http://talkingscot.com/forum/viewtopic. ... sc&start=0
Currie wrote:
I’ve never bought ScotlandsPeople credits other than by Credit Card. Before I had an internationally usable credit card my Brother-in-Law used to loan me his credit card number. Here’s a bit of information about vouchers as I understand them. Anyone who has purchased vouchers especially from Australia or anywhere overseas should be able to give you a better idea of how things work and worked for them.
On Scotlandspeople you can buy 30 credits for 6 Pounds (or multiples thereof) online by credit card. That’s about A$13.00. The credits are instantly credited to your account. Vouchers are cards which have a number and are ordered by mail from SP and mailed to you. http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/conte ... r=551&1309 There are mailing charges except for large orders.
If you are planning to purchase a voucher from Scotland and to pay for it with an Australian bank cheque you should check with your bank as to the cost of purchasing the cheque. My building society charges A$15.00 to purchase a cheque in foreign currency regardless of its amount. It depends on how many credits you plan to purchase but you may find that the cost per credit after including bank and other charges rises substantially.
Vouchers can be purchased from various other places apart from SP. According to this page the Society of Australian Genealogists (located Sydney) has 30 credit vouchers for sale for A$19.50 but I’ve no idea whether they or the price are still current.
http://web.ecorner.com.au/epages/sag.st ... ucts/24218 The South Australian Genealogy & Heraldry Society or your local library may know if it’s possible to purchase vouchers a bit closer to home. http://www.saghs.org.au/index.html
It’s possible you may find that the voucher system for you is much more expensive than paying online by credit card. If that turns out to be the case you could consider doing what I once did and find someone who uses a credit card online who would be able to purchase credits on your behalf. If you are concerned about internet security you could possibly open up an account with just a small balance which has a Debit Card attached, which works the same as a credit card but can be used only to access the funds in that account. Your bank or Building Society etc. could advise you about this and associated charges.
Does anyone have experience of the voucher system, especially purchases from overseas, particularly Australia, whether bought locally or direct by mail from SP. How did the cost, after including things like mail and bank charges and the like, compare to online purchases by credit card? Is the voucher system a practical one for the purchase of small numbers of credits from overseas countries, especially considering mail delays and extra costs, or is it only so if larger numbers are purchased?
Alan
