Whether you’re purchasing a product, paying someone for their work, or sending money to a friend or family member overseas, having the ability to easily transfer money internationally can help in everyday tasks.
So, just say you’ve made some quick money from the comfort on your couch and you want to open an app on your phone to send some of it to a friend. This post reveals 7 websites with varying functions and structures that allow you to do just that.
Remember though, if you want the cheapest way to transfer money internally, you won’t always get the best service.
Venmo
Venmo is a free to use service that allows the instant transfer of money all over the world. Account creation is simple and linking information to your bank account is also an easy task.
Venmo has you search for contacts via different identification such as email, phone number, name, or username.
You can share a link to your profile which makes it easier to help someone find your account. Two-step verification methods are able to be added to your account.
You can also link a phone number so that new device sign-ins can only be allowed via posting a verification code sent to you to help keep your account secure.
Instant transferring money you have on your Venmo account to your own bank or card charges a service fee that is deducted from the total you are transferring.
The fee is 1% of the total, but it does not exceed $10 when transferring large amounts of money.
You can also choose to do a standard transfer that can take a few business days but deducts no fee.
Sending money to anyone is free and easy and it features the ability to attach a message for the money sent in order to provide clarity on the reason you have sent it.
There is also a timeline feed that shows friends of your friend’s activity so you can get into contact with people you may not have the information on, but need to.
There is an app and a website for Venmo, but the website has discontinued the ability to transfer money, so the app is required to do so.
Venmo works on all major phone devices and can be downloaded from their respective app stores for free.
Transfer process:
- 1. Create a free account on Venmo or the Venmo app;
- 2. Link your bank or card account information to your profile;
- 3. Find a contact you want to send money to on the app;
- 4. Select the pay icon while viewing their profile;
- 5. Type in the amount you want to pay, and include a message with it;
- 6. Choose what card or account you want to send the money from;
- 7. Click send, and you have completed the transfer.
Paypal
PayPal is another free to use app and website that features very similar functions as Venmo. You can search for someone via phone number, email, name, or a link sent to you by the recipient.
Like Venmo, money can be transferred internationally and while it’s a well-known company, it comes with a flat fee of $2 USD when sending money with the account you have linked to your PayPal.
Recent contacts are shown which make sending money to someone you frequently send take just a few steps.
Many freelancers, side hustlers earning extra cash, or those who you can commission to work online use PayPal so that payments can be made easily. Some websites where you purchase physical goods even allow PayPal payments.
Much like Venmo, PayPal charges a 1% service fee for instantly transferring funds to your linked account, but it also has an option to transfer money for no fee that takes a few business days longer.
The 1% fee caps off at $10 USD which is convenient when transferring large amounts of money.
PayPal is owned by eBay, which is a commerce website that has had a big online presence since its creation, and PayPal carries the weight of being a reliable service because of the company that owns it.
Like the other transfer money firms listed here, Paypal is available via Google Play or iTunes. but does have a different name on certain devices, such as “PayPal Here” on Windows phones.
Transfer process:
- 1. Create a free account on Paypal or the PayPal app;
- 2. Link the relevant bank account or card information you want to use;
- 3. Locate the contact you want to send money to;
- 4. Choose the amount of money to send (remember sending internationally costs $2 USD additionally);
- 5. Select the send option to complete the process.
Facebook Messages
Facebook may not be the first company to come to mind when thinking of a way to transfer money internationally but the social media giant Facebook has recently adopted a method of allowing its users to send money through its message system.
This can be done through the Facebook Messenger app or while in the chatbox on the Facebook website while conversing with a specific contact.
It is free to transfer money internationally, as you are sending the money to the person’s Facebook account, and not directly to their bank.
If you are transferring the money to your linked debit/credit card or PayPal, the first time will take around 3 business days on average.
Otherwise, if you have had previous transfers made, then the money will automatically transfer to whichever medium you have chosen with no wait.
Since Facebook Messages payments can use your PayPal account, the validity of both websites boosts each other’s reputation.
Since Facebook is known to use information on its users to target ads towards them, you may see ads appear after using the money transfer feature that are centred around the information Facebook can access from your purchase history.
If that is something that bothers you, or you do not want to risk your purchase history being used to promote advertisements to you, then the Facebook Messages method of sending money may not be your best choice.
Otherwise, it is reliable and commonly used by people all over the world. Messenger can be downloaded on almost any phone device and is free to acquire.
Transfer process:
- 1. Create a free account on Facebook or download the Messenger app;
- 2. Connect your bank or card information with your accoun;
- 3. Locate the Facebook friend and open your conversation with them;
- 4. Select the icon with the dollar sign, or the “Pay Person” button;
- 5. Type in the amount of money you want to send;
- 6. Choose through which account you want the money to withdraw from;
- 7. Finish the transaction by pressing the pay button.
Western Union
Western Union has many physical locations typically in convenience or grocery stores that can allow in-person money sending experience.
It also has a website and app that can be used to perform the same functions. Western Union money transfers do include fees that are a bit more costly than the others on this list, and the fee uses a few different factors to calculate, so it may not be the best if you want an easily understandable service fee.
It does allow the recipient to receive and withdraw their money worldwide in minutes and does not require the recipient to have a linked bank account or card so it is easy to send money internationally without dealing with the hassle of the complications related to the receiver having a non-domestic account.
The website is free to create an account on and use, and there is also an app that is free to download and create an account on.
Visiting a physical location to send the money from is also a good feature for those who prefer to have an in-person explanation or experience when using a service to send money.
Speaking with the tellers in-person can also help someone needing to send money have access to more information that can be explained conversationally instead of having to be read online.
Western Union is also meant for more of a person to person money sending method, so you will need the information of the person you are sending the money to in order to make the transfer, instead of using a search system to locate them online or in the app.
The app can be downloaded on major phone devices’ app stores, and if your phone does not feature the app the website or on-site locations are easy alternatives.
Transfer process:
- 1. Visit a physical location and create an account or go online to Western Union or download the app;
- 2. Explain or select that you want to send money internationally;
- 3. Enter your payment information;
- 4. Enter the information of the recipient;
- 5. Type in the amount of money you want to send;
- 6. Send money and await confirmation from your recipient;
Google Pay
As Google branches out to feature technology and programs for almost every aspect of your life, it is no surprise they have invented a payment program that can be accessed by its millions of worldwide users.
Google Pay is extremely convenient when making purchases online or on your phone because it can link your entered account information with your Google account, and allow very simple single step payments.
Google Pay also allows you to transfer money internationally with no fees unless you are using a credit card. Its maximum amount of money is currently at $9,999 so it outdoes the other services on this list in the quantity that can be sent.
It is also a fast process that on average takes a few minutes. Given the massive amount of worldwide users that Google has, these conveniences are no surprise.
Creating a Google account is free and has been since the dawn of time, and linking your bank account or debit card costs nothing as well.
It is available to use on both the pay.google.com website or the Google Pay App. Just like the phrase “Just Google it,” the rise of “Just Google Pay me” is sure to see an increase as the company becomes continuously integrated into people’s daily lives.
Transfer process:
- 1. Create a google account on the app or on Google;
- 2. Connect your payment information to your account;
- 3. Search for the recipient by their gmail, phone number, or from your contact list, or the link provided by them (they need a google account with the linked relevant information to pay them);
- 4. Enter the amount you want to send;
- 5. Press send.
Apple Pay
Using your Apple device to transfer money internationally is possible but requires the recipient to have an Apple account, as well as set their location to the United States.
Sending money is free, but similar to other apps listed here, it does cost a 1% fee to instant transfer money from your Apple account to your bank account, with the fee not exceeding $10 USD.
Sending money can simply be done through the texting app on your Apple device.
Using the texting app to send money through Apple pay is convenient due to the fact that you are already accessing the contact’s profile and do not need to search for it.
In order to initiate the conversation that then allows you to send money, you will need to have the recipient as a contact and thus have their phone number.
Apple Pay is (obviously) only available on Apple devices, and thus there is no app for it on Android or other phone types.
Transfer process:
- 1. Create an Apple account for free on Apple; or your device;
- 2. Link your card or bank information to your Apple profile;
- 3. Create a new conversation with the receipt as the contact;
- 4. Select the Apple Pay button from the additional options while in the conversation;
- 5. Choose the amount of money you want to send;
- 6. Press send to complete the transfer.
Samsung Pay
Similar to Apple Pay, but only available on Samsung devices, Samsung Pay allows you to transfer money internationally and make touch payments on brick-and-mortar store devices that accept phone payments in place of physical card ones.
Sending money requires you to link a Samsung Cash card that is separate from your debit or credit card, which is used to send money to your contacts.
Transferring money from your debit or credit card to your Samsung Cash card does cost $0.25 for debit cards and a 3% fee for credit cards.
Sending money to a person does not cost a fee, but the conversion rate of your native money amount to the recipient’s native money type needs to be taken into account when sending money.
Luckily, the Samsung Pay app will show you what amount the recipient will receive based on the amount you are sending.
The Samsung Cash card also has a limit of $500 USD monthly made across 15 payments, which can be changed if you upgrade the card from its standard Lite account.
The recipient is required to have a Samsung device and Samsung Pay Cash account in order to receive the money.
You will need the contact information for the recipient as well, so locating the person in order to transfer money to them is not as simple as some of the other services listed here.
Differing fees also occur when sending the money to the person when choosing to send it to their card or bank.
Transfer process:
- 1. Create a Samsung account on your device;
- 2. Download the Samsung Pay application;
- 3. Create a Samsung Cash card in the app;
- 4. Transfer money to the Samsung Cash card;
- 5. Select the amount of money you want to send and the account you want to send it to;
- 6. Consider the fees and money conversion rates when sending the amount desired;
- 7. Press send to finish the process.
Hopefully, some of the services fit your requirements when you want to transfer money internationally.
Dealing with service fees and money conversion rates can certainly make transferring funds a hassle, but these top names in the money transfer service should help take a little work out of the process and make the process a more understandable one.
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This article was originally produced and syndicated by Wealthy Living.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock
