The 5 Best Ways to Send Money Internationally

In today’s interconnected world, you might be wondering about the best ways to send money internationally. Whether you’re supporting family, conducting business, or sending a thoughtful gift, it’s essential to choose a reliable and cost-effective solution for your international money transfer.

Unfortunately, international transfers often come with hurdles like fees, delays, and exchange rate discrepancies. To help you find the best option, we’ve broken down the pros and cons of five popular methods for sending money abroad.

1.    International Bank Transfer

Bank transfers are a familiar option for sending money overseas. The main advantage is the banks’ global reach makes them a safe and reliable choice, particularly for large transfers. They’re secure and widely accessible, but they can be expensive and slow. Here’s why:

• High fees: Banks often charge significant service fees and offer less competitive exchange rates.
• Delays: Transfers can take 1–5 business days to complete, depending on the banks involved.
• Sending money overseas with your bank can incur expensive third-party charges and foreign transaction fees.
• Opening a foreign currency bank account to make regular international transfers can come with high monthly costs and restrictive eligibility criteria.

Requirements:

• Recipient name
• Account number or IBAN
• Bank name and address
• SWIFT, BIC, or NCC code
• Reason for the transfer
  

2.    International Wire Transfer

Some people use “wire transfer” and “bank transfer” interchangeably, but there are fundamental differences between these payment methods. While a bank transfer entails sending money directly from one bank account to another, a wire transfer sees the sender’s bank act as an intermediary. Wire transfers involve direct communication between banks via networks like SWIFT.

When finding the ideal way to send money abroad, the pros and cons of international wire transfers are similar to international bank transfers. They can be faster but come with additional costs:  

• Speed: Some wire transfers arrive the same day, though delays are common.
• Fees: You may face multiple charges, including sending fees, intermediary fees, and exchange markups.
• Security: Once processed, wire transfers are irreversible, making accuracy crucial.

Requirements:

• Recipient name
• Account number or IBAN
• Bank name and address
• SWIFT, BIC, or NCC code
• Reason for the transfer

3.    International Money Orders

Money orders provide a non-digital way to send funds internationally, ideal for recipients without access to banking or online services. However, they have limitations:

• Delivery time: Expect delays as money orders travel through traditional mail.
• Fees: Costs vary by provider and location.
• Risks: Lost money orders can be replaced, but the process may be slow and incur extra charges.

While there are usually more convenient ways to send money abroad, an international money order could make sense if you or the recipient don’t have a bank account. Just know there are faster and cheaper methods that don’t require you to deal with the hassle of filling in paper documents and sending them in the post.

Requirements:

• Recipient name and address
• Valid ID 
  

4.    Money Transfer Services

Money transfer services like Ria stand out for their speed, affordability, and convenience. These are some of the advantages of using Ria to send money:

• Lower fees: Specialized services often have better rates than banks. 
• Flexibility: Send money to a bank account, mobile wallet, or for cash pickup at 500,000+ locations worldwide. 
• Speed: Transfers funded by credit or debit card can arrive in minutes.

Requirements: 

• Destination country
• Recipient name and phone number
• Recipient address and account details (depending on payment method)

5.    Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have skyrocketed in popularity over the last decade, with many seeing this virtual currency as a viable method for sending money overseas. Once the sender and receiver have opened cryptocurrency wallets, it’s a relatively simple process to convert your local currency into the chosen virtual currency and transfer the funds. After it arrives with the recipient, converting it into their currency is also pretty straightforward.

Cryptocurrencies are an alternative for international transfers, but they come with challenges:

• Fees: Transaction costs can fluctuate based on network congestion.
• Volatility: Exchange rates for virtual currencies can be unpredictable.
• Security risks: Transactions are irreversible, and fraud is a concern.

Requirements:

• Recipient’s wallet address.
  

Send Money Abroad with Ria Money Transfer

With Ria, you can send funds to over 190 countries and territories using a range of payment and delivery options.

Choose from bank deposits, mobile wallet transfers, cash pickups, or even home delivery in select countries. You can also use Ria’s online calculator to see our low fees and competitive exchange rates. 

Download the Ria app today and stay connected to loved ones worldwide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are my payment options?

Your payment options with Ria depend on where you live and whether you’re using the app or website to send money. This list will help you learn more about your options.

How long do international transfers take?

Several factors determine how soon the funds you send arrive with the recipient. These include how you pay for your transfer, the delivery method selected, the time and day of the week, and if any security reviews are required.

How do I find a cash pickup location?

Featuring over half a million cash pickup locations, Ria Money Transfer spans more than 190 countries and territories. You can easily find the most convenient location for your recipient to collect cash with our location map.

What details do I need to send money?

The details you must provide differ depending on the send and receive methods you choose, alongside other factors. However, the minimum information you need includes the recipient’s first and last name (matching their government-issued photo ID), their phone number, and the destination country.