Friday, January 16, 2009

Sending Money to Guatemala

By Chloe Banks

There are numerous ways to send money to Guatemala, each with its own set of standards that govern how the money is sent. The costs of these services vary, as do the level of security provided for the transfer of funds, as well as the amount of time it takes for the money to arrive.

In case of an emergency you may need to know how to send money as quickly as possible. It is important to know your options when sending money to Guatemala. The most pressing thing to remember is don't panic. Prepare now to have everything in place to initiate a transfer when necessary.

Many times it is easiest and quickest to send money online. Services such as ATM Cash allow you to do this 24/7 from your computer.

Another quick way to ensure getting money to Guatemala is making sure the recipient has a debit or ATM card, possibly linked to your checking or savings account.

As long as they have a card and the PIN number, they will have access to cash through an ATM machine. This is a possible option as long as you are comfortable with the cardholder having access to your account at all times. For situations where you do not want the intended recipient of funds to have access to the money in the checking account at all times, a pre-paid debit card is a solution. A pre-paid debit card is a card just like any other ATM card except for the fact that it is loaded with a specific amount of money.

The recipient will not have access to money until you have refilled the pre-paid debit card. A phone call to notify the recipient that money has been added is all you would need to gain access to funds.

Another way to help facilitate easier transfers is by opening an account with a bank that is in both the U.S. and Guatemala.

The above steps are some ways that will help ensure that money arrives quickly when you need it. - 15224

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