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Re:Living Only on Bitcoins by Karunamon on Sunday May 08, 2016 @01:30PM (#11654827)
Aren't wire transfers incredibly expensive? (Something like upwards of $20 for the sender and the recipient?)

That may just be an American thing though, countries with first world banking systems may have that sorted :)

Re:Living Only on Bitcoins by david-given on Sunday May 08, 2016 @01:48PM (#11654905)
Here in Switzerland the entire financial system is arranged via wire transfers.

I get a bill. At the bottom of the bill is a red pay-in slip with a magic number on it. I log in to my bank, enter the number, tell it how much I want to transfer, done.

There's a not-used-enough automatic system where one of my creditors can send their bills directly to my bank. Now, I log into my bank, get told there's a pending e-bill, at which point I select it, press 'pay', done.

No fees anywhere.

I'm from the UK, which is just starting to do this, but it's nothing like as polished; small traders and tradesmen still prefer cheques, and regular payments are typically done via direct debit, where you authorise them to debit money directly out of your bank account (with a whole pile of banking guarantees). Switzerland seems to do this much less frequently; most people just pay the invoices monthly.

Re:Living Only on Bitcoins by Gracana on Sunday May 08, 2016 @03:24PM (#11655351)
Wow, I would love it if things worked that way in the US. Even without the "automatic system," that's pretty awesome.
Re:Living Only on Bitcoins by jacobush on Sunday May 08, 2016 @03:02PM (#11655256)
This is identical to how's it done in Sweden
Re:Living Only on Bitcoins by pbarnes_1 on Sunday May 08, 2016 @07:27PM (#11656534)
And Australia.

Plus transfers are free... and appear same day in the other account.

The US is a different kettle of fish.

Re:Living Only on Bitcoins by sdlion on Sunday May 08, 2016 @01:52PM (#11654922)
With wire-transfers you mean international wire-transfers? I think it might be just an american thing, mexican banks usually don't charge you anything for wire-transfers inside the country (in their "use your credit/debit card at least once each month plans") and well, it's Mexico. Though I think "first world"-something is quite the phrase just to describe consumer comfort: not advanced, not better (or worse), just "it's ok, I don't mind".

---EDIT---

Wire-transfers between national banks are free if you wait a day; there's a small fixed fee if you want them immediately. Transfers between different clients in the same bank are free and immediate. And it's becoming very common to be able to pay a quite assorted list of services through your e-bank account (from utilities to departmental store accounts) without fees.

Re:Living Only on Bitcoins by ascorbic on Sunday May 08, 2016 @01:42PM (#11654878)
Transfers in the UK are free and instant.
Re:Living Only on Bitcoins by evilsocket on Sunday May 08, 2016 @01:42PM (#11654877)
not where I live