As the day of my departure from South Africa draws closer I have been trying to avoid having to sleep in a guest house or hotel upon my arrival in Benin to save cost.
So my cousins have been keen on helping with finding accommodation for me.
At some point, they suggested I sleep at a guest house for about a week while we all search for the accommodation of my choice while I am there. I realized they are concerned about my preference and wouldn't want to get me a place I don't like.
I had to assure them not to worry too much about my preference as long as the place is not too noisy, neat, and most importantly, I want an internet connection. I will move to another place if I and don't like the accommodation after the rental expires.
A few times my cousin would tell me he is going to view accommodation and I would expect feedback but he goes quiet. Only last week I realized viewing accommodation in Benin costs money from the advertised accommodation he sent me on Facebook. Then it occurred to me that he must have been spending his money view accommodations or needed money for it.
Though I had asked him how I send money to him, I am almost certain he is not the cryptocurrency type so I couldn't take him that route and seat with having to explain about a wallet and private keys and to him being a French speaker it is not going to be easy.
So instinctively I figured he needs money ASAP with less than 3 weeks left for me in SA and it turned out I was right when I sent the money because over a call he said;
the search for accommodation will go quicker now that I have been able to send money
Sending $277 To Benin Through Western Union
I have been dreading sending money to Benin through Western Union or the bank I knew the are vultures waiting for the likes of me in a situation of having to do remittance.
Before deciding on Western Union, I searched for other means, I even asked my cousin if he knows about PayPal. Another important thing for me is not to put him in too much trouble, so I ended up settling for Western Union.
With my no residential permit status in SA, I can't send money overseas, so I asked a friend to help.
We went to the bank together, we approached an agent to help us and after greeting he excused himself saying he is coming. He came with another lady to interrogate my friend about why he wants to send money, how much he earns in salary, and if he is employed. I am sometimes amused at situations like this so I had to behave and not laugh as I was comparing the whole drama happening before me to cryptocurrency.
Later we found out the agent is a trainee and the lady is his supervisor.
Paper forms were filled with lots of signatures and the eventual transfer of money, I was surprised they only accept cash payment of $227 and do not want us to swipe. We had to go to the ATM to draw cash to pay for the transaction.
My cousin was able to receive the money the same day and it cost me $42, about a 15% charge to send $277.
Cryptocurrency Matters
Often we hear cryptocurrency serves no purpose, it is either those making such claims choose to be ignorant, know the potential of cryptocurrency, and are intended to sway people from the use of cryptocurrency.
A transaction of $277 through HBD or Hive will cost me nothing, that is a huge difference in the transfer of money between one that costs zero and the other $45. I could also opt to send money through Bitcoin and the transaction fees will be next to nothing.
I have some cryptocurrency education to share with my family when I get home, I hope they listen.
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I've always wanted to visit South Africa, it seems to me a country rich in knowledge and landscape, despite other problems with politics, maybe you can try using a digital wallet like Skrill that allows international money transfers with a minimal fee, that's yours transaction could be as low as 5$ or less.
Always so many questions and always feel as though you are doing something illegal. I avoid banks now and look for alternative routes as they are proper leeches with a 15% service fee. I know shops in the UK offer Western Union which is hassle free without the 3rd degree interrogation. In South Africa Forex is treated like gold dust due to the Government wanting it all for themselves.
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It was a moment of interrogation that was disturbing, it is crazy that it has been a norm over the decades, now I just can't stand it. I couldn't find a better option, am glad it is behind me and I hope never to use Western Union again.
!PIZZA
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Yeah a lot of people don’t have to go through this hassle so it’s hard for them to relate, but many of us here see these hurdles first hand so solutions like crypto, Hive especially matters a lot
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This is my first having to use Western Union money transfer and in comparison to cryptocurrency, I don't wish to ever use it again.
!PIZZA
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WU is well known bandits
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I experienced it first hand, I will by all means to avoid it in the future.
!PIZZA
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Been offline all day down here in Durban so you lucky you got money moved anywhere from SA. PayPal cost an arm and leg years ago through FNB I dumped the whole system around 2016 due to cost factor, Western Union or any other bank working into Africa will grill you like a convict about the why, where and when!
Good you got some cash out the ATM and were able to send this amount over, now perhaps a nice place waiting for you on the other side!
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Lol they're are of the same feathers with Western Union. Getting the money out of the ATM wasn't easy lol, I just excluded that part from the post. I had to ask two friends to send me Nedbank cash send, I reimbursed them the following days day.
It was a tense moment but glad it was a success to send the money over to my cousin.
Yes Joan, I look forward to a nice place over in Benin with smiles as I look back to these days.
Am all set now, I just need to get Covid test done and Yellow fever vaccine and and ready to fly.
Days are running fast now.
!PIZZA
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Good to hear you are getting organized and looking forward to the move.
No silver lining here after SONA behaviour once again this year, we must look to change in 2024, wish it were sooner. Either way it will take a long time to get this country back into any semblance of good working order any time soon.
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I missed the SONA actually on purpose lol. I wonder what the address was all about, no convincing plans for tackling load shedding I suppose.
Hopefully, the country gets back to doing well economically before it depreciates further SA is too developed to be toying around with the potential it has.
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Rinse and repeat of last one, only caught some of the highlights myself. New broom needed, new broom with a steady hand!
Major problem was another "State of Disaster" announced now due to ESKOM, not happy with that platform used for announcement like this nor which road it may lead down again.
When we look across the African continent as a whole that is what is needed, a "new broom" with good intent and not these fossils that are refusing to leave the position of power, and even if they leave they still influence the appointed ones behind the scenes.
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Major problem throughout the world, no where is perfect so we must make the most of what we have.
I think they'll listen because crypto solves pressing financial problems. It seems like the system never changes. That's what they do almost everywhere, I see them as unconscious leeches!
They are no doubt leeches always waiting to feast on theirs hosts like parasites do.
I hope more people get to educate themselves about cryptocurrency so we can transfer money between ourselves without intermediaries.
!PIZZA
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I hope too. That would definitely be a dream come true and a fulfilled vision for crypto.
We don't know how crypto as make life easy with lesser fees with fast transactions. The question and we go through at banks sometimes are crazy
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I find it to be an outdated system having to use the bank when I can do things on my phone. Those of us that are familiar with cryptocurrency see limited use for the bank.
!PIZZA
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Wow… 15% charge. That’s a lot.
And what a trouble to send some money.
I am happy it did work out in the end Joe.
We rented this place unseen. Hope you will like your accommodation when you arrive.
And like you say, you can move on when needed.
Thanks for sharing 👋🏻😎
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I saw a few accommodations online but I opted for my cousin's help since he is there to assist. 15% is a lot, and that could be channeled into something else for me now that I need every cent 😃
It is nice that your accommodation went smoothly and you like the place.
!PIZZA
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Good he did help
I so understand. Moving countries, or even just moving house cost a bit… and every cent is needed.
It has a few things… the house… for now it’s fine (luckily) we will stay here about a year, to 1,5 year. Until we find something to buy and renovate. Perfect base to explore and find the right location. So all good. 😎
Thank you so much Joe, hope your weekend is going well. Enjoy it!
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That will be great, hopefully, in less than five years I will do the same over in Benin, seeing am going to start from scratch over there.
It's been a cold and wet weekend and am loving it except that I need the sun so I can do laundry.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend Jackie.
Many thanks.
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Thanks Joe, cool you have the same plan.
We are starting from scratch too here.
Awww that’s a shame the weather was wet and cold. Hope the sun comes again so you can do the laundry.
Luckily after a week of rain and storms we had this weekend dry weather.
So we went out exploring new areas. Will post them soon 😎
I did… hope you too.
Have an awesome new week Joe 👋🏻😊
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Great we will feed off each others motivation 🙂
It is nice chatting with you about this since it is a similar experience we are embarking on.
I managed to do some laundry yesterday, they are not dirty, I just did a 30mins wash, before I iron and pack them 😃.
Now waiting the sun to do the last part before my washing machine get taken, I sold it and it might be picked up on the 18th.
Great that the weather allowed you to explore the place, am sure you will enjoy the place more after winter. I think you missed my comment on the post about revealing your travel destination 😃
Have a great week ahead Jackie.
Yep we will… and share our experiences 😎🤓
Thanks, that’s nice to hear. It is indeed great chatting about all of this as it is indeed very similar.
Hope I can help with advice further.
Great news on the sun and sell off the washing machine. We sold also sooooo much. Didn’t take many furniture to Scotland. Do you have still many other things to sell?
We gave also (next to selling) the last bits away to charity.
Oh no… I did. Funnily now you say that. Notifications is acting up and shows some and others not at the moment. And the day after they suddenly do show up. Will check it out asap 🤓😎 thanks for the reminder.
Thank you so much, and you too. Have a great week!
Enjoy your evening 👋🏻
Ps. Just checked @joetunex my winter wonderland post and I did answer you 3 days ago… I think you missed it and the notification of my reply didn’t show like I had with some in the last days…
It was a long comment too. Hope you find it 🙏🏻😉 if not let me know.
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There are cheaper and convenient options to send money using Worldremit which is fully authorised and safe too. Obviously It's not as cheap as crypto but it's quite convenient compared to a physical visit to the bank.
I once helped a friend to send hers to Nigeria just using the WorldRemit App and the recipient still got it to their bank account on the same day.
There are limits though when sending from SA to anywhere in the world:
-The max send amount per transfer is $279.64 and the max send amount per month is $1398.42
In your case - You would have spent $14 to make two transfer since one can't exceed $279.64 per transaction but that will still save more than 67% from the $42.
All the best!
Worldremit was one of the options that came up when I was looking for ways to do the transfer, there was mama money also (can't recall if I get the spelling right) I even downloaded the App but couldn't proceed when it required KYC.
I just didn't want to deal with KYC of which I don't even have ID, payslip etc.
It is the reason I opted for Western Union just to get it over and done with considering time is now running out.
Thanks for sharing this.
What are the requirements to use Worldremit?
!PIZZA
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But you have friends -just like the one you took to the bank? and I am one of them too last time I checked?☺️
It's Great that all things are finally taking shape.
One of the things I dislike most is asking friends for help that is related to them having to present their ID and personal data. As much as I have friends like you that are willing to help I always feel handicapped knowing under normal circumstances these are things I can do for myself without asking for help.
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Yeah I get what you mean 🙂
This is why those particularly in developing countries need to get on board with crypto. The governments should even be the ones pushing it.
Good luck with your move to another country BTW
Developing countries have a chance to better their nations through crypto but the greed and selfishness within governments make them rather stifle the growth of crypto than embrace it.
Thank you for the best wishes 🙃
!PIZZA
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Wow, that is pretty crazy. I didn't think people needed to pay to view houses that are up for rent. It's kind of crazy and something that I never expected. The fees are also kind of crazy.
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While researching on YouTube I saw someone mentioned it and it clicked when my cousin sent an advertised house, so I realized I have to send him money immediately. It is crazy how these things vary geographically.
!PIZZA
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it's unfortunate that traditional money transfer methods like Western Union can be so expensive. The high fees can be a significant burden, especially for those who need to send money regularly or large amounts.
It can be a burden for those who use it often, they will have to ensure there's a 15% transfer fee all the time in addition to the amount they want to spend, in my case I didn't plan for the 15% charges so it reduced the amount I planned to send. Cryptocurrency is the solution.
!PIZZA
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