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Advice on how to pay for HT when travelling to India/Eugenix


rob7331

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Hi all,

Putting this in the off-topic forum because it's not really hair related.

I've heard varying advice on this but generally how do people prefer to pay for an international HT? Originally I was planning on just using my Mastercard (Canadian here) but it looks like there's a 3% charge from Eugenix and then a 2.5% currency exchange charge from my bank. I'm getting about 4600 grafts done which brings the CC fees alone to around 500 USD. After the surgery, flight, visa and other expenses it's starting to add up a fair amount.

Has anybody used a money or wire transfer to pay for part of their surgery to help mitigate fees? I read one post recommending Remitly, but I'm curious if anyone else has recommendations besides the ol' credit card. Would like to avoid carrying huge amounts of cash too.

Follow my second hair transplant journey below

Caucasian - 4613 Grafts - Eugenix, Dr. Arika Bansal

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1 minute ago, SadMan2021 said:

If your credit score is good enough I imagine you can snag a card that has 0% APR for a significant while. 

I believe the clinics charge 3% if a credit card is used. Likely to offset their fees on credit card transactions. Wire transfer was cheaper for me at least. 

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I don't have personal experience with this, but I would imagine that the clinic would know the ins and outs of this and could advise you on the most cost effective way to pay for the treatment. Unless it's not that straightforward and requires jumping through hoops, in which case, they may just leave you to figure it out for yourself - in which case, I hope someone here can point you in the right direction. 

Perhaps check with your bank as well to see if they know any affordable ways to get money from one country to another. 

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

Check out my hair loss website for photos

FUE surgery by Dr. Mohebi on 7/31/14
2,001 grafts - Ones: 607; Twos: 925; Threes: 413; Fours: 56

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There's some accounts you can open online that are geared towards international money exchange etc. 

Revolut as an example if you have it is one such service. It converts your native currency at close to the best rate on the day with lower fees than what your bank might charge. 

I ordered a new card to use, and the last time i went abroad to Dubai, i basically topped up the account in my native country currency and whenever i used my card at an ATM or made a card payment in the country, it would convert at the best rate they could give. 

I'm planning to top up my Revolut account with the expected cost of surgery and a small buffer for food, travel, tests etc. i might need to pay for if i go International as intended hopefully. 

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I appreciate all your tips. I talked to my credit card company (BMO Mastercard), they were basically useless and said they couldn't advise me on specific payment methods besides the one they provided (using the credit card). I'll give Revolut a look though, it looks like Eugenix doesn't necessary care how they receive the money as long as they receive it.

Follow my second hair transplant journey below

Caucasian - 4613 Grafts - Eugenix, Dr. Arika Bansal

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10 hours ago, NARMAK said:

Revolut as an example if you have it is one such service. It converts your native currency at close to the best rate on the day with lower fees than what your bank might charge. 

Yes, but what next after you exchange money on Revolut to currency accepted by Eugenix? How do you pay from revolut? If by revolut card, 3% charge comes again.

BTW: there is no indian rupee on revolut. 

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16 minutes ago, GeneralNorwood said:

Yes, but what next after you exchange money on Revolut to currency accepted by Eugenix? How do you pay from revolut? If by revolut card, 3% charge comes again.

BTW: there is no indian rupee on revolut. 

I recently just used Revolut to make a payment and Indian Rupee is on there. 

There's a chance it may not be available to all Revolut customers/regions though. 

I don't know why Revolut would charge a 3% fee for their card payment. As far as i'm aware, they're marketed as a really competitive provider of currency conversion on the day. 

I used the when i went Dubai and was topping up in £s onto my Revolut account and i'd withdraw into Dihrams (UAE currency) and it would usually give me one of the better rates available on the day without issues. 

They bake all their fees etc. usually into the platform to give competitive currency exchange and better than the typical 3% fee your bank would probably leverage and then some. 

Also, if you really need to. There's an option to do a Bank Transfer to Eugenix using Revolut. So you don't have to just pay on the card. 

Edited by NARMAK
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2 minutes ago, NARMAK said:

I recently just used Revolut to make a payment and Indian Rupee is on there. 

There's a chance it may not be available to all Revolut customers/regions though. 

 

Ok, here is explanation : https://www.revolut.com/en-IT/help/adding-money/with-bank-transfer/can-i-receive-bank-transfers-in-inr

You can't own rupee on Revolut account, but you can pay in rupee. Revolut will just convert one of currencies that you own. 

2 minutes ago, NARMAK said:

 I don't know why Revolut would charge a 3% fee for their card payment. As far as i'm aware, they're marketed as a really competitive provider of currency conversion on the day. 

At the end, It's not Revolut who charges you 3%, but Eugenix. OP stated in his first post that he has info that Eugenix charge 3% extra if you pay by Master Card. 

If this is true that means that MasterCard fees are very high in india and it's not suprise that Eugenix in this case transfer this fee on customer. 

 

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11 minutes ago, GeneralNorwood said:

Ok, here is explanation : https://www.revolut.com/en-IT/help/adding-money/with-bank-transfer/can-i-receive-bank-transfers-in-inr

You can't own rupee on Revolut account, but you can pay in rupee. Revolut will just convert one of currencies that you own. 

At the end, It's not Revolut who charges you 3%, but Eugenix. OP stated in his first post that he has info that Eugenix charge 3% extra if you pay by Master Card. 

If this is true that means that MasterCard fees are very high in india and it's not suprise that Eugenix in this case transfer this fee on customer. 

 

Thanks for the information. 

I just checked, my Revolut card is Visa which Revolut says you can't pick between but it tells you on the app whether it's Visa or Mastercard. 

If it is the case that it's only Mastercard subject to 3% fees from Eugenix, but Visa isn't charged a fee, that might help those issued Visa based cards with Revolut but there's always the bank transfer option. I made my payment over a weekend so it took 2 days to go through, but they did say they received it. So that could be a work around and there's a fee involved, but it's potentially cheaper than the overall cost mentioned in OP of circs $500. Maybe, it's even a 1/5th for thousands of dollars. Hell, even if you save half that. Its a solid reduction. 

Hopefully you guys find a method that works, but Revolut is potentially a solid method for some. 

Edited by NARMAK
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I should clarify, the 3% charge Eugenix informed me about wasn't because I have Mastercard but for credit in general. So it would likely apply to any credit card.

BTW, the charge itself isn't surprising - here in Canada tons of companies charge an additional fee for using CC. I'm just trying to find ways to knock down the fees because 5.5% is a decent amount with the currency exchange on top.

Looks like I may just send a significant deposit with Wise, then settle up the remainder on credit. Thanks everyone for your tips.

Follow my second hair transplant journey below

Caucasian - 4613 Grafts - Eugenix, Dr. Arika Bansal

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Should definitely ask whichever clinic you're going to if there's a limit on paying in cash. Also be aware of any travel restrictions involving money limits. I personally wouldn't because I'm a nervous nelly, but it may work in some situations.

Follow my second hair transplant journey below

Caucasian - 4613 Grafts - Eugenix, Dr. Arika Bansal

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