Mail and payments

[GRETCHEN SOLDAT]

I am confused about mail and making payments from U.S. to Ecuador. In the past, I recall mailing letters to Peru and Ecuador but now it seems no one has mail service. I realize utility payments are often made in person or direct through a local bank, but can’t I send money to someone in Ecuador by some sort of delivery? If not mail, how about FedEx or DHL? Are U.S. personal checks, or cashier’s checks accepted by Ecuadorian banks? We have been using international bank wires to send our HOA fees but our bank charges $30 and the Ecuador receiving bank charges $30 so it’s kind of prohibitive. I’ve asked our HOA prez for other alternatives but no one seems to know. This is kind of mystifying to me as the outfit that ships us supplements says they’ll ship to Ecuador for a mere $15. Then there are all the immigrants in the U.S. sending money home to their families…??

[COUNTRY EXPERT – WENDY DECHAMBEAU]

There is mail service to Ecuador. We have a post office box and get mail there, but if you put the recipient’s physical address on the envelope the postal service will usually hand deliver it even if there is no external mailbox. That might be a little risky though with sending money so you might want to try another option. If you want to send a check you’ll need to get an international cashier’s check from your bank and you could send it through DHL or FedEx. Your best option though might be Western Union.

Another idea is to use PayPal. I use this frequently for sending money to people in other countries and there’s no cost. You just need to make sure that the sending and receiving parties both have an account and then choose the option of sending money to friends or family when you make your payment. If you choose the option of paying for goods or services PayPal will keep a percentage of the payment as a fee.

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