Help! How do I send cash to someone abroad to withdraw?

[PugwasHDJ80]

Not a 419 scam....

Our 13 yr old daughter is abroad with her school.for two weeks.

It turns out that we had missed in the fineprint that her metro bank cash card can't be used abroad at all. We've just been on the phone to the bank and they can't help at all.

She's been saving and earning money for 12months and is very frustrated that her can't currently spend it ... Its totally my fault!

Does anyone know of any clever ways of sending cash to her that she can withdraw from an ATM without a working card or any sort?

[jodypress]

Could you set up a Revolut account and let her use her phone to spend it abroad?

[JimmyConwayNW]

send to one of her friends or the teacher for them to withdraw?

[sherman]

If you whatsapp your daughter your matercard or Visa with the long number and PIN etc and she can just set it up on her phone as applepay or googlepay?
Warn her on penatly of death to not misuse it.

Then when she comes back she transfers you the money back and deletes it off her phone.

[K87]

There will be fees involved but this is what Western Union do as their business.

[Ziplobb]

If she is with the skool then surely there are teachers/school representatives present ? explain the situation to the adult in charge, obtain their bank sort code and account number, credit their account with the amount needed. They withdraw cash and / or manage cash for your daughter. Fees payable are the cash withdrawl ones and a bottle of plonk to say thank you upon return. Daughter then pays you back.

[Tisy]

K87 said:

There will be fees involved but this is what Western Union do as their business.

I was just writing this. Funding the transfer from his bank account would incur minimal fees and she could just use the code to collect the cash from the local agent. However, the logistics of the latter might be difficult as she's on a school trip so would need a teacher to drive her to the local agent.

Jimmy and Sherman's suggestions are much better imo. A 13 year old will be a wiz on a mobile phone, so they'd be able to set up a mobile payment account with dad's card details in like 6 seonds and then she can just use her phone to pay for whatever she needs.

[Tisy]

Ziplobb said:

If she is with the skool then surely there are teachers/school representatives present ? explain the situation to the adult in charge, obtain their bank sort code and account number, credit their account with the amount needed. They withdraw cash and / or manage cash for your daughter. Fees payable are the cash withdrawl ones and a bottle of plonk to say thank you upon return. Daughter then pays you back.

Yes, this. Great idea imo. Ring daughter and tell her to hand her phone to whoever is in charge of them all. I doubt any teacher would refuse to help out in that situation.

[Alorotom]

Alternatively is there the option for her to pickup a prepaid visa or Mastercard at her location which you can then top up remotely for her?

[vaud]

Be careful.

Given anti-fraud systems there is a reasonable chance that the card will get blocked based on location (i.e. dad uses it in London, daughter uses it in Madrid within 15 mins). Your bank may vary. Also it is a likely a breach of terms.

Revolut would be the easiest, safest and quickest.

[Terminator X]

Western Union

TX.

[vaud]

Tisy said:

I was just writing this. Funding the transfer from his bank account would incur minimal fees and she could just use the code to collect the cash from the local agent. However, the logistics of the latter might be difficult as she's on a school trip so would need a teacher to drive her to the local agent.

Jimmy and Sherman's suggestions are much better imo. A 13 year old will be a wiz on a mobile phone, so they'd be able to set up a mobile payment account with dad's card details in like 6 seonds and then she can just use her phone to pay for whatever she needs.

Wouldn't adding it to a phone need authentication with the bank?

[Tisy]

Tisy said:

Ziplobb said:

If she is with the skool then surely there are teachers/school representatives present ? explain the situation to the adult in charge, obtain their bank sort code and account number, credit their account with the amount needed. They withdraw cash and / or manage cash for your daughter. Fees payable are the cash withdrawl ones and a bottle of plonk to say thank you upon return. Daughter then pays you back.

Yes, this. Great idea imo. Ring daughter and tell her to hand her phone to whoever is in charge of them all. I doubt any teacher would refuse to help out in that situation.

Or if not a teacher, then do you know the parents of her friends who are also out there? Contacting one of them and explaining the situation would most likely result in a quick solution sending money you > them, them > daughter (friend), daughter (friend) > your daughter via ATM card. Or even simpler if her friend has an account that allows bank transfers in, which surely the cash cards must have in order to fund them?

[captain_cynic]

Western Union.

There are a whole bunch of services that can send money to people overseas. They can usually pick it up at a supermarket or some such

I've used Remitly in the past, keep in mind that many don't operate in the US.

It costs around 2-4 quid though.

[Mr.Chips]

I would use Western Union.
A few years ago, when I was teaching, we were on a cultural exchange trip to the south of France and southern Spain. On the way there, the coach stopped at a French motorway services and some scroat broke into the coach, stealing a bag containing some of the kids money and medication. Once we had ascertained how much money had been taken, the following morning we got the Headteacher to go to the nearest WU office in England and wire us the money. We collected it from the nearest WU office in Spain within a few hours and it was given back to the kids.
Getting replacement meds was a hell of a lot more difficult and claiming the money from the travel insurance was an issue that thankfully, was above my pay grade!