jambutty

There is a bit of an art in using a DC Gintoh and that is never try to empty it. No matter how accurate your information on exchange rates it is unlikely that it will be the same as the bank that owns the ATM that you use.

Have a look at http://www.x-rates.com/calculator.html to get the current exchange rate. If the currency that you use is not listed in there, then try http://www.xe.com/ict/

When I use my DC I convert the US dollars on it to UK Pounds and then select a withdrawal figure that is less than the UK Pounds that coincides with an amount that can be withdrawn.

Most of the UK ATM’s list the amounts that can be withdrawn £20 - £50 - £100 - £200 - £400. There is an ‘OTHER’ link but I never use it. If my DC has $500 on it that converts to £269.01 so I withdraw £200. I could also withdraw a further £50 but the withdrawal fee would be the same as for the £200 withdrawal so unless I am desperate I don’t bother and just wait until I can withdraw £200 again.

Hope that helps.

Gintoh

Jim, I did check the currency conversion sites as well as ask the local bank for the exchange rate for the day. And no, I was not even trying to withdraw the total amount initially since that would be impossible, anyway. I just think that in addition to the ATM withdrawal fees imposed by both C-E and the bank, the exchange rate actually used differs greatly from what's quoted such that I ended up paying more than I would had I used the bank-wire option.

From now on, to make things simpler and more economical, I'll just have my e-gold exchanger send me the money by check so I could then deposit it in my US dollar savings account.

jambutty

In the UK most ATM’s do not make a charge for withdrawing so my only expense is the DC charge.

The exchange rate quoted on those sites is the nominal rate and banks etc have two different rates, one for selling and one for buying. In the UK the difference can be as much as 40 pence. For instance the current exchange rate of the US dollar to the UK pound is $1 = £0.538039 (£0.54). So if you sell $1 US you will only get £0.34. But if you want to buy $1 it will cost you £0.74. Words like rip-off come to mind but there is nothing that we can do about it if we are dealing with foreign currency.

Some charge commission on the exchange and thus their rates are different to those that do not charge commission.

KingD

I have full respect for you sir. I saw your profile, and you're born the same year as my dad, but he doesn't even touch a computer, let alone master this risky investment community. I agree wholeheartedly that the recent crop of surf programs has been utterly disasterous, some of the ones I joined never even finish one cycle. Yeah, TG can be a hornets nest, but it is very active and you have to weed out the bad from the good as with anything in life.

btw, if you can enlighten me as to which DC you are using? I was thinking of buying the one through OffshoreClub (Cash Evolution - their office is half a mile from my house), or the one through XLentOpps (IGE). I was initially going to use GCard or Blue Banking (through Udachu) but they want scans of drivers lic, etc and I'm not willing to give that to anyone. My friend recommended AsianPay. Any suggestions? I'd definitely trust your word.

jambutty

If the Cash Evolution office were close to my home then I would go for them.

I used to use UniClear and until they went to the dogs they were the best around. I wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole now.

I am currently waiting for my gCard to arrive so I have no personal experience with them – yet. However my research suggests that they are probably the most secure.

Asian Pay is another ball game altogether. It’s like a breath of fresh air in the industry and being located in Thailand, with local government approval, I feel that AP will make a huge impact on the Internet. I’m in AP and I’m doing nicely with them. Credit Card funding is just around the corner with a Debit Card due probably by the end of August. However to have access to all their facilities they will require proof of identity in the form of scans of Passport or Driving License, Utility bills etc. My verification took just a couple of days. It might take a bit longer today. But seeing as you are averse to parting with such details then maybe you need a cure of your aversion or you will miss out.

If you get in now the Secure Card for secure logging is still free up to the end of July. After then it will cost $19.95.

welshdog

In some ways I can see where you're coming from, but there *are* a few good programs still out there. And while I know it sounds like I'm just selling, NexxSurf has been one so far.

I was a free member for a couple of weeks to sus it out before upgrading and I've been paid a couple of times so now I'm investing profits only - and no matter how much I get paid, the max I'm putting in is $50 until I quadruple my initial stake - i.e. once I've made $200, I'll increase the investment to $100 and continue to $400, $800 etc from there. Hopefully this strategy will protect me a little.

Ok this means a low initial return, but it ensures I remain in profit and on track towards the higher investment figures.

I'm doing this in whichever program I find that seems reasonably 'solid'... well as solid as any of them curently are anyway.

Now if I can just find a few more good programs to invest in then my %'ge return will increase with each one... and profit is profit.... *if* I can find more good ones that is

chikadibia

I have tried joining programs early hoping there will at least pay us and get some early rating from us but that strategy hasn't worked very well for me. So now I try to make my DD more strict. I kind of watch programs for 2 or 3 weeks from at least 2 monitor sites. I read all negative posts first and see how much that discourages me.

When I finally invest, I leave my money with high-risk programs for 20 days maximum before requesting my withdrawal. After getting my seed money...I play on with whatever I have made from then. Many programs don't last more than 2 months. These rules applies especially for programs that claim to pay more than 60% monthly...in other words I consider 60%/mth and above a high-risk program.

Please add more advice/rules....

jambutty

You are on the right track chikadibia except that just because a site has been up and running and paying for 2 or 3 weeks it doesn’t mean they will continue.

If you are still intent on risking your cash then probably the best option is to pick those that pay out daily to E-Gold. At least your potential loss is reduced each day that they pay.

chikadibia

Thanks again jambutty,

I have started changing most of my investments into dailies. Thanks...