Best way to transport cash to a bank?

[Redbeard]

I'd say hire vikings to guard the shipment, or failing that, the bank pouch in a nondescripts backpack or duffel.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Does the credit union have a night drop?

That might be worth looking into. When I was in college I worked on the movie committee, and after the movies on Friday and Saturday nights we would drop off the money in the night drop box at the student activities office. Usually there were two of us but if not we were required to call campus security for an escort (actually we were required to call anyway but if there were two of us we would just tell them they didn't need to come). And this was at a small school in rural Pennsylvania where nothing ever happened. Though if this is a possibility, I would avoid going by yourself.

[hornet95]

Why don't you take the big bills in an envelope or something small and keep the loose change in a mega-piggy bank? Then, around Christmas (or vacation time, etc.), take all the change in at one time. Might be a good way to save up money.

[thansal]

My 2 cents would be this:

1) Bank Pouch and back pack for carrying it. It's slim and thus will not make large obvious bulges in a back pack. And the back pack is nice for carrying change. At one of my old jobs I was always the person who did bank runs, probably b/c I was the eldest (aka, not teen) working there, and the only guy. Carrying multiple coin rolls in your pockets is annoying :P

2) He should not be taking the bank box with him to work unless it can be securely locked up some where when he is working. The number of times I have heard of/dealt with theft of valuables from break rooms and offices is terrible.

As others have said, if you can set up doing night deposits and such, that might be your best bet (you can go on a random night, both of you in the car, and just a quick bop over, in the slot and away you go).

[NorthernZel]

I saw a TV show the other day where a magician suggested that one should hide cash and other valuables in an empty soda cup (with lid on and straw in). Sounds silly... but still?

[Raveni]

I second the advice for looking for a bank with a night depository. The less time that money is in your posession, the less time you are vulnerable. If someone finds out that it is in his car all day, even if it is locked or hidden, he's going to get his car broken into at some point.

As far as the actual transport goes, just get as creative as possible when hiding the money. Change it up often. A bank bag is great if the cash will fit inside, so just find something to put that inside.

I saw a TV show the other day where a magician suggested that one should hide cash and other valuables in an empty soda cup (with lid on and straw in). Sounds silly... but still?

When I used to have to transport cash, the bank tellers would often be surprised themselves when I would pull a bag of cash out of a Double Gulp cup, a tin of cookies, or a box of taquitos. It really works.

Just make sure he doesn't get so creative he forgets where the money is.

[It's me]

Any thoughts about carrying a decoy, just in case? A few hundred bucks in the lockbox, the rest in something that can be tucked away?

[Seshat]

Inside a ziplock bag (so it doesn't get sweat-nasty) in a travel-pouch under-clothes belt-thingy, under his clothes. Or for a woman, inside a ziplock bag, inside a fake 'chicken-fillet' in the bra. Both will get you at least to the nearest bathroom or changing room near the bank, at least.

[crazylegs]

I would strongly advise some self awareness training. While self defence is all very well and good *preventing* yourself from walking into a situation in the first place is better. It will also make you safer during your normal day to day life as an added bonus

[taxguykarl]

I would strongly advise some self awareness training. While self defence is all very well and good *preventing* yourself from walking into a situation in the first place is better.

This is a good idea. Another bit of advance planning: locate branches/atm's with deposit capabilities near or even under the same roof as your convention operation.

lso consider looking into a credit/debit card merchant account. There are smart phone apps to process these transactions. The biggest downside is these revenues are hardest to hide from the IRS (just being facetious, mods...lighten up).

[thansal]

This is a good idea. Another bit of advance planning: locate branches/atm's with deposit capabilities near or even under the same roof as your convention operation.

lso consider looking into a credit/debit card merchant account. There are smart phone apps to process these transactions. The biggest downside is these revenues are hardest to hide from the IRS (just being facetious, mods...lighten up).

I would say the biggest downside is that they are expensive as all get out :P

Square, the company I'm familiar with, charges 2.75% per transaction, which can really hurt at times. I mean, it's better than a flat rate per transaction for small retailers (meaning that if you sell things for a buck or 2 it can take up a good portion of each transaction).

The flip side is that square is really reliable, doesn't require you to have a land line or an electrical outlet, it accepts visa/mc/amex/discover, and has no start up costs (software and device are free).

Even when I was at NY Comic Con (which fills the Javits Center), the retailers I saw using them were not having issues (remember, that many people in a one block area will really play havoc with cell towers :P)

[taxguykarl]

I would say the biggest downside is that they are expensive as all get out :P

Square, the company I'm familiar with, charges 2.75% per transaction, which can really hurt at times. I mean, it's better than a flat rate per transaction for small retailers (meaning that if you sell things for a buck or 2 it can take up a good portion of each transaction).

Maybe so, but that is still less than 100% loss in a theft.

[lachesis]

As others have said, look into getting a night deposit contract with your credit union. They will be able to order you however many locked cash bags you will need. If it's lots of coin and also lots of currency, just drop the currency into the night deposit before he goes to work and have hubby carry the coin into the branch when he is through with work for the day.

Some banks/credit unions will only accept rolled coin, but you may be in luck that your branch could have a coin machine for customer use. Often it's free or a small fee to use and well worth it rather than having to roll all that coin. (I hate rolling coin - can you tell? )

I would also recommend trying to drop your deposits at the bank more frequently than once a month. With the convenience of having the night drop at your disposal, it would be a million times safer as well. It's a lot harder to break into a bank than it is your home or your car! Oftentimes, the way some night drops are designed is so that you can pull up with your car and drop it from your window so there's less chance of robbery that way too.