Quote Originally Posted by Keith View Post
I decided to send some money to a gay guide I have used in Siem Reap, no sex, as he was suffering. He was selling some organic beauty products, so showing initiative. In the end, I said forget the products, I will send money. He gave me his Bank Account, I sent £150, and was charged £17 by my Bank, Lloyds. He only received £100, the Cambodian Bank took the rest!
That was a large amount to lose even by Cambodian Bank standards. Would it be possible your bank gave you a poor exchange rate in addition to their fee? Thats how my Australian Bank "operates", they then emphasise their "low" fee in the hope the customer doesn't notice their robbing exchange rates! I hate to think of the amount of money both Cambodian and Australian banks gouged from me over the years.
And the sad thing is that loss is big money to your friend in Cambodia especially these days.

If you are sending the money online from your bank, it is usually cheaper to send your currency and allow the receiving bank convert it to Dollars...that is if your bank gives you that option. My bank does not give me that option when sending to Cambodia, but does allow me the option when sending to Thailand.