# Making a payment to someone else's Postepay card



## Troz

Hello, looking for advice. 

I owe a carpenter 300 Euro for fixing my shutters, and the arrangement was that I would pay him in cash when I returned next month. Alas, I'm stuck in Australia for the foreseeable future.

I have an account in Italy with UniCredit and I normally pay bills from Australia using UniCredit's online banking - the creditor gives me their account IBAN number and I transfer the money to them. 

Things are pretty grim for people like the carpenter at the moment and I asked him how I could pay him now, expecting an IBAN number. He responded by asking me to make a deposit to his Postepay debit card, sending me a photo of the card and his healthcare card which includes his codice fiscale.

I've looked at the UniCredit online banking portal and it says that I need either an IBAN number or an account number to make a payment.

I had a look at the Poste Italiane website and couldn't see a way of making a payment from outside the country.

I'd be very grateful for any suggestions before I admit defeat and ask him for another option.

cheers, and #andratuttobene


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## GeordieBorn

I'm not too sure if you can do such with POSTPAY, but if you have his account number try something like this to calculate the IBAN. I would have a look at Wiki on "IBAN structure" to see if any result looks right! Try a smaller amount first...


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## NickZ

https://postepay.poste.it/prodotti/postepay-evolution.html

That claims he has an IBAN can should be able to give it to you

"Puoi recuperare l’IBAN della tua Postepay in qualsiasi momento:
in ufficio postale
tramite l’App Postepay
attraverso la tua area riservata del sito postepay.it"

Assuming he has the app on his phone I'd ask him to give you that


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## Troz

Thanks guys. I'll go back tomorrow and ask him to provide me with the IBAN number connected with the account. Alternatively I have a friend there whose IBAN I have - I might be able to send the money to her and get her to pay him in cash.

Got to do whatever we can. I keep an eye on the local paper and was able to find out how to make a donation to the local Red Cross appeal to buy a respirator for the hospital.


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## PauloPievese

Western Union? PayPal? I suspect that the "pay him in cash" mechanism is the preferred Italian method.
:flypig:


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## Troz

Yes, cash is the usual method - we have been converting a storeroom and laundry to a guest bedroom and ensuite bathroom so we have dealt with lots of tradesmen. The ones who are happy to be paid by bank transfer are very few.

The funny thing about the carpenter is that his workshop is open to the street. He sits there happily all day sawing and sanding and painting. Everybody including the local cop walks past and says "ciao, Mario" and gets a friendly wave. He is a byword in town for good quality carpentry. But I can't pay him by bank transfer because he is "retired".

Italy, I love it even when it is driving me crazy.


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