money

[08061953]

what is the cheapest way to send 85 cypriot pounds over as a deposit for a apartment,my bank wants �20 to send it by draft.

[NORMANTHEDOG]

i will take it for you,im going to paphos on wednesday

[Narolines]

Can you not pay your deposit by credit card? �20 sounds like a lot of money to send �100-ish Sterling, but I have run across similar problems with my bank when I needed to pay for an item from Germany that I'd bought on eBay - they did eventually do me a better deal, and charged me �7.50 in the end to transfer �92. There are lots of online money transfer businesses (Google it and see!) but they're not particularly cheap, at least not for small amounts, and very few of them will send to Cyprus anyway. You may have a branch of the Bank of Cyprus near you (there are quite a few in Britain) and they may be able to help. Our Cypriot bank account is with them and they are very helpful, if a bit slow!

[dzug]

Get cash from a BdeC and send it by mail - recorded delivery if you are worried about it.

[Narolines]

That had crossed my mind - but I know what the Cypriot postal service is like and I don't know that I'd be all that confident! Many places in Cyprus don't actually have to-the-door postal services, and once a package/letter has been signed for - it doesn't have to be the addressee - the postal service is no longer responsible for it. True, you would be insured for reimbursement if it was never signed for and didn't reach its destination, but if it was signed for by someone who happened to be in the coffee shop when the delivery arrived and it never got to its destination you wouldn't have a leg to stand on. For me, it would depend partly on whereabouts in Cyprus it was going to, and whether it was going to a business or to an individual. Most Cypriots are as honest as the day is long, but there are some areas where petty crime is beginning to increase.....

[Narolines]

Forgot to say - if it's your first time in Cyprus, you'll love it!

Have a good trip, Norman - Paphos isn't the charming, sleepy little place it used to be but it's still a very pleasant place to be!

[dzug]

My other thought is that you ought to be able to get a cheaper draft. Thomas Cook used to charge a �10 flat rate - haven't checked that recently but it's worth a try.