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MoneyTransfers aims to help users find the best money transfer provider for their needs. To support our free service, we may earn a commission from some of the providers listed in our search results. The commission may also impact the ordering of the providers shown. Our reviews are independent from this and are based on our research and testing of dozens of remittance providers on the market.
Table of contents
When you need money to arrive fast, the method you choose matters more than the provider you pick.
Just like with anything related to money transfers abroad, the speed will be highly individual based on multiple factors.
This is why we suggest running a live search using the form below.
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At a glance
Here are the fastest ways to send money from Australia:
Wise: fastest overall, and it shows the delivery time before you send
Revolut: instant for sending to family on the same app
Western Union: fastest for cash in hand
TapTap Send: fastest to Asia, straight to a mobile wallet
Rocket Remit: fastest to the Pacific
OFX: best for large transfers, where getting it set up right matters more than raw speed
Xe: fastest for less common currencies
Ways to send money abroad instantly
How fast your transfer completes depends mostly on how the money travels to the other end.
There are four main ways:
To a bank account
The most common one, where money arrives in the recipient's bank account.
Speed depends on the network used:
Send through your own bank and it goes via SWIFT, which usually takes 1 to 5 working days.
Send the same transfer through a specialist like Wise or Revolut and it can arrive in minutes.
That's because money transfer services use local bank accounts around the world, so your money never really crosses the border.
Same-provider transfer
The fastest way to send, but limited.
If you and the recipient are both on the same app (Wise to Wise, Revolut to Revolut, etc), the money moves inside that provider's system instead of crossing the banking network.
It's usually instant and almost always free.
Cash pickup
The most flexible, and often the fastest way to reach someone without a bank account.
The recipient collects cash at an agent location.
Western Union and MoneyGram run huge pickup networks, and funds are usually ready in minutes.
It costs more than the other methods, and your recipient will need to go to the agent store to collect (this also adds time).
Mobile wallet
Money sent straight to a mobile wallet like GCash in the Philippines or M-PAiSA in Fiji.
The recipient gets it on their phone within minutes, no bank account needed.
This only works for supported wallets, and not every provider offers it.
TapTap Send, WorldRemit and Wise are good options here.
Compare transfer methods
Our live comparisons now compare deposit and withdrawal options too, including mobile wallets.
So you can see which method is fastest for your route before you send.
Why not just use a bank?
You can send AUD abroad straight from your bank.
It's just the slowest and priciest way to do it.
Inside Australia, banks are fast. A PayID or Osko payment will arrive in seconds, any time of day. But that speed is domestic only.
The moment your money leaves the country, it switches to SWIFT.
That's a messaging network that hops your payment through a chain of intermediary banks before it reaches the recipient.
Each “hop” takes time and takes a small cut.
The fastest ways to send money
Like any transfer, the fastest option depends on the amount and the destination.
So it's always worth running a quick comparison for your exact amount and destination.
"Over 15 million customers use Wise, mostly for their excellent mobile app, transparent fee structure & use of mid-market rates. Now increasingly used for larger transfers."
"OFX have been helping individuals and businesses send money for over 25 years. Transfer in 50+ currencies to 170+ countries, with 24/7 phone access to currency experts."
"Xe has over 30 years of currency exchange experience, and is one of the most reputable names on the market. 200 countries, 100 currencies, & funds often received in seconds."
"Airwallex offers a comprehensive financial platform for businesses. Make global transfers to 150+ countries, receive funds in 20+ currencies. Connect with popular software for a seamless approach."
Wise
One of the fastest ways to send money abroad is Wise.
Based on our data, 74% of Wise transfers land in under 20 seconds, and 95% within 24 hours.
The best part is Wise shows you exactly how long the transfer will take before you sign up.
I really wish every money transfer company did this.
The main delay is the gap between funding the transfer and it reaching Wise.
So to keep it fast, fund by PayID/Osko, debit card, or Apple/Google Pay rather than a manual bank transfer.
In the years I've used Wise, it's never once delayed a deposit or a transfer for me.
Though I mostly send from their multi-currency account.
The one time it's not the fastest is large transfers, think A$50,000 and up.
For those you fund by bank transfer, which can add a delay from your bank rather than Wise.
At that size a broker like OFX is usually a better option anyway.
"Over 15 million customers use Wise, mostly for their excellent mobile app, transparent fee structure & use of mid-market rates. Now increasingly used for larger transfers."
Revolut
Revolut is the fastest options for expats sending money home.
If you're in Australia sending money home, or you need family to send it to you, Revolut is the fastest app for it.
This is largely because of the Revolut-to-Revolut transfers (also called P2P).
If both people are on Revolut, the money moves inside their system instantly, and for free.
Wise does this too, the difference is where each one is available.
I send money to my family in Lithuania, and my wife sends money to her sister in Latvia. I use it more than Wise, but only because our family and friends are all on Revolut.
The obvious downside is that you both need to have Revolut. If it’s not supported in your recipient's country you can’t use it.
But, it is available in more countries than Wise, which is why I think it’s a better option.
Transfers to non-Revolut accounts are still fast, but not always.
As of July 2026, Revolut is a licensed bank in Australia, meaning your AUD balance (not foreign) is protected by the Financial Claims Scheme up to A$250,000, the same scheme that covers the big banks.
Here are a few examples of Revolut's transfer times:
"Revolut has 70+ million customers globally. You can hold up to 25+ currencies in the app and send money quickly in 25+ currencies to 140+ countries."
US Disclaimer: Revolut is not a bank. Banking services are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC. Fees may apply. See revolut.com/en-US/ for details.
Western Union
Western Union has the fastest cash pickup service.
Cash pickup is almost always instant, but it's also more expensive compared to other options.
Western Union has the biggest agent network of any provider.
To be honest, both MoneyGram and Western Union have huge networks. Whichever one is closer to your recipient is the one you should pick.
If both are close, WU is usually cheaper on small transfers (a few hundred AUD) while MoneyGram has better promos so they are generally cheaper on slightly larger amounts.
With Western Union, you set up the pickup, pay online or in the app, and the money is ready to collect in minutes.
To collect, the recipient needs an ID, and their name has to match the transfer exactly.
Rocket Remit is the fastest option for transfers to Pacific.
Transfers to Pacific destinations like Fiji, Tonga and Samoa are usually instant with Rocket Remit, straight to a mobile wallet or an agent for pickup.
Pacific routes cost more than others across every provider, because the payout networks are not as developed there.
Wise also covers the Pacific, but it only allows bank deposits which are slower.
Similar to Rocket Remit, OrbitRemit is another good option.
But these two compete on various offers so you’ll need to compare before picking one.
"OFX have been helping individuals and businesses send money for over 25 years. Transfer in 50+ currencies to 170+ countries, with 24/7 phone access to currency experts."
Xe
Xe is the fastest way to send exotic currencies.
If you're sending to a less common currency, Xe is usually your fastest reliable option, because it reaches places that many other apps just can’t.
Xe covers 190+ countries and 100+ currencies, one of the biggest networks out there.
In practice that makes it the fastest for the destinations almost no one else covers, brokers aside.
And even for the common destinations, over 90% of Xe transfers arrive within 24 hours, and card-funded ones are quicker than bank transfers.
It's usually a bit more expensive than Wise, so it makes the most sense for medium amounts to routes where your options are thin.
"Xe has over 30 years of currency exchange experience, and is one of the most reputable names on the market. 200 countries, 100 currencies, & funds often received in seconds."
Airwallex
Airwallex is the fastest option for B2B transfers.
For B2B transfers, fast usually means paying a lot of people at once, quickly and cheaply.
Airwallex is one of the fastest options for that (and it happens to be originally from Melbourne).
The speed comes from local accounts.
Airwallex gives you local accounts across the US, UK, Europe, Asia and more, so paying a supplier abroad is a local transfer at their end, not a slow SWIFT.
Local-account transfers usually arrive the same day. You can also run batch payments to a lot of recipients at once, so payroll or a run of supplier payments goes out in one go.
That same-day speed applies to the major local-account corridors though, not everywhere.
Transfers to countries with weaker banking infrastructure can take a few days, and anything on SWIFT is slower and carries a fee.
"Airwallex offers a comprehensive financial platform for businesses. Make global transfers to 150+ countries, receive funds in 20+ currencies. Connect with popular software for a seamless approach."
Fastest within Australia
If you're paying someone inside Australia, it's about as instant as it gets.
PayID and Osko transfer money in seconds, any time of day, including weekends, with none of the cutoff times that slow bank transfers down.
PayID also lets you send money to a phone number or email instead of a BSB and account number, so there's less to get wrong.
Most banks and neobanks support it, including Wise and Revolut.
This is domestic only, so it won't speed up an international transfer, but for paying someone here, nothing beats it.
Fastest services by destination
Destination is the biggest factor behind how fast a transfer lands.
Here are a few examples for popular routes from Australia, based on sending A$1,000:
Artiom is a marketing graduate from the University of Portsmouth and has been working across personal finance and remittance industries for several years. He optimises the organic experience on MoneyTransfers.com with the content team, manages and creates unique marketing tactics, and generally supports the overall growth of the website.
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