[seqfan] Re: Support the OEIS Foundation!

[Richard Mathar]

Rainer Rosenthal wrote in http://list.seqfan.eu/pipermail/seqfan/2009-December/003303.html

rr> How about paying by MasterCard? It was possible for Wikimedia
rr> some days ago. Or else it would be nice to here about a way
rr> of transferring the money without too much bank fees.

Payments from a European VISA account across the Atlantic will usually
be charged with a minimum 3% rate by VISA and a minimum fee
(the actual percentage depends on the individual bank issuing the card, see
for example
https://www.commerzbanking.de/P-Portal2/XML/IFILPortal/pgf.html?WSPL_ID=c2BNNx3WsnA0YYZYV9IJUOudfMBpFduJuFJKPFhcJ9cagD60gb1lOl4S00-Htg-kHjYnVPQCLxBBhNT4PjHMYcFB4go4cxK7&Tab=2200&Doc=/de/GB/sitesubs/preise_konditionen/popup_konto_und_karten_1.htm
).

Online wire transfers with a "least-hassle" approach that just use the
BOFAUS3N BIC for the transfer will probably be charged with unpredictable
fees:
http://www.ciao.de/Postbank__Test_3197906
http://www.philognosie.net/index.php/article/articleview/120/
http://www.banktip.de/rubrik2/20031/2/Ueberweisung-ausserhalb-EU-EWR.html
http://www.dradio.de/dlf/sendungen/verbrauchertipp/342535/

I am ware of only one way to avoid fees entirely: to know some (trusted)
mediator with two bank accounts, one in the European Countries of the
Euro zone, and another in the U.S.A., who is able/willing to receive money on
the European account via the standard (cost-free/shared) IBAN/BIC standard and
to transfer the equivalent sum from his American account to the OEISF
account.
The latter is for example cost-free for anyone with an account
with the Bank of America (see Bill Pay).
This way, the transaction fee is implicitly paid by the mediator each time
he's transferring money between the cross-Atlantic accounts.

RJM