My Nationwide account says:
Sending money outside the UK:
SEPA (euros within the SEPA region) £0 transaction fee.
SWIFT (except euros within the SEPA region) £20 transaction fee each time.
If you have the codes and account numbers for the French campsites you can send them money as easily as to a UK campsite- via internet banking or app. But although your UK bank may tell you there is no fee they will mostly charge about 3% by down grading the currency exchange rate they use for the overseas transaction. Phone your own UK bank if you want their help or more exact info.
We had a HSBC account and the charge for sending money overseas was £4 which was quite acceptable to us. I think the charge was the same for money to the continent as we used it to pay deposits to site sin France and Spain.
I've paid deposits via SEPA through my online banking app with Nationwide. It's very straightforward so along as you have all the details -
* full name of person/company you are paying
* their full address
* their International Bank Account Number (IBAN)
* their Bank Identifier Code (BIC)
* full the name and address of their bank.
Be sure to get all the details correct as payments are not covered by the Banking Fraud agreements.
If you have an actual bank branch near you they might be able to do it for you.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
I go with that. Payment can be via credit card too, especially one with no charges for foreign transactions. And you are covered by the credit card if something goes wrong. You won't be if you do a bank transfer.
Early 2019, we were booking a trip to New Zealand. We paid all deposits to the various businesses we were using out there by credit card. Quick, easy and safe.
We also paid for most things while there with the same card, Nationwide credit card. We only had to draw a little cash for the few times that we needed it.
I've found that paying for some things in the EU have pushed us into using bank transfers, the France Passion site for an instance, I can't recall the exact reason now but it was something to do with my UK credit card not having sufficient levels of authentication as required by EU law now. That could be why you're being asked to pay by bank transfer.
DaveS1's suggestion about just turning up is fine out of season and you're not particularly fussed where you want to be but if you want to be in a specific place at a specific time I think you'd be wise to book, I can think of a couple of places we wouldn't have got in if we hadn't booked in advance (and we travel out of season), Nantes' municipal site and Camping Beau Soliel at Gradignan just south of Bordeaux spring to mind.
Quote: Originally posted by MrWez on 20/3/2023
I've found that paying for some things in the EU have pushed us into using bank transfers, the France Passion site for an instance, I can't recall the exact reason now but it was something to do with my UK credit card not having sufficient levels of authentication as required by EU law now. That could be why you're being asked to pay by bank transfer.
DaveS1's suggestion about just turning up is fine out of season and you're not particularly fussed where you want to be but if you want to be in a specific place at a specific time I think you'd be wise to book, I can think of a couple of places we wouldn't have got in if we hadn't booked in advance (and we travel out of season), Nantes' municipal site and Camping Beau Soliel at Gradignan just south of Bordeaux spring to mind.
we were told (Pre Brexit I think) that MasterCard is preferred to Visa in Europe for this reason. The Halifax Clairity is Mastercard. We always travel with a couple of options; but can also withdraw cash on the Clarity card with no charges (as long as paid off monthly) and a good exchange rate if it's not accepted for any reason. We have paid deposits for a couple of sites this year - Nantes Camping being one - and a credit card was readily accepted.
Sorry, late to the party on this one. We’ve used Azimo previously to pay campsite deposits in euros. We now have Starling bank sterling and euro account. All free to have. Also handy as can have the cheapest available toll doofer as can have a direct debit on the euro account.
It is very common for French campsites to take bookings by bank transfer. I have done it lots of times. Many of the smaller, independent sites find it way cheaper for them than using credit card services.
The problem is the charges now charged by some UK banks. My father and sister get charged quite a whack for transferring money at Xmas etc from the UK to Ireland. If I want to do a Bank transfer to the UK, it can cost me up to 6 euros. Transferring money within the eurozone doesn't incur a charge.
Transferring to a site is quite safe. It is just a hassle if you don't speak French though I expect google translate will be of help.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Paying deposit for campsite
via mobile 15/3/2023 at 1:28pm
