| Q |
What is this service? |
| A |
BirrituExpress.com is pleased to offer you access to a quick, secure and cost-effective way of sending money from the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom to anyone in Ethiopia or India. The entire transaction is completed online and, with just a few clicks of a mouse, your money is on its way to the recipient of your choice with your personalized message. There is no need to visit a bank to use this service. |
|
| Q |
How does the service work? |
| A |
Sending money to Ethiopia through BirrituExpress.com is easy:
- Simply login to the money transfer site.
- Enter payment details, including amount to be sent in US dollars, Great Britain Pounds or Canadian Dollars.
- Enter the name and address of the person to whom you are sending the money.
- Add your message to the recipient to be sent along with the money.
- Confirm the transaction.
- You will receive an e-mail shortly confirming details of your transaction and a tracking number you can use to check the status of your transaction online.
|
|
| Q |
What are the fees for this service? |
| A |
A nominal fee is charged for providing this service. Many comparable services charge you higher fees and could take much longer to deliver the money. Send money directly from your checking or savings account and save. Use the internet check facility and save on fees for this seivice. Please check the Fees page for details. |
|
| Q |
What is an internet check? |
| A |
Unlike a paper check which has a physical presence, the internet check is an electronic mode of payment. When you authorize funds to be withdrawn from your Bank account by providing the Bank Routing Number (also known as ABA number) which is 9 digits and appears on the bottom of your check followed by your bank account number, issued to you by your bank, this mode of payment becomes an internet check.
 
|
|
| Q |
Will my personal information be protected? |
| A |
Definitely! The site uses 128-bit SSL encryption to protect all personal identification information that you submit, including your name, address, e-mail address, login ID and password, credit/debit card and bank account details. Payment details for each transaction are encrypted and stored for your convenience. Details of how your information is protected are provided in the Privacy Policy page governing this service. |
|
| Q |
What forms of payment do you accept? |
| A |
The following forms of payment are accepted:
- Credit/Debit Cards (Visa and MasterCard)
- Funds withdrawn directly from your bank account. ( also known as Internet Check in the US)
Note: The best time to complete your transaction is before 3 PM (EST) (United States and Canada) on any business day. This is one of a few fully-online, secure services that allows you to send money using either your credit/debit card or funds withdrawn directly from your bank account. |
|
| Q |
What is the best time to execute a transaction? |
| A |
The best time to execute a transaction is before 4 PM (EST) (United States and Canada) for Credit/Debit Cards and 6 PM for Internet Checks on any business day. This will expedite the money transfer to Ethiopia by a day. Remember that transactions conducted after 4 PM (EST) for Credit/Debit Cards and 6 PM for Internet Checks are initiated on the next business day. Transactions conducted on weekends and holidays are initiated on the next business day. |
|
| Q |
Is there a limit to how much I can send in a single transaction? |
| A |
As part of our ongoing verification process and in order to ensure the maximum security for your account and the accounts that you have debited, you are generally restricted you are restricted to the following limits:
- $1000 in your first transaction.
- Initial limit of up to $5000 in the first two months of opening your account. (Maximum of $2000 per individual transaction.)
- Ongoing limit of up to $15000 every six months. (Maximum of $7500 per individual transaction.)
We are constantly reviewing the established limits in order to provide our customers with the greatest flexibility and protection. We urge you to review the latest money transfer limits that are provided in the terms of service page. |
|
| Q |
How do I know the status of my transaction? |
| A |
Online tracking is available for you to follow the progress of your money. This gives you the confidence that 24 hours a day, 7 days a week you can know exactly where your money is. In addition, you can even track the delivery status of your check and know who signed for it. All of this information is accessible to you with a simple click of your mouse button! |
|
| Q |
Is my money safe? |
| A |
Absolutely! Our software uses the latest 128-bit SSL encryption, so no unauthorized person can ever see details of your transaction. In addition, you have the security of knowing that your funds are handled by an FDIC-insured bank in the United States. Outside of the United States, funds are held by the most accessible and most reputable banking institutions in Ethiopia. |
|
| Q |
How soon will my money get to the recipient? |
| A |
The cash is ready for pick up by the recipient at one of our partner banks or deposited to the bank account you designated as soon as 2-4 business days after you complete the transaction online. We will inform the recipient as soon as the fund is available for pick up or deposited in to the designated bank account. Please note that receipt of funds by a Recipient is dependent upon when BirrituExpress receives good funds and upon local laws, communication system and delivery channel availability and bank and clearing system regulations applicable in Ethiopia. We shall make our best effort to have the funds delivered to the beneficiary as soon as possible. However, BirrituExpress and its partners do not guarantee the timing of a Recipient’s receipt of funds initiated pursuant to a Payment request from you. |
|
| Q |
Will I be charged a cash advance fee if I use my credit card? How does the transaction appear on my statement? |
| A |
Transactions are not processed as a cash advance. However, the bank that issues your credit card may charge you a cash advance fee for such a transaction. In order to avoid credit card cash advance fees, we recommend that you use our Internet check service. This debits the money directly out of your bank account at a slightly lower fee than what is charged for credit/debit card transfers. Lower fees are one of the many features of the Internet check service. |
|
| Q |
Does the recipient need to have a bank account? |
| A |
The recipient does not need to have an account, but can use their state issued ID to retrieve funds from any branch of the paying bank. |
|
| Q |
Who is PayQuik? |
| A |
PayQuik is the back-end service provider for the infrastructure facilitating your money transfer. PayQuik only enables the transfer and does not take possession of your funds at any time. Funds in the US are held by an FDIC-insured bank, MetaBank, and by reputable banks in Ethiopia, pending payment to the recipient. |
|
| Q |
I don't like credit/debit cards! How do I arrange to have funds withdrawn directly from my bank account? |
| A |
When asked for your payment details, simply select the Internet Check option; enter the ABA or Bank Routing Number of your bank and your Account Number. These numbers can easily be found on the bottom right corner of your current checks or savings slips. The Routing Number is the first set of 9 numbers on your check; your Account Number is the last group of numbers on your check and may be in excess of 10 digits. |
|
| Q |
I still have additional questions about the service, whom should I contact? |
| A |
If you have questions or issues that are not addressed above, or are not covered in the Terms of Service or Privacy Policy, please direct your inquiry to support@birrituexpress.com or call us at +1-888-OUR-BIRR toll free and we will attempt to answer your question as quickly and completely as possible. |
|