Paying travel agent via wire
I’ve been working with a luxury travel company on a South America trip for my sabbatical this year, and they requested I pay the balance for the trip via wire. I asked if I could pay via card instead (for the insurance) and was told “their facilities only accept up to $1k.” This is a UK based company and the bank transfer info I was given is in Delaware (I know many businesses incorporate there).
My gut does not trust, but this company (and my specific planner) is on Condé Nast’s top specialists, which I’ve verified on CN’s website rather than blindly trusting the company’s press page. I’ve double-checked the email headers to confirm I’m communicating with who I intend to and the email matches what's on CN and the official website. What would you do in my situation?