The comment has been made about "being good friends with your PH". That has so far been my good fortune. A deposit was made up front of a token amount-$1000 as I remember. I did what I wanted and shot what I wanted and then wrote him a check for the balance on his kitchen table in Pretoria.
I like the CC option too. However I just got a notice of new charges from MBNA and they are increasing the CC charges for overseas use. I really don't like that bank very much. They are bad to change to rules in the middle of the game.

I have used the wire transfer method, and think it's the best for the deposit, etc. Usually I then travel with TT for the remainder, which can be a pain. In a couple of cases, I would have shot additional animals, but I had no way of paying for them. In one case the outfitter told me when I was settling up that I could have given him a personal check even though I was told that only cash or TT's would be accepted. One trip I had thousands of dollars in TT's left over, and I've still got a few after several years.

There are some serious problems with wire transfers.

1. Sometimes they get lost. (Yes, it is true.)

2. Often the amount that arrives is inexplicably less than the amount that was sent. And who should absorb the difference?

All I can say is
"Cash money is way ahead of whatevers in second place"

I can offer a couple of opinions on the subject. 1) Some PH's have accounts overseas and perhaps even in your own home country. If this is the case it will reduce exchange rate risk for both parties and will also reduce wire transfer charges for those that prefer a transfer. It is preferable to discuss this verbally with the PH before making any assumptions. 2) In Africa cash is still used and if it is US Dollars, Euros or Pounds Sterling is almost universally accepted. Since some countries still have currency declaration forms upon entry you will want to know about this before going and avoid getting into trouble if you can't show the currency conversion slips upon departure. 3) Accepting personal checks shows enormous trust on the part of the PH. Acceptance is usually a function of how much they trust you more than any other factor.

most of the guy I have hunted with have US accounts (can't imagine why probably because they take zim $$) anyway I usually pay the daily rate to them before and the trophy fees and extras I just wire down into their account when I return

Steve,

Peter is correct in that in RSA you must have signed a Merchant agreement which states inter alia that you CAN'T add the handling charge as a seperate item to the invoice....it must be inclusive.

This notwithstanding, I'm all for this as I do all my primary transactions by credit card, both at home and abroad.....I NEVER use travellers cheques (checks) as you pay a handling fee on the purchase and redemption if not used.

Even wiring money out of RSA after (and before for a deposit) a hunt is always frought with bureaucracy in terms of paperwork etc for the bank.

Steve,

Have you figured out what it costs to handle cash?
I know for many businesses here in the UK, both methods (cash &CC)work out about the same when you factor in the cost of handling the cash, and then banking it ect...

Regards,

Pete

Steve- A thousand times yes. And please do consider eating the 3 or 4 points as that $$$ is immediatly availible to you. I see Wendell and a few other PROGRESSIVES have got their merchant accounts running. I have been after an agent we have useed numerous times to do the same. It will serve you well.

FWIW, traveler's checks are free to American Express cardholders.

Also, wiring funds has always worked for me (watch, I'll be jinxed now) and runs about $25 per transfer.

But once I have established a level of personal trust by getting to know the party on the "other side" of a transaction--and by paying them in full and on time, of course--I have been able to conduct a fair amount of business in Africa using nothing more than a personal check.

ATMs work, too. Although, watch out. The ATM fees run about 50-60 rand and can equal or exceed the amount of a small withdrawal!

Pete,

I'd like to get away from cash & T/Cs if I could as sometimes I end up having to travel right across Africa with a small and sometimes not so small fortune!

It would be nice if we could swallow the 3% (ish) but it's just not possible. We sometimes have myself & 4 other PHs in the field and over the year the combined amount we take in trophy fees adds up considerably.....when you work out the maths it's a lot of money to kiss goodbye.

Maybe I'll speak to the bank and try to get them to give me a lower percentage figure to make it more sensible.......