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Privacy is important, but money is a non negotiable priority if you don't have it.

mikekchar 8y ago
That's fair enough (and I am using gmail precisely because I have no way to pay another service provider -- banking while living in a country that you are not a permanent resident of is tricky). However, the entire thread is about what service should you use if you are worried about privacy.
- scrollaway 8y ago
  Which country? Try Transferwise and/or revolut if they are available where you are.
  - mikekchar 8y ago
    Although available in Japan where I live, there is literally no way to transfer money out of my bank. You may think it odd, but getting a bank account in a foreign country is actually hard. The bank I use is not my choice, but the choice of my former employer -- that's how I got the account. When I set up my own consulting company, I ended up using the same bank. I'm trying get out of it. I have an account with an offshore bank, but going through the paperwork to actually deliver my pay cheque into it is rather daunting (even though I own the company that pays me!). It will be dramatically easier when I get permanent residence status (which I probably can get whenever I get around to applying for it -- and I should do it sooner rather than later). But anyway, there are other people in the same situation, where they literally can't pay for things online. I just wanted to indicate that I understood the situation. But thanks for the pointers. It looks pretty useful if I ever get in the situation where I could use it.
    - sumek83 8y ago
      And revolut? https://www.revolut.com/jp/?lang=en https://www.revolut.com/jp/?lang=en
      - mikekchar 8y ago
        I would somehow have to get money into the account... It's the same problem all over again ;-) I suppose I could put the BTC that I mined heating my house when CPU mining was a thing in there...
fwsgonzo 8y ago
In a way that is a very sad thing. I am thinking of all the people who have no choice but to use everything free, and then be the product.

That's fair enough (and I am using gmail precisely because I have no way to pay another service provider -- banking while living in a country that you are not a permanent resident of is tricky). However, the entire thread is about what service should you use if you are worried about privacy.

scrollaway 8y ago
Which country? Try Transferwise and/or revolut if they are available where you are.
- mikekchar 8y ago
  Although available in Japan where I live, there is literally no way to transfer money out of my bank. You may think it odd, but getting a bank account in a foreign country is actually hard. The bank I use is not my choice, but the choice of my former employer -- that's how I got the account. When I set up my own consulting company, I ended up using the same bank. I'm trying get out of it. I have an account with an offshore bank, but going through the paperwork to actually deliver my pay cheque into it is rather daunting (even though I own the company that pays me!). It will be dramatically easier when I get permanent residence status (which I probably can get whenever I get around to applying for it -- and I should do it sooner rather than later). But anyway, there are other people in the same situation, where they literally can't pay for things online. I just wanted to indicate that I understood the situation. But thanks for the pointers. It looks pretty useful if I ever get in the situation where I could use it.
  - sumek83 8y ago
    And revolut? https://www.revolut.com/jp/?lang=en https://www.revolut.com/jp/?lang=en
    - mikekchar 8y ago
      I would somehow have to get money into the account... It's the same problem all over again ;-) I suppose I could put the BTC that I mined heating my house when CPU mining was a thing in there...

fwsgonzo 8y ago

In a way that is a very sad thing. I am thinking of all the people who have no choice but to use everything free, and then be the product.