Agencies and other headaches, keys and cleaners, running costs and contracts...in short, all the things we spend so much of our time doing behind the scenes.<br>
Probably this is a question already discussed.
Does Paypal work?
I have an Italian bank account and everytime a British guest deposits money they are charged 20£ for the service and it takes nearly 3 days.
Should I think about getting Paypal for all my non Italian guests?
Do they charge for the service?
Thanks,
Giuliana
crikey. i didn't know guest got charged (or at least not that much). i have just offered a lady booking for august to use paypal for balance as the draft for dep was quite expensive (she's in northern ireland-sterling and i'm euro).
can i tag on another question? how much do paypal charge me to receive money? it would be €600
no, no - I don't think she means PayPal charges...I think that's the bank transfer charge.
I use PayPal both in Italy and the US - the fees are fairly high...but not as bad as bank transfers and it has been easy for the guests (they are not charged - I am charged a percentage). I'm not charged at all to transfer into my bank account (in Italy as well as the US).
PayPal cross-border fees are about 3.5% to the recipient. SEPA bank transfers are almost free between EU member states and any charge is paid by the sender.
We use both for payments in euros. If they go for PayPal we add on the 3.5% but make it clear they are paying for the privilege - they can pay by SEPA if they prefer, or we take cheques - it's up to them if they prefer to cough up extra for using PayPal as it's an easy option.
There's a thread or two on SEPA elsewhere.
Real name Phil
Moved to France in 2004
Likes ducks, nature, gardening, furniture restoration, DIY, rugby, blah, blah.
I find Americans do not like to send wires (bank transfers) they feel they could being scammed (yes, I know how unreasonable, etc. - but that is just how it is and every US site/forum/guide book, etc. will tell people to, whatever they do, NOT ever wire money and to ONLY use a credit card to pay) since many of my guests are American, I take PayPal (and, actually, I think my fees are more like 5% all in all...would have to add it up....depends how they pay...but...most by credit card) I, honestly, think this is very important if you get US guests (not for Europeans - they do not seem to have the same bank transfer issues!) Also...Bank Transfers can be very expensive to send from the US.
I do not use the virtual terminal or have any special facilities...just a normal account...they can pay me...I can transfer it into my bank account (or, in my case, between my US paypal and Italian paypal depending on what bills I need to pay) PayPal also lets me refund deposits hassle-free...I don't have to worry about currency conversions, etc.
I want to switch to a more traditional credit car processing company (lower fees!), but I have yet to find one that would allow me, in the US, to take payments in Euros.
Goodness Musetta it sounds very complicated managing the two systems.
I must say that my US guests to date have not complained at all about the wire transfers. Yes, the charges are ludicrously expensive for both parties (I go 50/50 with them on it) I'm waiting for the first complaint....
My modest apartment doesn't really warrant PayPal or credit card faciities; for those of you with multiple/large properties then it's a different story.
My French bank has very expensive charges for the receipt of all cheques and transfers other than Euros originating in France. Yes, even Euro cheques drawn on UK banks get hammered.
A GBP 50 cheque nets me Euro 10. USD's are even worse.
So I now use Paypal which is much cheaper - about 4% on last week on one at GBP 25 and another of GBP 250.
People don't need to have a paypal account to pay by paypal - they can pay by VISA, etc
I use Paypal as well as some countries do not have cheques any more and if they are also not in the Euro zone, obtaining payments for deposits can be more expensive than Paypal.
Sometimes people have difficulties when they use the option where they say they do not have a Paypal account, but have in fact used the same email address in the past to buy something through Paypal (sometimes on ebay)
I had one client who just could not use Paypal either in Euro or in GBP.
I have never used Paypal to refund a deposit, which I normally give on the day the clients leave - so far no problems, but it does not give me much time or opportunity to check if something has been damaged.
( I don't count glasses and plates or bed linen as damages as they don't last forever in any case)
I feel I went through hoops to get approval and I had to fax Paypal documents, but it went fairly smoothly and when I have had queries, I have received replies from Paypal quickly.
All in all, I would recommend it as I feel ease of sending a deposit can make the difference between getting a booking or not.
In my case, I ask for up to 25 per cent deposit and the balance on arrival and people pay either by cheque if they have a French bank account or in cash. (I am with Clevacances)
One client did pay me four weeks' rental by Paypal and I found the charges very high and I could not get them back from the client as I had not made it clear that the bank charges would be for his account.
You live and learn and I am very new to this rental business, hence I find Lay My Hat a great forum to visit !
So this is my experience with Paypal: good. Some people hate it.
I almost always return deposits with PayPal! It is free if you refund within 60days - no problem (or fees on either end!) The ONLY catch is that...after 60 days, you would need to send it to them as a payment (again - no charge on wither end because it is paypal balance funded)...but then, they would need to set up a paypal account to receive - and that can be quite a pain in some countries. but...within 60 days, you just click on "refund"
