On line banking for bookings
On line banking for bookings
I keep reading about problems on how best to accept money be it PayPal, card etc.
For people like us who's customers are UK based with sterling we are happy to take cheques(long may they last) but guests often prefer to us simple on line banking.
It's safe as u are actually giving out less information than that's written on a cheque.
Yet I hear no one talking about it as an alternative. Or am I missing something?
For people like us who's customers are UK based with sterling we are happy to take cheques(long may they last) but guests often prefer to us simple on line banking.
It's safe as u are actually giving out less information than that's written on a cheque.
Yet I hear no one talking about it as an alternative. Or am I missing something?
I have been taking payments by transfer since I started in 1999, I give my bank details to each guest, never had a problem. I return security deposits the same way. I no longer accept cheques. I have started with PayPal this year, 20% of guests have paid this way, I pass on fees.
Some guests just need a sympathetic pat. On the head. With a hammer.
For UK guests I prefer bank transfer and have not had anyone complain. I also take and return security deposits this way.Marks wrote:I have been taking payments by transfer since I started in 1999, I give my bank details to each guest, never had a problem. I return security deposits the same way. I no longer accept cheques. I have started with PayPal this year, 20% of guests have paid this way, I pass on fees.
For French guests I actually prefer a cheque as it will arrive quicker than a bank transfer and is much more difficult to cancel in France. I also take a French cheque for security and tear it up if it is not needed.
A few non UK or French guests pay by PayPal and I charge the extra for fees.
Maybe I have lost bookings from people who want to pay by other methods and have not told me. Who knows?
Re: On line banking for bookings
I think you are missing something. I can't recall anyone saying they didn't take payment by bank transfer, and it's generally the preferred method with some exceptions (see Rosie and French guests eg). Cheques are generally unwelcome and most of us are looking for ways to dissuade guests from using them, or simply refusing to accept them.Sandra wrote: Yet I hear no one talking about it as an alternative. Or am I missing something?
All the fraud scares are leading people towards paying by credit card for the protection it gives them, and it's also a means for them to control their cash flow; it's a very useful facility to offer, with or without passing on the charges.
So yes, bank transfer, online banking, BACS or whatever you want to call it is very widely used - not as an alternative, but as the preferred method.
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Bank transfer is our preferred option but we do accept cheques as long as there's at least 2 weeks before the arrival date. However, my local bank branch is closing in a couple of months so after that I'll be re-thinking the cheques. We offer PayPal to Overseas customers where bank transfers seem to be less common and tend to over complicate things. They're in the minority though so I think if you're a UK owner with mostly UK guests then bank transfers will usually be the first choice.
Jo
Joint owner of Baker's Cottage in Chester & Chandler's Cottage in Sidmouth
Joint owner of Baker's Cottage in Chester & Chandler's Cottage in Sidmouth
In fact, I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I haven't used a personal cheque myself, in UK or PT, for years & years.........tavi wrote:In five years I've never used anything else -
i.e. guests pay by online bank transfer & I return their damage deposit the same way.
(I did have one guest who paid for his rental last year with a cheque...('twas such a pain having to go to the bank to deposit it!)
Bank transfer for us also most of the time. This year we have 'two mature ladies' their words who preferred to pay by cheque. Two ladies renting a four bed for two weeks and paying the fullprice. I was happy to pay a visit to the bank.
Would love to retire but can't so will have to keep doing the lottery!
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You have just reminded me that I need to go and pay in a deposit cheque... that I received about 5 weeks ago...tavi wrote:(I did have one guest who paid for his rental last year with a cheque...('twas such a pain having to go to the bank to deposit it!)
Fortunately, they've not been and gone already...
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As I have taken PP since I set up the apartment rental , I added potential fees into my charges from the start, so never charge the guest anything. I will accept a bank transfer from a French account, and have sometimes offered a small discount depending on negotiations. I have far more email contact with potential French visitors than from UK ones.