Mobile Money Transfer in the UAE
Table of contents
Author: Artiom Pucinskij
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Table of contents
Mobile money is used interchangeably for apps, sending to a wallet, depositing with a wallet, and sending money to a phone number.
We already have a guide on the best money transfer apps, so here I’m going to focus on the best ways to send money to a mobile wallet.
With mobile wallets, you use a money transfer service and the receiver gets the money in their mobile wallet like GCash, M-Pesa or JazzCash.
The options you have heavily depend on the destination, and the amount you are sending.
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At a glance
Here are the best money transfer companies that offer mobile wallet deposits and withdrawals:
Remitly: best for sending straight to a wallet in Asia, like GCash, JazzCash or bKash
Taptap Send: cheapest way to reach mobile money in Africa
e& money: the UAE's own wallet, best for holding money and paying by mobile number
Western Union: widest reach, with cash pickup where a wallet won't work
Which mobile wallets are available?
This will depend on the destination, but here are the most popular options:
Destination | Popular wallets |
|---|---|
Philippines | GCash, Maya |
India | UPI (PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm) |
Pakistan | JazzCash, Easypaisa |
Bangladesh | bKash, Nagad |
Kenya and East Africa | M-Pesa |
UAE | e& money, Al Ansari Wallet, Botim, Careem Pay |
There are many many more options, but these are the most common ones.
What about Google Pay and Apple Pay?
Apple Pay and Google Pay can be considered mobile wallets on the sender side.
You use it to fund the transfer when sending money abroad.
However, I don’t think this is correct. Apple and Google Pay simply link your card to the provider, it is convenient but you cannot use either option to directly fund the transfer using your balance.
You also can’t receive money into an Apple or Google account using international money transfer services.
Sending to a mobile wallet abroad
"Taptap Send faciliates money transfers to bank accounts & mobile money wallets on popular networks with competitive rates."
"Remitly focuses on sending money to friends and family in Asia, Africa and South America. Wide coverage and well-suited to regular transfers home."
Taptap Send
TapTap Send has most wallet options available around the world.
Here are a few mobile wallets you can send money to from UAE:
Country | Wallets you can send to |
|---|---|
Bolivia | Yolo Pago |
Burkina Faso | Wave |
Cambodia | Wing Wallet |
China | Alipay, WeChat/Weixin |
Colombia | Bancolombia A la mano, DaviPlata, Movii, Nequi |
Gambia | Wave |
Ghana | TapTap Wallet |
Indonesia | DANA, GoPay, LinkAja, OVO, ShopeePay |
Ivory Coast | Wave |
Lebanon | Purpl Lebanon Wallet, Whish Lebanon Wallet |
Malaysia | BigPay |
Mali | Wave |
Mexico | Spin by Oxxo |
Morocco | LanaCash |
Nepal | eSewa, IME Pay, Khalti by IME, PrabhuPAY |
Pakistan | SadaPay |
Peru | Dale, Luqea, Prexpe |
Philippines | Coins.ph, GCash, Maya |
Senegal | Mixx by Yas/Free Money, Wave, Wizall / Proximo |
Turkey | Uption, Paycell, Uption, Uption |
Togo | Mixx by Yas |
TapTap Send is very cheap compared to other options, especially to Asia and Africa.
Most transfers have no fees and come with an exchange rate markup, which is still cheaper than other options here.
Here are a few examples for sending money to a wallet with TapTap Send:
With TapTap Send you can only deposit via debit card or bank transfer, so there’s no cash deposit option.
"Taptap Send faciliates money transfers to bank accounts & mobile money wallets on popular networks with competitive rates."
Remitly
With Remitly you can send money directly to mobile wallets across the world.
Here are the accepted wallets:
Country | Wallets you can send to |
|---|---|
Philippines | GCash, Maya |
Pakistan | JazzCash, Easypaisa |
Bangladesh | bKash |
Nepal | eSewa |
India | Any app that supports UPI |
Remitly is usually a bit more expensive compared to other options, but it generally has better coverage.
You will need to deposit money using your UAE debit card and the Emirates ID.
For the destination, you’ll get an option to pick a wallet depending on the destination.
Here's what you can expect to receive with Remitly Economy option:
Remitly runs through its DIFC office, regulated by the DFSA, so it's regulated in the UAE.
"Remitly focuses on sending money to friends and family in Asia, Africa and South America. Wide coverage and well-suited to regular transfers home."
Western Union
Western Union doesn’t have many mobile wallet options, but it does let you deposit cash instead of doing it online.
And if there’s no mobile wallet option, your recipient can pick up money in cash from a high street agent (which is a bit more expensive).
Generally, Western Union is popular for transfers to India (and other Asian corridors) because it allows UPI transfers which work with any mobile wallet that supports it.
It’s fairly cheap for small transfers, in fact, sending under AED 500 will usually have no fees and no exchange rate markup with promotional rates.
Here's what you will receive with WU when sending online to a wallet:
Al Ansari Exchange
Al Ansari is great if you as a sender need to deposit money from a mobile wallet.
It comes with an Al Ansari wallet which you can use to fund your international transfers.
However, there are no mobile wallet receiving options abroad. This means money will arrive into the receiver's bank account.
Al Ansari is competitive but usually not the cheapest. It usually adds a higher exchange rate markup compared to TapTap or Remitly.
LuLu Money
LuLu Money has the most local deposit options ranging from WPS cards to cash to bank accounts.
It also has its own LuLu Wallet that you can use to store AED and fund your transfers.
LuLu Exchange is usually cheaper than Al Ansari, but still a bit more expensive compared to TapTap Send.
With LuLu Exchange you can send money to:
GCash
bKash
Wallets supporting UPI transfers
You can also fund your transfer with a salary or WPS card, a wallet, or cash at a branch, which makes it one of the few options that works for unbanked workers.
e& money
e& money is a mobile wallet, the first licensed by the UAE Central Bank.
You hold money in it, get a prepaid card, and send without touching a bank.
Inside the UAE, you send to anyone by their mobile number, and it's free and instant if they're on e& money too.
There’s no IBAN and no account details, everything is handled through a mobile number.
You can also send money within the e& network (for example e& Cash in Egypt) you can send money between each other.
It also sends abroad to over 140 countries, to a bank account, cash pickup or mobile wallet.
It’s free to send money within the UAE, but international transfers are expensive.
International transfers have a transfer fee of around AED 15.75 (including VAT), which is sometimes waived on promos.
e& money is run by e& (Etisalat) and licensed by the CBUAE.
In my opinion e& money is good for transfers inside the UAE, or inside the e& network. But it is not a good option for international transfers because of the fees.
Sending inside the UAE by number
You can send and receive money to and from a mobile wallet inside the UAE using the phone number.
Most money apps and super-apps offer this feature.
For example, you can use Careem Pay, Botim, e& Money, and similar to make transfers inside the country for free.
How you fund a wallet transfer
Most money transfer apps allow deposits with a UAE debit card, which is the fastest way to pay.
You can also fund by:
Bank transfer from your UAE account (a bit slower)
Pay cash at a branch (Al Ansari, LuLu, MoneyGram, Western Union)
Use a salary or WPS card (if you don't have a bank account)
A wallet balance (e& money)
No UAE bank account?
Exchange houses and money transfer companies like LuLu Exchange let you fund with a salary card, a wallet, or cash at a branch.
Is mobile money safe in the UAE?
Yes, as long as the provider is licensed.
Every company here is regulated, under one of these two:
CBUAE-licensed wallets and exchange houses
DFSA-regulated providers in the DIFC free zone
A wallet is not a bank, so there's no deposit-protection scheme on your balance.
What it costs and how fast
Generally, the cost comes down to a few things:
Exchange rate markup
Transfer fees
Receiving method (mobile wallets in this case)
Account fees (very rare)
Every money transfer company or exchange house will charge you one or more of these.
Here are the cheapest options to send money abroad to a mobile wallet:
How to send to a mobile wallet
Sending money from the UAE to a mobile wallet is the same as using any other receiving method:
Run a live comparison search
Filter receiving methods to mobile wallets
Pick the cheapest provider
Sign up with your Emirates ID and UAE mobile number
Start the transfers and pick mobile wallet as delivery option
Add the amount, your recipient, and their wallet details
Pay with your debit card, bank or wallet balance
That’s it
Money will arrive within a few minutes and you’ll usually get a confirmation message inside the app.
To get you started, use the form below to find the cheapest way to send money to a mobile wallet today.
Get the best deal on AED transfers
Fill in the form and get the cheapest and fastest ways to send money from the UAE.Our methodology & why trust us
Every option on this page is licensed to operate here.
Some are CBUAE-licensed exchange houses and wallets, others are DFSA-regulated through the DIFC.
We don't list anyone who isn't properly regulated.
To pick the best option, we:
Checked each one lets a UAE resident send or receive money with a mobile wallet.
Compared fees, rates and payout options using our live comparison engine.
Made real test transfers where we could.
Looked at which wallets each reaches on the top UAE corridors, like India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Egypt.
We choose providers based on what's useful for sending money home, not on commercial deals.
Since FX rates and offerings are volatile, this page is updated weekly.
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