jme 359 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 well I don't live in the USA so I use a remit service to MHulier and it is nearly the same as exchange rate and the only fee is $8 to $10 per transaction so I get about 10 to 20k each time to make it worth while, certainly a lot cheaper than the bank charges, ATM fees and lousy exchange rates. The only down side is it takes 1 day to go through. If I lived in the USA then I would check this out though! Link to post Share on other sites
Mike F 2 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I am also very impressed with USAA. They have reimbursed all my ATM charges. Link to post Share on other sites
T.S. 783 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Unless things have changed, you have to be affiliated with the US military in some way (active-duty, reserve, retired, dependent or past-dependent) to qualify for membership in USAA. And of course, you have to be a member to have an account. I still have my auto insurance through USAA. Since I don't own a vehicle in the US (which is the only country they will cover you in unless you are active duty), I opted for the Non-owner policy. It costs me $10 a year, and covers me when I am in the US, regardless of what I am driving (rental, borrowed, whatever). Besides keeping me covered, it also keeps me active in the USAA insurance pool, which pays annual dividends to members. Anyone can open USAA bank accounts now. I am not affiliated with the military in any way and I have accounts there. Link to post Share on other sites
Kaku 61 Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 (edited) USAA charges a 1% foreign transaction fee. Many banks charge between 2 and 3%. If you withdrew $1,000 you'd pay a $10 fee. If the rate were 3%, you'd pay $30. Over the course of a year you could save as much as $240. Clearly, it's worth reading the fine print on your debit card contract. One way to avoid these fees is to have dollar and peso accounts in the Philippines. Write a check to your dollar account from your U.S. account. Wait three weeks for it to clear then exchange dollars for pesos. For some this is more hastle than it's worth. If you plan on having local accounts anyway it might not be an issue. Note: Fidelity and Schwab also offer free atm withdrawls. Fidelity has a 1% transaction fee (charged by VISA). I'm not familiar with Schwab's policy. Edited November 8, 2012 by Kaku Link to post Share on other sites
T.S. 783 Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I have an account with Schwab and they also return all atm and international costs. USAA charges a 1% foreign transaction fee. Many banks charge between 2 and 3%. If you withdrew $1,000 you'd pay a $10 fee. If the rate were 3%, you'd pay $30. Over the course of a year you could save as much as $240. Clearly, it's worth reading the fine print on your debit card contract. Note: Fidelity and Schwab also offer free atm withdrawls. Fidelity has a 1% transaction fee (charged by VISA). I'm not familiar with Schwab's policy. Schwab is definitely another good option, they have no foreign transaction fee. I have accounts there too and would rank them similar to USAA. When Wells Fargo added monthly fees to all of my "no fee" accounts earlier this year, I started researching the best alternatives. I decided on USAA and Schwab for personal accounts, HSBC for business accounts. Link to post Share on other sites
tripsigg 110 Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Anyone can open USAA bank accounts now. I am not affiliated with the military in any way and I have accounts there. Yeah, I've got on there too. Easy to deal with. Link to post Share on other sites
GregZ 2 Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 If you need to contact USAA they have a toll free number from the Philippines OR they are quick to respond through their secure message center on their site to inquiries. Link to post Share on other sites
ed villas 232 Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 that is good, what about exchange rate, that is where it really matters? the exchange RATE IS determine by the mastercard/visa rate in effect that day, the bank as most banks have no word in setting that RATE, Link to post Share on other sites
battleborn 670 Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I have a USAA account. Easy to move money, easy to view transactions online. Its a very good bank if you travel or live overseas. Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Mike 10,446 Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 USAA,,,,,,,,,,,,member since 1992,,,,,,,,,,,,the BEST! Link to post Share on other sites
streak03 3,540 Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 (edited) Mods can you delete this post please? Thanks Edited February 23, 2013 by streak03 Link to post Share on other sites
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