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Paying in euros from uk

(14 Posts)
silverlining48 Sun 06-May-18 09:29:45

The cost of the crutches which I didn’t even want and didn’t know i would be charged for is 46 euros. Holiday insurance has an excess of £50 so nothing there. I phoned Dept of works and pensions who said I should pay and that I could do this at any post office. I tried two, one main and another in a different area and neither knew what I was talking about.
I was not charged for the X-ray etc and doctors examination in A &E just got the unexpected bill for crutches a week later.
It must be that locals would expect to pay fir equipment and to be honest i think the nhs could learn from this because when we tried have tried to return various aids in the past the nhs wouldnt take them even some which had been unused. A terrible waste of money as walkers crutches etc can always be re- used after a clean.

maryeliza54 Sat 05-May-18 22:24:15

Reciprocal arrangements don’t cover everything - the basic rule is would it have been free for a national ? Re holiday insurance, depends on excess ( if any)

MillieBear Sat 05-May-18 22:21:05

silverlining if your medical insurance covered you then there's no need to pay and if not, then the reciprocal arrangement between EU countries would have. Keep your money and forget any 'debt'. I hope you're on the mend.

Beau Sat 05-May-18 21:43:41

IBAN is in a way a combination of the old SWIFT code plus account number so that should work online, silverlining48
(I was cash manager at a FTSE 100 company in London paying millions globally until 2016 so I hope I remember that correctly - IBAN is compulsory within EU banking, the payment will fail without it.)

Welshwife Sat 05-May-18 21:22:23

Is it for a lot of money? I once paid a euro bill with a British cheque - wrote it in Euros. It did clear but just took a long time.

silverlining48 Sat 05-May-18 20:41:16

I have noticed an iban number On the invoice but no mention of swift, a new one to me. Want to be sure i do it right so they get it and dont come after me later. ....according to dept of works and pensions international, they will start to add interest if i dont pay before 10 th may so will have to get going. However they also told me that i coukd do this at a postoffice!
thank you to all who have responded. I will check with the bank.

Welshwife Sat 05-May-18 10:40:28

If you have a Halifax Clarity card you pay no extra charges for foreign currency transactions and the rate is a fair one - very close to the mid rate.

Nannarose Sat 05-May-18 10:08:59

I'd contact the hospital and ask them - they must have done this before. And if you have one, credit card is the way to go. I have a Saga card (because I'm over 55!) which is one of the cheapest for using abroad.

Welshwife Fri 04-May-18 21:48:32

Do you have a bill from the place you wish to pay - that could have the necessary details on it.

BlueBelle Fri 04-May-18 21:19:09

If you do online banking it’s very easy you just write in how much you need to pay and it will convert it for you you ll get a charge though I do it regularly for grandkids very simple transaction

Willow500 Fri 04-May-18 20:42:52

You can do it in the bank - just fill in a form but you'll need the IBAN and SWIFT numbers of the account you're paying it to.

paddyann Fri 04-May-18 11:17:23

I've paid for things in euros many times ,online and in the bank ,never had a problem.Our business has albums printed in Venice so its a regular occurence for us .

Eglantine21 Fri 04-May-18 09:50:13

Can you do it with a credit card. When you buy abroad in euros it’s automatically converted into pounds for the bill.

silverlining48 Fri 04-May-18 09:23:58

I have to pay a bill in euros from the uk. Works and pensions advised I can do this at a post office.
Went down yesterday and the post office couldnt help me.
This is for crutches given to me by a hospital during a short stay In Berlin.
Tempted not to bother as I didn’t even want them but being an honest person feel I ought to.
Any advice please?