment is due) and have offered to try paying through a French bank with my Euros but could this be more costly?

I have already thought of sending Euros through the post as was suggested earlier but I would be out of pocket if the cash was pocketed at the other end.... OH HECK !!

Thank you to all of you making suggestions but I'm still unsure what course of action to take!!

[dzug2]

Paying through someone else's French bank is a good option

What it would cost depends entirely on the exchange rate you offer them and they are prepared to accept - it would cost them nothing in euros AFAIK

[canasta]

It would be A French bank not THEIR French bank as they will just be visiting France on holiday and it would be in Euros as we have some left over!!

[twix123]

I had a similar situation 18 years ago, when my son had an accident in France whilst on a working holiday. I paid the bill through the London branch of a French bank, but decided that the amount wasn't worth trying to claim back from the UK authorities.

[canasta]

Hi Twix, I didn't know that French banks had any branches in the UK. Any idea which bank it was and any branches in Yorkshire/Derbyshire. I'm afraid it's a long shot.

I will definitely claim for a refund of my expenses once I have my receipt. That's what is expected through the reciprocal arrangement and it must be very easy for Europeans visiting the UK when they can just see a Doctor or go to hospital and not have a medical bill to pay. Please correct-me if I'm wrong about this. I do realise however that it would be different if treatment is as a result of a traffic accident as it would be for UK residents.

[dzug2]

I would think (but am not certain) that paying over the counter in a French bank will be free or at minimal cost.

Bear in mind that you will not get the full €58 refunded if your claim is accepted - just part of it. I'm not sure what the proportion is though.

[Skyline D]

Getting a Euro cheque drawn on a UK bank won't work as a solution as dzug suggested. Not only will your bank charge you for it but their bank will charge them significantly to lodge it too. Probably as much as a further 25 Euros. It would be virtually pointless them banking it.