Sending money overseas

[beeza1]

I want to transfer some money to a relative in the good old USofA.
Can anyone suggest the easiest, cheapest, and most importantly the safest method of transfer.
Due to my "secure key" throwing a wobbler, and taking 5 working days to be replaced I am unable to make a direct transfer, so I will have to use my debit card.
Western Union or PayPal have been suggested, but I know nothing about them.
Any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated.
Thanks, and a Merry Christmas to all.

 

[birchesgreen]

Western Union (and similar services) are fine, the website is pretty easy to use and will be similar to a normal transfer - just make sure you have the exact details for the recipient as on their ID. I personally don't like Paypal that much (mostly because its always trying to push you into using its credit facility) but that too is fairly straightforward.

 

[najaB]

Depeding on the amount Western Union and Moneygram would be fine - you need to register and confirm your identiy for larger amounts (over £500 ir memory serves). For larger amounts, services like Transferwise would be cheaper overall.

 

[Be3G]

Due to my "secure key" throwing a wobbler, and taking 5 working days to be replaced I am unable to make a direct transfer, so I will have to use my debit card.

Which bank is this? First Direct refer to their gadgets as a ‘secure key’, in which case you could arrange the transfer by phoning them up. If you're not with First Direct and the bank you use doesn't offer telephone banking, you'd still be able to make the transfer by going to a bank branch and doing it over the counter. Whichever method you use, make sure of course that you've got the relevant IBAN/SWIFT details.

 

[najaB]

Which bank is this? First Direct refer to their gadgets as a ‘secure key’, in which case you could arrange the transfer by phoning them up.

I don't know about First Direct but many banks require the secure key for any transactions which aren't conducted in branch.

 

[Be3G]

Yes, but I believe HSBC and First Direct are the only ones to actually call them a ‘secure key’ (unless that term has become a colloquial expression to cover all banking security gadgets).

 

[beeza1]

Thanks for all your replies,
I tried to transfer some money via Western Union twice this morning, the transactions were declined, to make matters worse, my debit card then got blocked!
Had to make a 20 mile round trip to visit my branch, (my local branch closed a few months ago), it's HSBC so I managed to get a new "secure key", and more importantly get my card unblocked. We then tried to make a direct transfer from my account, that too was declined, seems as though I have been given the wrong details, that's probably why the Western Union transfer didn't happen.
So it's back to square one.