Receiving Social Security from USA

Hello,

I am an American who has been living in Bulgaria for 10 years now. Several years ago I applied (online) for my SS retirement benefit. My monthly benefit is deposited into my US bank account and I use my ATM card here to access my money. I have had no problems with the process.

If you have more questions, you are welcome to pm me.

Best regards,
VillageGirl

Thank you very much, VillageGirl! We are so happy, that it's so easy! 

The fees vary greatly from bank to bank, as do the exchange rates that they will give you. Every bank has a different fee setup, so you may be able to find a bank where monthly transfers are economical.

One way to avoid many of the fees is to make your major purchases in Bulgaria with an American credit card; then pay it off each month through your US bank account. It's very important to make sure that your American bank and your American credit card company know that you will be in Bulgaria, although it's best not to tell them that you are living here.

Paying with an American credit card here or anywhere other than the U.S. will involve paying exchange fees. When you pay here the money is converted to lev as no one here gets paid in U.S. dollars, also there is a transaction fee involved. Now you can get a travelers card where the fees are waived however the exchange rate is always not in your favor. As suggested above, best is money in U.S. acc then every 2-3mo a wire transfer to a Bulgarian account that is in U.S. dollars, from there you can pick a good exchange place and swap the currency there. As for credit cards, as long as you have a good standing with your banker ( had you acc for a bit) you can get a credit card from your Bulgarian bank in lev and just pay it monthly.

Thank you everybody for your help! And here are another questions: what Bank accept US checks?
What Bank will you recommend?
Sincerely
EuroAdventure

All banks accept US checks but it takes 2-4 weeks to clear. I would recommend UniCredit for a bank, being the largest by far in Bulgaria.

Thank you Kris0x0 

Look at transferwise.com they also do US dollars to Euro and you can do a test run on the home page of costs exchange rates!

Thank you very much. We'll definitely try this too.

Good info. I am planning to move in a couple years an am loking at the same thing, have mil dis , social sec, and a couplke annuitys . think will have them all put in a US account and do the transfer every couple months. What about  Western Union ??