Cheapest Way to Send Money Abroad from China in 2026

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I suggest comparing Wise first for an eligible foreign-worker salary transfer, using its mid-market conversion rate and fee against the bank's complete sending cost.

For other payments, an eligible bank remittance can be the better fit, especially when a discounted online route or full-amount service matches the recipient's needs.

The cheapest eligible route depends on your sender status and payment purpose, alongside the conversion rate and any downstream bank charges.

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Check Wise's outbound eligibility

Wise's CNY-funded route is for eligible non-mainland workers with Chinese income and recent tax records, sending to their own overseas or Wise account.

It does not provide a general CNY-funded family payment route for every mainland resident, so check that you qualify before using the quote.

Compare available transfer costs from China

These examples cover CNY 10,000 and CNY 50,000 payments to eight destinations, showing the available quotes for the same sending amount.

AmountAmount
Last updated at 10/16/2026
CNY USD
Mid Market Rate ¥1 = $0.1495¥1 = $0.1495
Transfer Amount ¥10,000¥50,000
1
Wise
1
Regency FX
2
Wise
Wise
CNY / USD
$1,482.18
¥85.39
0.1495
-0.03%
Within 3 hours
Bank transfer
Regency FX
CNY / USD
$7,452.32
¥0.00
0.1490
0.27%
Minutes - 24 hours
Bank transfer
Wise
CNY / USD
$7,424.59
¥331.86
0.1495
-0.03%
Within 3 hours
Bank transfer
CNY GBP
Mid Market Rate ¥1 = £0.1123¥1 = £0.1124
Transfer Amount ¥10,000¥50,000
1
Wise
1
Regency FX
2
Wise
Wise
CNY / GBP
£1,114.22
¥82.30
0.1123
0.02%
Within minutes
Bank transfer
Regency FX
CNY / GBP
£5,604.88
¥0.00
0.1121
0.27%
Minutes - 24 hours
Bank transfer
Wise
CNY / GBP
£5,583.94
¥332.73
0.1124
0.00%
Within minutes
Bank transfer
CNY AUD
Mid Market Rate ¥1 = $0.2153¥1 = $0.2154
Transfer Amount ¥10,000¥50,000
1
Wise
1
Regency FX
2
Wise
Wise
CNY / AUD
$2,136.68
¥78.03
0.2153
0.00%
Within minutes
Bank transfer
Regency FX
CNY / AUD
$10,739.47
¥0.00
0.2148
0.27%
Minutes - 24 hours
Bank transfer
Wise
CNY / AUD
$10,704.75
¥308.70
0.2154
-0.01%
Within minutes
Bank transfer
CNY CAD
Mid Market Rate ¥1 = $0.212¥1 = $0.212
Transfer Amount ¥10,000¥50,000
1
Wise
1
Regency FX
2
Wise
Wise
CNY / CAD
$2,103.34
¥79.80
0.2120
-0.01%
Within a week
Bank transfer
Regency FX
CNY / CAD
$10,571.13
¥0.00
0.2114
0.27%
Minutes - 24 hours
Bank transfer
Wise
CNY / CAD
$10,536.66
¥310.47
0.2120
0.00%
Within a week
Bank transfer
CNY SGD
Mid Market Rate ¥1 = $0.1915¥1 = $0.1915
Transfer Amount ¥10,000¥50,000
1
Wise
1
Regency FX
2
Wise
Wise
CNY / SGD
$1,899.42
¥83.39
0.1915
-0.01%
Within minutes
Bank transfer
Regency FX
CNY / SGD
$9,549.75
¥0.00
0.1910
0.27%
Minutes - 24 hours
Bank transfer
Wise
CNY / SGD
$9,516.47
¥321.96
0.1916
-0.05%
Within minutes
Bank transfer
CNY JPY
Mid Market Rate ¥1 = ¥23.5938¥1 = ¥23.5923
Transfer Amount ¥10,000¥50,000
1
Wise
1
Regency FX
2
Wise
Wise
CNY / JPY
¥233,822.00
¥92.20
23.5998
-0.03%
Within a week
Bank transfer
Regency FX
CNY / JPY
¥1,176,431.14
¥0.00
23.5286
0.27%
Minutes - 24 hours
Bank transfer
Wise
CNY / JPY
¥1,171,545.00
¥354.47
23.5982
-0.02%
Within a week
Bank transfer
CNY EUR
Mid Market Rate ¥1 = €0.1331¥1 = €0.1332
Transfer Amount ¥10,000¥50,000
1
Wise
1
Regency FX
2
Wise
Wise
CNY / EUR
€1,321.18
¥78.11
0.1332
-0.05%
Within minutes
Bank transfer
Regency FX
CNY / EUR
€6,639.57
¥0.00
0.1328
0.27%
Minutes - 24 hours
Bank transfer
Wise
CNY / EUR
€6,616.85
¥312.73
0.1332
-0.04%
Within minutes
Bank transfer
CNY HKD
Mid Market Rate ¥1 = $1.1728¥1 = $1.1728
Transfer Amount ¥10,000¥50,000
1
Wise
1
Regency FX
2
Wise
Wise
CNY / HKD
$11,633.81
¥82.68
1.1731
-0.02%
Within minutes
Bank transfer
Regency FX
CNY / HKD
$58,482.57
¥0.00
1.1697
0.27%
Minutes - 24 hours
Bank transfer
Wise
CNY / HKD
$58,268.38
¥329.15
1.1731
-0.02%
Within minutes
Bank transfer

Current live results cover Wise rather than every Chinese bank or payment service, so the bank options below need their own eligible quotes.

Lower-cost options for different payments

Include the exchange rate and any receiving-bank deductions, especially when the recipient needs the full amount for a bill.

Mid-market conversion for eligible salary transfers
Wise
9.2
Wise
Fees
0.1% - 2.6%
Exchange Rate Markup
0%
Transfer Speed
Minutes - 24 hours

"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."

Bank-funded foreign-worker salary transfers
SkyRemit
?
SkyRemit
Fees
Exchange Rate Markup
Transfer Speed
Eligible routes without a telecommunication fee
ICBC
?
ICBC
Fees
Exchange Rate Markup
Transfer Speed
Capped sending commission for larger bank payments
Bank of China
?
Bank of China
Fees
Exchange Rate Markup
Transfer Speed
Lower minimum commission on ordinary bank wires
China Construction Bank
?
China Construction Bank
Fees
Exchange Rate Markup
Transfer Speed

Wise

My pick for eligible salary transfers at the mid-market rate

Wise uses the mid-market exchange rate, so its quoted transfer fee lets you assess the conversion cost without adding a separate exchange-rate margin.

I'd say consider it for moving eligible Chinese earnings into your own overseas bank account, especially when the destination currency has a supported local payout route.

CNY
Currency pairThey get (after fees)Transfer feesFX RateMarkupDelivery time
CNY / AUD$2,136.68¥78.030.21530.00%Within minutes
CNY / CAD$2,103.34¥79.800.2120-0.01%Within a week
CNY / EUR€1,319.99¥78.110.1330-0.01%Within a week
CNY / GBP£1,114.22¥82.300.11230.02%Within minutes
CNY / HKD$11,633.81¥82.681.1731-0.02%Within minutes
CNY / JPY¥233,822.00¥92.2023.5998-0.03%Within a week
CNY / SGD$1,899.42¥83.390.1915-0.01%Within an hour
CNY / USD$1,482.18¥85.390.1495-0.03%Same day
Last updated at 10/16/2026
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The CNY service accepts eligible non-mainland workers with Chinese tax records, including qualifying senders from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

It only pays another account you own, which rules out sending directly to a relative through this particular service.

You can fund a transfer from your own Chinese bank account or through Alipay, subject to the available quote and verification.

The per-transfer limits are CNY 300,000 for bank funding and CNY 50,000 through Alipay, with your verified after-tax income controlling the total allowance.

Those limits make bank funding the relevant option when moving a larger approved salary amount.

I suggest comparing the same destination and amount with SkyRemit, then using the lower total cost after checking both funding methods.

Wise and SkyRemit share the recorded salary allowance, so switching between them cannot increase the earnings you are allowed to remit.

SkyRemit

Bank funding avoids its extra wallet charge

SkyRemit gives eligible foreign workers a clear saving opportunity by accepting bank funding without its additional Alipay or WeChat payment charge.

The wallet surcharge is 0.8%, which adds CNY 80 on a CNY 10,000 payment before the normal transfer charges.

Its standard pricing combines a CNY 79 fixed fee with a variable percentage fee, using an Xe reference exchange rate.

The fixed charge takes a larger percentage of a small transfer, so combining approved salary payments can reduce that part of the cost.

Your final rate is set when you confirm the exchange, rather than when you first enter the order.

In my opinion, you should compare the final recipient amount against Wise after selecting bank funding, rather than treating the CNY 79 charge as the entire price.

SkyRemit is a foreign-worker salary service, and students cannot use it simply because they have a Chinese bank account.

You need to complete the income and identity checks before relying on an available transfer quote.

The Chinese payment flow uses licensed Lakala, with ICBC participating in the service arrangement.

That partner structure supports the mainland funding route, but it does not remove the salary documentation requirements or create a general-purpose overseas transfer app for Chinese citizens.

ICBC (工银速汇)

Avoid the telecommunication fee on a supported bank route

ICBC’s dedicated 工银速汇 service removes the telecommunication fee charged on ordinary overseas wires, reducing one fixed cost before you assess the exchange rate.

I suggest asking for this specific service when paying an overseas bank account, rather than submitting a standard international transfer without checking the available route.

There are point-to-point transfers to overseas ICBC accounts and onward transfers through its overseas network to other recipient banks.

For supported onward routes, an additional full-amount charge makes ICBC’s overseas branch cover intermediary and recipient clearing charges.

That can prevent a tuition payment arriving short and requiring another transfer with another set of fees.

The full-amount option currently excludes Hong Kong payments in HKD, USD or EUR, and payments to Japan in JPY.

Other transfer charges and the cost of buying foreign currency still apply, so avoiding the telecommunication fee does not make conversion free.

Online and mobile access depends on your region, while designated branches can handle the service and required documents.

Ask for the complete cost in your destination currency, including any full-amount option, before comparing it with another bank.

The bank must also approve the payment’s purpose and supporting records, including the source of foreign workers’ salary funds.

Bank of China

A capped commission for larger approved bank payments

Bank of China caps its standard personal cross-border remittance commission at CNY 260, so that charge stops increasing once the transfer reaches the cap.

The basic commission is 0.1%, with a CNY 50 minimum, and an international wire adds a CNY 150 telecommunication charge.

That makes the maximum standard sending commission and international telecommunication charge CNY 410, before currency conversion or foreign-bank costs.

I'd say consider this structure for a larger documented personal payment, where a continuing percentage charge could become more expensive.

However, the bank’s foreign-currency selling rate can outweigh a small difference in sending fees.

Compare the foreign amount purchased with the same CNY budget, then check whether the recipient bank will deduct anything further.

A full-amount service costs extra and has currency-specific charges, so it needs its own comparison when the recipient must receive an exact sum.

Check the current online quote as well as the standard tariff, since any available channel discount affects the amount you pay.

The bank can review lawful personal payments that fall outside the foreign-worker apps’ own-account salary model.

Confirm the documents and channel with your branch before buying foreign currency, particularly for tuition or another payment requiring evidence of its purpose.

China Construction Bank

Lower basic sending charges for smaller bank transfers

China Construction Bank’s standard personal overseas transfer tariff has a CNY 20 minimum commission and a CNY 80 telecommunication charge.

That creates a CNY 100 minimum basic sending cost, compared with CNY 200 under Bank of China’s standard international wire tariff.

The commission is 0.1% of the transfer, capped at CNY 300, before the overseas telecommunication charge is added.

I suggest considering this fee structure over a higher minimum charge when making a smaller approved personal bank payment.

However, the saving disappears if another provider offers a sufficiently better exchange rate or avoids deductions at the receiving end.

Ask for the final foreign-currency amount and the complete sending cost, rather than comparing the commission alone.

CCB also offers a full-amount option with an additional USD 25-equivalent charge on top of the basic fees.

That extra cost needs to be justified by the recipient’s requirement to receive an exact sum on an eligible route.

Identity checks, currency-purchase rules and evidence of the payment’s purpose still apply to overseas personal transfers.

For foreign workers, confirm which salary and tax records the branch needs before converting money or submitting the payment.

I'd say use the current tariff and transaction quote together, since intermediary charges and exchange-rate changes can exceed the difference between these banks’ fixed fees.

Check eligibility before choosing the lowest quote

Wise's CNY route is for eligible non-mainland workers with recent Chinese tax records, and payments must go to an account they own.

That restriction belongs to the Wise product, so it should not be applied automatically to every bank transfer from China.

A mainland Chinese sender needs an eligible bank or authorised payment route for the purpose, rather than assuming an overseas app can accept their CNY funding.

For domestic individuals, the US$50,000 annual facilitation quota applies to foreign exchange purchases, rather than creating an absolute ceiling on every legitimate overseas payment.

Documented current-account expenses such as overseas study can be handled outside that quota when the bank accepts the required supporting evidence.

Foreign workers repatriating legitimate Chinese income need the relevant income and tax documentation, with the bank or service checking their source of funds.

I suggest preparing those documents before comparing prices for an urgent payment, because a quote cannot replace the eligibility or verification checks.

Compare conversion, transfer charges and bank deductions together

A bank wire can combine an exchange-rate margin, an outgoing transfer charge and a separate communication or intermediary bank fee.

If your recipient needs a fixed amount for tuition or another bill, ask whether the quote includes a full-amount option and what it costs.

An ordinary sender-paid fee does not always cover every downstream deduction, so confirm the charges before treating the receiving amount as guaranteed.

For money already held in the receiving currency, compare the bank's same-currency transfer cost before converting back into CNY unnecessarily.

In my opinion, you should compare the total CNY debit for the same recipient currency and payment method, rather than choosing on the lowest visible transfer fee.

Check whether a bank discount fits your payment

A discounted online remittance can suit an existing bank customer, but access and the payment purpose still need to fit the service's conditions.

Do not assume a mainland Chinese citizen's app flow and a foreign worker's salary remittance use the same verification process or funding instructions.

For a large payment, a capped bank sending charge can become relatively small, while the exchange rate still affects the entire amount converted.

I suggest asking for the actual conversion quote and all payment charges at the intended amount, especially when the beneficiary needs the full invoiced sum.

If you need a broader service choice, our best international money transfer services from China guide can help you assess the receiving options.

How to reduce the cost of sending money from China

Confirm the permitted payment route

Check your sender eligibility and payment purpose before comparing providers, distinguishing foreign-worker salary transfers from a mainland resident's overseas payment.

Prepare the supporting documents

Gather identification and the income, tax or expense documents required for the payment, then complete any verification before the transfer deadline.

Request the complete cost

Include the conversion rate, outgoing fee and any communication or intermediary charges, using the same CNY budget and recipient currency for each quote.

Check online and full-amount options

Ask your bank whether an eligible online discount applies, and confirm the cost of a full-amount service if the recipient needs an exact payment.

Use the verified funding instructions

Pay from your own eligible account through the selected service's instructions, keeping the receipt and reference for any follow-up with the provider.

Check an eligible CNY-funded transfer

Enter your destination and CNY amount below to compare available transfer prices from China before choosing how to send.

Find the best rate for transfers from China

Enter your destination and CNY amount to check the available quotes, then confirm the sender eligibility before paying.
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Our methodology & why trust us

I checked outbound CNY eligibility separately from services that only send money into China, then assessed the conversion costs and bank charges for the available routes.

Our scheduled comparison updates the available quotes, but its current coverage does not include every Chinese bank or authorised payment service.

You can read how we review money transfer companies for more information about our research and selection process.

Contributors

Artiom Pucinskij
Author

Artiom Pucinskij

Financial Content Strategist