Published October 26th, 2009 at 2:54 pm in Banking with no comments
Tagged with account, Bank, banks in pakistan, employer reference, Islamabad, Karachi, Money, national bank of pakistan, Pakistan, pakistani rupee, proof of employment, reference bank, U.S., United States, united states banks
First, you should be aware that the currency is the Pakistani rupee. One U.S. dollar equals about 83.34261 rupees. Knowing the most recent exchange rate is helpful before you transfer money to Pakistan. Also, getting to know banks in the area before you move is good, as you will likely use one of these to receive money once you transfer it from your current bank.
Before you sign up for a bank in Pakistan, decide whether you want a bank that exists both in the U.S and Pakistan, or one that is local to your new home area only. There are plenty of both, and many United States banks offer remittances to banks in Pakistan. Some even have their own program specialized for the ability to transfer money to Pakistan easily and cheaply.
The National Bank of Pakistan has a program called PakRemit. Going this route to send money to your new bank should be quite easy. If you need to send $200 in rupees to your new account using an Internet check, there are no fees. If you need to transfer using your credit card, there is a fee of about $15. If you want to send money in U.S. dollars instead of rupees, the fee is $14, and closer to $20 if you use a credit card. The funds will be in your account within about three business days.
Now that you have an idea of bank fees, consider the steps to getting a bank account in Pakistan. In most cases, you can go to the selected bank’s website and print out a form to fill out. You can then send it along with a list of notarized documents. For example, to open an account at United Bank Limited, you will need notarized copies of your passport, paystub, employer reference, bank account statement from current bank, proof of employment, and copies of any business licenses you have. You will also have to send a check from your current account for 50,000 rupees. While this might seem like a lot of preparation to open an account, in most cases you can do so while still in the United States, which is convenient. You can transfer money before you move, which means you will have rupees to spend when you arrive.
If you do not have all the require documents for opening an account before you move, you can simply use a prepaid debit card until you are ready to get an account. You would just send funds to the card for the fee of $5 each time, and once you arrive in Pakistan, you can start using it to purchase things. You can also withdraw money like you would with any debit card. ATMs abound, especially in larger cities like Islamabad and Karachi.
If you are definitely moving and feel ready to open a new bank account, you can transfer money to Pakistan before the move so that you have money when you arrive. Otherwise, you will have to carry cash, either in dollars or rupees. This means you are risking either getting robbed of your money or paying exorbitant exchange fees. You can get around this issue by obtaining a prepaid debit card and sending enough money to it to get you by until you open an account. This way, if the card is stolen or lost, you can just cancel it immediately. Whatever you choose, be sure to think of convenience, safety, and cost-effectiveness.
For more information on <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://sending” target=”_blank”>www.atmcash.com/transfer-money/send-money-to-pakistan.htm”>sending money to Pakistan both within the United States and abroad visit Send Money world wide or atmcash.com
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Published October 25th, 2009 at 6:32 am in Banking with no comments
Tagged with card, citibank account, Credit, dollar account, internet check, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Money, national bank of pakistan, overseas banks, Pakistan, pakremit, prepaid debit card, U.S., United States
The majority of banks in the U.S. allow some sort of transfer to Pakistan. They charge varying fees, often depending on how much you want to send and whether you have an account. One example is Citibank, which charges $12 for you to send money from your Citibank account to your relative’s account in Pakistan. As the currency is rupees, you would send money in the US dollar, and your relative would withdraw rupees. This means you will need to pay attention to the exchange rate, and at this time $1 USD equals about 83 rupees.
Some overseas banks also allow U.S. residents to remit to Pakistan. For example, National Bank of Pakistan features PakRemit, which allows you to easily send money to Pakistan. To send $100 using an Internet check, there is a flat fee of $4. To pay with a credit card, there is a flat fee of $9 plus 2.89% of the amount, so the total fee would be nearly $12. The money takes about three business days to arrive in your relative’s account. United Bank has a similar fee structure, charging $5 for you to send up to $299 to Pakistan using an Internet check, and $10 plus 2.89% of the amount if you pay with credit card.
If you want to send the money in dollars so you don’t have to deal with exchange rates, most banks will allow you to do so. Usually, your relative is required to have a dollar account instead of just one that deals with rupees. The fees are usually larger to send money to Pakistan this way. For example, United Bank charges nearly $18 to send US dollars with a credit card, and $15 to use an Internet check. PakRemit charges almost $17 to use a credit card, and $14 with an Internet check.
If you enjoy using your credit card, clearly it will cost you more money with the listed banks. However, there are some ways to send money to Pakistan that not only do not charge much more to pay with your credit card, but also allow your relative to use a card. A prepaid debit card costs $5 for you to send money from your checking account to the card, and $8 to send money using your credit card. This means that if you want to use your credit card, there is no huge penalty, and the fees are flat instead of percentage-based. Thus, if you want to send a lot of money at once to the prepaid debit card, which your relative can use to either shop or withdraw rupees, it will cost you very little.
While debit card use may not be as rampant in Pakistan as in the United States, it is still possible to use cards there. If your relatives reside in major cities like Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, or Faisalabad, there are thousands of ATMs and retail shops in the area that accept debit cards. However, if they are in smaller towns, you might want to ask before sending a prepaid debit card. Other than convenience for your relatives, before you send money to Pakistan, the important thing is to consider the fees that the different services have. Choosing the cheapest, fastest service is sure to make everyone happy.
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