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Ask HN: Getting payed internationally as a freelancer
We are a group of freelancers from Europe that regularly work for US companies. Every time we send them an invoice there is a huge discussion about how to send the money starting. Somehow the Americans don't like wire transfer in Euros and so they always try to send us checks, which is something that doesn't really exist here. Our best guess is that nobody wants to pay conversion and transfer fees.
So my question: How to transfer the money from US to Europe? What is the cheapest way?
- mtmail 10y agoI'm very happy with https://transferwise.com/ https://transferwise.com/
- 0xsven 10y agoThis looks like what we need. thank u :)
- codegeek 10y ago"Note: Our fees below do not include charges that your bank or intermediate banks involved in SWIFT transfers may levy." This could be tricky for US banks. Make sure you ask your bank about SWIFT charges before sending money otherwise you could end up paying additional for a SWIFT transfer.
- wkubiak 10y ago"Somehow the Americans don't like wire transfer in Euros" I'm really not surprised. It's the same with EU countries having to wire money to some non-euro currency. Why not setup a US dollar account? After receiving payment in your client's currency, you can rather cheaply convert it to your own currency. In my experience, US companies are interested in PayPal or TransferWise or other such methods only when for some reason wire transfer is not an option. I don't think you are in such a situation. Depending on the amount, using those services could be more expensive than handling a US dollar wire transfer with SHA (shared costs).
- jakobegger 10y agoI just invoice US clients in USD, and tell them to wire the money. My bank account is in Euro, so my bank converts the USD payment to Euro. Conversion + fees are usually around 1%.
- eswat 10y agoI’ve used Stripe or TransferWise with my US clients – I’m in Canada – with the former usually being less hassle for me and the client if we’re dealing with small amounts. A few clients also wanted to send me cheques. But you can convince them that these other options are better for your working relationship. As their trusted contractor you’re expected to deliver results and not skimp on details or make compromises. You should expect the same from your client, including their accounting department, and working with cheques cross-border is a compromise in the working relationship.
- wayn3 10y agoget a multi currency account from a singaporean bank.