Forum Moderators: skibum
I have now opened an account with Postfinance [postfinance.ch] in Switzerland and I can recommend them if anyone have the same problems I had. Formerly I paid USD13 to cash a check in Sweden.
Now I mail the checks to Postfinance, and the fee is USD3.5 per check. Much better! There was some burocracy setting up the account, a legalized copy of your passport. Otherwise straightforward and no fees.
There was also the option of Chase [chase.com], but there was more burocracy and a minimum balance requirement.
Anyway, I have been advised to open a bank account in dollars if I keep receiving US checks, but I don't know yet how much it might save me. Probably not much, because the banks are always after your money. They'll squeeze you anytime they get a chance.
Anyway, Postfinance is the Swiss Mail, so you have to send the check there. They charge $3.5, you have to pay another $6-$8 to send the check to Switzerland with a recommended letter, so it wouldn't save you all that much. I wouldn't send a decent check in a normal letter!
You'll be a lot better of trying to increase the size of the check than trying to save a few dollars by using a Swiss bank. $13 off a check of $130 is obviously a lot more than $13 off a check of $1300, so that will probably be a better way to go. Some places will allow you to set a limit under which the check is not mailed. Raise that limit to get fewer but larger checks. Also, try to make more money :-)
Some places are willing to pay via paypal, which would allow you to consolidate several payments into a single direct transfer to your account. I don't know how safe it is. I have heard some nasty things about paypal.
René.
But if you'd like to send the checks with recommend mail, you could send 10 checks at once and those $6-$8 is $0.6-$0.8 per check.
I try to increase the value of the check. But frequently it's not possible. Some affiliate managers wont bother with me since I'm too small, or they're too big. They will keep mailing those $30-$50 checks.
