Comparison of International Money Transfer Services
There exist alternatives to banks for transferring money internationally. These money transfer services are conveniently available online as well as around street corners. The online services, however, come with an added advantage as they can also be used to make online purchases or to setup payment gateway for websites. In this article we provide an overview of these alternatives and compare their features.
These remittance comparison reports may also be of interest to you
Please read our detailed primer on money transfer to learn about hidden charges and poor rates your transfers may incur.
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MoneyBookers: Online Transfer
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Transfer Time:
Bank transfer: 2-5 business days
Credit card: Instantly
Cheque: Upto 10 days -
Transfer Fees: Transfer fee
Money Bookers: Fees
Transaction fee: 1% (Up to $0.70, £0.50, €0.50)
Upload fee:
SWIFT transfer: free
Credit card: 1.9% (Maestro, Solo - free)
Withdrawal fee:
Bank transfer: $ 2.40 (£ 1.70, € 1.80)
Visa: $ 2.40 (£ 1.70, € 1.80)
Cheque: $ 4.70 (£ 3.20, € 3.50) - Features and Limits (F & L): Withdrawals only through a MoneyBookers account.
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Countries Served: Available in
Money Bookers: Countries Served
US, UK, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium,
Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland,
Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Lithuania,
Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore,
Slovakia, Slovenia, S. Africa, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Taiwan
| Speed |  |
| Fees |  |
| F & L |  |
| Availability | |
iKobo: Online Transfer
- Transfer Time: 4-8 business days
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Transfer Fees: Transfer fee
iKobo: Fees Amount Bank Transfer Credit Card $100 $5 $8 $200 $5 $11 $300 $5 $14 $400 $5 $17 $500 $5 $20 $1000 $5 $35
Additional feeiKobo: Additional fees
Visa card shipping fee: $ 0 - $ 24.95
Visa card transaction fee:
ATM Withdrawal Fee - $1.99
Monthly Maintenance Fee - $0.99
and more... -
Features and Limits (F & L): Withdrawals only through
iKobo Visa card.
- Countries Served: Anywhere Visa is accepted.
| Speed | |
| Fees | |
| F & L | |
| Availability | |
Western Union: Online Transfer
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Transfer Time:
Bank transfer: 2-5 business days
Credit card: Instantly -
Transfer Fees: from 0.015% to 0.068% of transfer amount.
(rate varies with destination country) - Features and Limits (F & L): Cash pickup at Western Union branch.
- Countries Served: US, Canada
| Speed | |
| Fees |  |
| F & L | |
| Availability | |
Travelex: Travelex partners with Western Union for money transfers.
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Transfer Time:
Bank transfer: 2-5 business days
Credit card: Instantly - Transfer Fees:
- Features and Limits (F & L): Cash pickup at Western Union branch.
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Countries Served: Available in
Travelex: Countries Served
US, UK, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany,
Hong Kong, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore,
UAE
| Speed | |
| Fees | |
| F & L | |
| Availability | |
Xoom: Online Transfer
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Transfer Time:
Value service: 2-5 business days
Standard service: Instantly. -
Transfer Fees: Transfer fee
Xoom: Fees Transfer
Amount $Value Service $
(Bank transfer)Standard Service $
(Credit card)25.00 4.99 9.99 50.00 4.99 9.99 100.00 4.99 9.99 250.00 4.99 13.99 500.00 4.99 25.99 750.00 4.99 38.99 1,000.00 4.99 50.99 1,500.00 4.99 75.99 2,500.00 4.99 125.99 2,999.00 4.99 149.99 - Features and Limits (F & L):
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Countries Served: Available in
Xoom: Countries Served
US, UK, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium,
Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia,
Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Ireland,
Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua,
Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland,
Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden,
Uruguay, Vietnam
| Speed | |
| Fees | |
| F & L |  |
| Availability | |