Regular Guest
What's the best way to send cash at a distance?
Been using Paypal for several years with zero problems. But that's not always the case for some folks.
Paypal can be a giant PITA if you don't understand the rules they go by. Which is Paypal takes care of itself first. They don't take sides if/when seller and/or buyer are dishonest.
If you don't have a tracking number, PayPal assumes it didn't get shipped. over a certain $$ amount a signature is needed to prove receipt. Dishonest Sellers can send a Rock with a tracking number. Paypal will side with Seller that sent the Rock because they got a tracking number that proves shipment.
Post Office money orders can be a giant time killer. With all the downsizing, takes about 45 minutes standing in line. can you spare an hour+ to send a money order?
besides paying for money order, you've got to pay for postage with tracking. If MO ever gets lost, your funds are gone. if you get a replacement MO and original MO ever gets cashed. Post office comes back to you for funds.
sooooo ... are there any other new ways to send cash at a distance better than either Paypal or Post Office MO?
Regular Member
There is always Western Union. You will probably have more safeguards but it will cost you more. With Western Union the other party will have to go to their office and pick it up also. I usually use PayPal or directly deposit funds into my children's accounts at a local branch.Originally Posted by cy
Regular Guest
I've been using Paypal for at least 10 years without problems. I always pay Paypal with a credit card (and not my checking account) because that gives me protection under federal law and I can dispute the transaction if need be, but you have to go out of your way to do this since it defaults to debiting your checking account.
Professional Member
$50 or under cash works for me. Over that a USPS Money Order or a bank check.
Paypal most of the time.
Professional Member
It depends on if you want the transfer reversible or not.
You can go into Walmart and do a transfer to another Walmart, similar to Western Union. The other party can pick up the money at any Walmart after 10 minutes or so.
If the other person has a Walmart (or other brand} money card, you could buy a Money Pak card at Walmart or many other stores loaded with the desired amount, and email the other party the Money Pak card's number. Then the other person could reload their money card with that amount. I purchased a Money Pak from Walmart and was told there was a 15 minute delay to access that card's amount (to reload a money card with it). Money Cards cost $3 per month. There is also a fee on the MoneyPak purchase.
There is also a Zash Pay, I believe the name is, that was designed to be a competitor to Paypal, with lower fixed fees. It works off of your email account. But Similar to Paypal, it takes a few days for the funds to make it into your bank account. I never used it but my bank was pushing for a while.
Membership Chair/ARP Committee / Professional Member*
I never liked Paypal.
I have come to favor bank-to-bank direct payments. Which are a form of EFT. I distrust the private-company phone apps such as Venmo. I have pretty much settled on Zelle for everything I do. You can send money back and forth based on email or on cell number.
PHM
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PHM
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When faced with the choice between changing one's mind, and proving that there is no need to do so, most tend to get busy on the proof.
Global Moderator
Where you digging through the closet today ?
Membership Chair/ARP Committee / Professional Member*
Yes; I was looking to see how much of what CY posts is technical and how much is just politics. I really enjoyed his all-meme thread and was really impressed by the workload it must have imposed on him. My actual though was: Wow; I must be some kind of lackluster piker - how does he have any time to work? <g> I was sorry to see it shut down but that's the way it is.
And in that process I came across the 'how to send money' question. Which I used to have and eventually answered for myself - deciding that I liked the apparent safety of banks operating under strict banking law - over apps operating under 'who knows what' laws?
So I forgot what I was actually doing between phone calls and posted my answer. Albeit; almost ten years late. <g>
I was on the phone literally all day trying to save a really sweet real estate deal - but I have exhausted every legal option that I can think of or find. It's a shame but it's what it is - what can you do? <g>
PHM
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PHM
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When faced with the choice between changing one's mind, and proving that there is no need to do so, most tend to get busy on the proof.
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