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PAYMENTS
1. Direct Debit
As a streamlined payment method, Direct Debit is hard to beat. It allows UK-based businesses to pull payments directly from their customers’ bank accounts. Bank-to-bank transfers use the secure BACS network, which helps ensure financial security compliance. As with credit cards or cash payment methods, Direct Debit also enables one-off payments, and you’ll avoid the high transaction fees and high payment failure rates that come with accepting credit card payments.
A further benefit is that by using Direct Debit, payments can be automatically scheduled on due dates, eliminating the problem of late payments.
Another essential feature of Direct Debit is the Direct Debit Guarantee, which protects payers from unauthorized debits and makes Direct Debit a highly secure payment option.
2. Card payments
The overwhelming majority of consumers prefer to pay using a card. In fact, according to a 2020 BRC Payments Survey, 78% of all retail transactions were paid for by debit or credit card. Small business owners could be losing out on valuable sales without accepting cards as a primary payment option. Additional benefits of card payments include a smooth, fast checkout process. Consumers can finance larger transactions on credit, allowing small businesses to reach out to a broader demographic.
However, there are a few downsides, including relatively high fees, chargebacks, and the potential for a customer to have this payment method declined. It’s also important to be aware that the issue of fraud has plagued card payments, with £376m lost in 2020 alone. New identity checks for cards came into force in Spring 2022 to combat fraud, which will result in more failed payments. Therefore, you’ll also need to ensure you’re using a secure payment gateway to protect client details.
3. Cash
The use of cash as a payment method steadily declined before 2020 when the pandemic accelerated the move away from physical money towards digital payments. As cashless payments became more widespread during 2020 – 21, only one in six payments were made with cash, and a HMRC study concluded that this trend would only continue in future years.
Cash payments are still the accepted payment method in certain professions such as hairdressers, mini-cabs, and certain other service businesses. Although the upfront costs of accepting cash are lower than online and card payments, businesses see cashless payments as more convenient from an accounting perspective and, now, from a hygiene perspective too.
In Africa we still widely use cash especially dollars. Please note that we majorly accept big denomination as not to lose exchange value. The newer the notes the better. If you are visiting Uganda or East Africa, please bring US dollars dated 2009 and above. Most banks and exchange bureaus here do not accept dollars dated before 2009.
4. Online payment gateways
To reach the widest audience, small businesses must accept multiple payment methods. Online payment gateways make it easy to take online payments directly from your website. Be sure to compare your options carefully, as there will be a vast difference in price structure and the type of payments accepted via the gateway. There is also the technical side to consider. You may need to hire a developer to integrate the payment gateway infrastructure into your website.
Once you have confirmed the final safari itinerary a deposit will be required which shall be the sum of 15% of the Safari arrangement costs, plus the full amount for the gorilla permits (US$ 700 per permit), the chimpanzee permits per person US$ 200 or Habituation US$ 250, and all in country Airplane Tickets for a Flying Safari (if needed) for each person in the group.
Please note that availability of accommodation and permits is not guaranteed until officially confirmed East African Safaris On Ground Limited. Accommodation, permit and activity reservations will be made as soon as your payment has been received in any of our bank accounts. For your convenience, the remaining balance should be settled at least 3 weeks before the start of your safari.
Most travelers make their payment via bank transfer. This can either be the standard Bank to Bank wire transfer – a process which takes on average 1 – 2 days or via Wise which takes from just few hours to a day. Regular Bank to Bank Wire Transfer are sent to our local US$ Equity Bank account in Uganda. Payments via Wise are sent to any of our accounts in the US – US$ (checking account), UK – GBP, Belgium – EUR, Australia – AUD and NZD – New Zealand.
The second most popular way is via PesaPal where you submit your payment online via our website with your Credit or Debit Card. The PesaPal Service cost an extra 3.5% – service charge paid by you.
We also take credit or debit card payments at our Kampala office – please note that there is a 3.5% service charge paid by you.
Cash is also acceptable at our office in Kampala – Uganda. For your convenience, we can come fetch the payment at your convenient spot/hotel in Kampala or Entebbe but would need prior notice to ease planning.
The standard is that we should have your full payment before you start the tour – meaning you can as well pay cash on the day. Besides, we need money to run your tour. Last minute payments may lead to late start for the tour especially if you are planning to withdraw money from the cash machine.
Caution: We advise not to rely so much on ATMs for your safari payment. Most often the networks fail, cards get rejected or eaten plus they are limited to a certain amount in Uganda shillings. As the search for a working ATM continues time is running, causing delays and consequential missing out on some tour activities for the day.
Tip: Try to have funds withdrawn from the ATM at least a day before the start of the tour.
What is the most efficient way to send Safari Money to East Africa – Uganda?
Wise (formerly Transfer wise) – Online Low-Cost and Convenient Money Transfer Service
A common question when it come to payments is; what is the most efficient way to send money to Lifetime Experience Safaris, Uganda. With efficiency, we are looking at exchange rate (if applies), transfer fee, method, processing time, security and other factors like origin of the funds and the amount to be transferred.
Our attention was drawn to Wise due to numerous requests from customers who had used it with fast results. Payments arrive in any of our accounts same business day or next day.
Wise is a British online money transfer and international account service founded in January 2011 and is based in London. The company supports more than 750 currency routes across the world. At the moment, you can send money directly into our account in Australian dollars (AUD), British pounds (£), Euros (€), Hungarian forints, New Zealand dollars, Polish złoty (zł), Romanian leu (lei), Singapore dollars, Turkish Lira, and US dollars ($) if you a checking account.
Although banks can be a quick way to convert your money to USD, Wise provides multi-currency accounts and works with several partner banks spread across the globe. That means you can pay us in any of the above mentioned currencies without having to exchange them to USD.
Our Wise Borderless account provides you with local bank details for those currencies which enable us to swiftly receive your deposit. Wise lets you pay straight from your bank account to Lifetime Safaris’ without incurring any additional fees, yes, it’s free, depositing into any of our TW accounts. Once the funds are received in our account, we’ll receive a Wise confirmation email.
We then do the conversion via the Wise website which uses real exchange rates like the ones you see on google. You only pay a small and transparent fee to convert from your currency to USD, plus another small fee ($4.5 now Jun 2023) from our overseas account (where you deposit the money) to our local US$ account. Conversion fees vary from one currency to the other and will also be determined by the amount to be converted. You don’t need to be registered on TW to use this option. You can use a debit or credit card to pay to our TW account.
Please Note: Just like any other East African Countries, the US Dollar is the currency of choice for Uganda’s tourism industry and prices, especially those for tourists are all in US Dollars.