The last time I sat you down and had something important to say, it changed your life. Right? Of course it did – because I love you, and you love me, my pretties. Turn the TV off. Yes, turn it off. And bring your loved ones to the screen, they need to hear this too.

So it’s a universally accepted truth that the Vibe resides on the sun kissed shores of the Atlantic Seaboard.

Another killer sunset..

But you and I both know that sometimes it’s necessary to spread the Vibe to the not-quite-as-vibing-but-still-bearable far corners of the globe, like LA, maybe. Or London. Maybe even Provence for a little R&R every now and then (*cough*).

Anyway, 2oceansvibers are a pretty international bunch. There are got a gaggle of 2oceansvibers in foggy London town, a few across Europe, a handful in the States, and of course the burning torch of national glory that is the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea in its entirety. May our Dear Leader, Kim Jong il, bless us.

Naturally, we tend to move money around a bit. Whether we’re paying South African salaries from our foreign base, buying a home while we’re out the country, sending a nice little cash packet to that friend whose birthday we’re missing while on business, or native vibers who are winning international lotteries – money gets shifted across borders. It’s called joining the global village.

It’s where we’re at. Catch up.

So you can imagine my glee when Kimmy and I were sipping on rock shandys at my place the other night, and he leaned over and whispered “1st Contact” in my ear. Just when I thought I was going to have to turn down the greatest leader ever to have blessed the earth with his shining being, Kimmy cleared his throat saved the situation.

“1st Contact forex, I mean.”

What followed next was an education in living the holiday. That’s right, even I learn from time to time (this was the first and last time).

I sat back, stunned. The cigar stub burning my lips snapped me out of my trance.

“Sod off,” I said in that kind of you’re talking out of your ass tone.

Kimmy was just smiling.

In the next twenty minutes he blew my mind. With his WORDS. He made a pretty good sell, but I decided to try 1st Contact out before I told any of you about it, because you know, that’s how we do things.

So as a little test, I decided to transfer a cool £2 000 from the UK. I transferred £1 000 using my bank, and the other £1 000 using 1st Contact. Here’s what happened:

⇒ The bank made me walk into their branch. Fail. 1st Contact hooked me up in no time online, in the comfort of the Primary Residence. That’s how we do things now, remember?

⇒ The bank gave me an exchange rate of R10,80 per pound. 1st Contact gave me a guaranteed exchange of R11,10 per pound.

⇒ The bank charged me a £25 transfer fee. 1st Contact charged me £10.

⇒ The bank charged me a R300 receiving fee. 1st Contact didn’t charge me a thing.

⇒ The bank took 7 days to send me my cash. 1st Contact took 3 days.

⇒ The bank gave me R10 230 for my grand of Pound Sterling. 1st Contact? They hit me up with R10 989 for my £1 000.

⇒ That’s a saving of four days and R759 with 1st Contact. Result!

There’s a complicated marketing lesson in here, friends. It’s what we call “winning the customer over by having a better product”.

Oh ya, since I’ve been using them, I’ve found out that every fifth transaction is free. FREE! Do these guys even make money?

So if you’re a faraway 2oceansviber paying off a mortgage or a loan, buying a home, repatriating hard-earned cash, putting away money for savings, investments or holdays in SA, 1st Contact will sort you out.

And before I forget, all of you 2oceansvibers are entitled to the Rotherham First Transfer Free promotion. That’s right, sweeties. £10 pounds, free, for you. Just click on the link.

It’s practically raining the queen’s face round here. Ridiculous.

Which reminds me of a saying I came up with a couple of minutes ago – it goes like thsi : “That’s money in the bank.”

Pretty cool, hey?

Money Transfers = 1st Contact

Fact.