Getting Money in Spain: Una "experiencia"

As I mentioned in my previous post, trying to get large quantities of quick cash in Spain as an extranjera can be a nightmarish process. Before I begin, I want to throw a huge thank you and virtual hug out to my Dad for all of his help. Not very often does his crazy work schedule prove to be a positive, but it did allow him to help me and be by my side step-by-step. Even though I had already set up a bank account through Abanca in Vigo, unlike what many banking representatives believe back home in the States to be a simple international process, Spanish banks no longer allow for teller advances to be made. While the simplest and cheapest (free!) way to transfer money from abroad is by wire, it can take up to three to five business days to come though…I had 24 hours.

I can’t help but mention how so very convenient it was to find out our online baking service did not allow for international wire transfers. So the options were to take a risk and wire the cash or to use an international MoneyGram service and eat some money in the process. Due to the fact time was limited, a MoneyGram was our best option. After much research on my Dad’s behalf and my running around the city from bank to bank in search of information and free wifi, we finally decided to transfer the money though Walmart’s MoneyGram service. As it turns out, like many of their perks, Walmart has one of the best exchange rates and the cheapest service fee around!

While we ran into a few roadblocks including getting blocked out of our account, my Dad having to stay up even longer to go to the Walmart in person after work, not having the confirmation codes, my Dad wiring the money to and from his name, and me not having a functional cell phone in Spain, I finally got the cash to pay for the upfront costs on my apartment...now it's time to take a breath!

Here’s a few tips and recommendations:

1. If you have the time, wire money for free to your Spanish bank from your home account

2. Walmart’s MoneyGram service has the best exchange rate and service fees

3. Bring your passport to pick up money! The name listed as the receiver for the MoneyGram service must exactly match the name on the passport.

4. Have an amazing family and support system to stay up way past their bedtime to help you out <3