The Best International money Transfer Services in the UK

It’s usually really hard to pin down the best service, since there are so many needs.

But in my experience, Wise covers a bit of everything for everyone with their product features, coverage, and low fees.

Wise always sends money at the mid-market rate (meaning no hidden markup fees) and the fees are usually from 0.33% depending on the currencies and amounts involved.

Here are a few examples for different destinations (using bank transfer):

All figures update weekly and reflect average fees & rates over the past 7 days. Data verified via the MoneyTransfers.com comparison engine and Wise API.

The geo-coverage is very high compared to most online money transfer companies. From the UK (GBP) you can send money to 106 currencies. That’s a lot.

For comparison, TapTap Send gives you 54, and HSBC Global Account comes with 27.

The only company on this list that offers more based on our data is MoneyGram (but that’s including their cash services).

And, unlike with traditional banks, there are no receiving fees for supported currencies.

Speaking of receiving, if you have a UK address, you get access to the multi-currency account and their travel card. This allows you to receive money into your Wise account and spend right away.

Wise is FCA regulated and keeps customer funds separate from operating money. Should anything go wrong, your money is protected to some degree.

I’ve personally had my Wise account for four years now and keep it on me when travelling, spending abroad, or sending to family back home in Europe.

I’ve actually recently used it in South Korea with no issues (and before that in Japan, Bali, and Lithuania).

Also worth mentioning, Wise also offers a business account with great features. We’ve covered it in a bit more detail in our Wise Business review.

So what’s the downside with Wise?

• It is not “always” the cheapest option

• Larger transfers are more expensive even when they offer volume discounts

• No phone support for transfer help (there's a tech line for issues though)

• Withdrawal options are limited to bank deposits (and many via SWIFT)

• No FSCS protection on the balance in a multi-currency account (Wise is not a bank).

And combining the above, results in a lot of negative reviews from other users you see on Trustpilot, Reddit, and from our own users.

Most of the cost is built into the exchange rate markup, with minimal fees. This makes it a bit less transparent than Wise, but still cheaper in many cases.

For transfers to India, Pakistan, Ghana and the West African franc zone you can expect to pay around 0.2% markup.

Just like with any money transfer company, it’s not always the cheapest. For example sending £2,000 to Spain will cost you a bit more ( in markup).

This is why we always recommend running a live comparison to get the best deal.

This is how much you can expect to receive based on most popular corridors:

All figures update weekly and reflect average fees & rates over the past 7 days. Data verified via the MoneyTransfers.com comparison engine and TapTap Send API.

TapTap reports 95% of transfers arrive within three minutes, and on popular corridors that held up in my testing (you can learn more about it in our TapTap Send review).

Recipients can receive money by bank deposit, mobile wallet (MTN, bKash and similar), or cash pickup, and they don't need an account.

TapTap Send is FCA authorised in the UK as an Electronic Money Institution, and holds customer funds separately from company money.

So what's the downside?

• It’s app only, but I don’t think that’s a deal breaker

• It’s more expensive for the EU transfers and other exotic currencies

• Limits are fine for regular sends but too low for large one-offs

• Sending money within the UK has a fee

Where Wise or TapTap are great on small everyday transfers, TorFX is best for the £10,000+ transfers.

The big difference is that you get a real account manager.

It’s a named person who handles your transfers, and because their whole operation is geared to UK customers, they can often negotiate better rates on large GBP transfers than you'd get self-serving through an app.

There's no transfer fee, and rates are quoted per deal rather than a fixed markup. Here are a few examples:

All figures update weekly and reflect average fees & rates over the past 7 days. Data verified via the MoneyTransfers.com comparison engine. We have an exclusive deal with TorFX, so what you get with us will be different to other sites online.

TorFX only supports ~40 currencies, well below Wise and Currencies Direct, and it's aimed specifically at the UK, EU, and a few other territories rather than a global audience.

This works if you're moving large amounts of GBP to major currencies like EUR, USD, AUD, AED, less so for smaller or exotic corridors.

If you need to move money to more exotic areas, I strongly suggest considering RegencyFX.

TorFX works online and through the app, however, app transfers cap at £50,000, for anything above you will need to contact your account manager.

This is partially the reason why it’s on the list. If you make frequent large transfers, doing it through the app is faster and more convenient.

With TorFX, you also get the usual broker tools, including forward contracts to lock a rate ahead of time, limit orders, and stop-loss orders.

I often speak to their account managers, and their knowledge on currency markets and customer needs is probably better than most other currency brokers I've dealt with.

They would usually advise you on the exchange rates, timing your transfer, handling paperwork for larger purchases abroad, etc. It’s this expertise you are paying for.

TorFX is FCA regulated and follows safeguarding practices, keeping your money separate from company funds.

Revolut offers a multi-currency account, debit card, savings interest, and a business account all with competitive international money transfers.

As of March 2026, Revolut holds a full UK banking licence, so money in your account is now FSCS protected up to £120,000.

This is perfect if you need a bank, a savings account, a multi-currency account, and make international transfers.

Gradual rollout

Accounts are being gradually transitioned into full bank accounts. Not all accounts are currently full bank accounts.

Revolut Standard plan is cheaper than most companies, but the fee structure is way more complex and less transparent than others.

You get a good FX rate on transfers during the week, though exchanging over the weekend adds an additional 1% markup.

You also have a monthly exchange allowance (£1000/m on standard plan), beyond that there’s an additional 1% fee. With paid accounts, this limit is increased or removed completely.

Premium accounts

You can upgrade and lift those limits and reduce the fees. But each plan has a monthly cost. Check out our Revolut review to learn more about these, or check their pricing page.

Based on my testing (more about it in the Revolut vs Wise comparison), the standard plan is usually the cheapest option for converting under £1,000 per month.

This includes travelling abroad, sending money home, and anything that includes converting GBP to another currency.

Here’s an example:

All figures update weekly and reflect average fees & rates over the past 7 days. Data verified via the MoneyTransfers.com comparison engine and Revolut API.

Transfers between Revolut accounts

Revolut-to-Revolut transfers (regardless of location) are instant, and free anywhere in the world. This is great if you and the recipient both have Revolut accounts, and Revolut supports the receiving currency.

Transfers to external banks can take minutes to 5 business days.

There are no transfer limits either, which makes it a viable but expensive option for larger transfers, though coverage is narrow, around 35 countries and 36 currencies, well below Wise or Currencies Direct.

So where’s the catch?

• It’s hard to predict the cost, but you’ll see it in the app before you send

• Limited currencies and destination countries

• Weekend transfers and above allowance carry additional fees

• Lack of support options

Just to be clear, most transfers under £2000 - £3000 will almost always be instant, especially from the UK with open banking, apple pay, and google pay deposit options.

Speed becomes more of a question for exotic currencies and larger amounts (£5,000+).

From the UK, you can send money to 190 countries (in 100+ different currencies). This makes it a good option for harder-to-reach areas.

Based on our comparison data, a £5,000 transfer to Canada, Australia, or the US often lands the same day, where Wise would take around 3 days.

In fact, you can expect most transfers to major currencies to be within a few hours, and for more exotic ones within a day or two.

Fees are roughly £1.50-£2.50 per transfer with a markup of 0.3% to 2.1% depending on the route, so it's competitive on mid-sized transfers but less so on small ones. Here are a few examples:

All figures update weekly and reflect average fees & rates over the past 7 days. Data verified via the MoneyTransfers.com comparison engine and Xe API.

All figures are verified via our comparison engine and Xe API.

With Xe you can make transfers online, or using their app.

From all the reviews and test transfers I did, I think Xe’s app is in my top 3.

It’s really easy to use, comes with great features like currency tracking and a converter, lets you check rates before signing up, and is just straightforward to use.

On bigger transfers (over £50k) you also get a dedicated account manager, just like with TorFx, but since it’s not their core focus, the support quality is slightly worse than with other brokers.

Still convenient if you make multiple transfers per year of different amounts.

Xe is FCA regulated and follows safeguarding practices like others.

On the downside, it’s less competitive on price for certain corridors and amounts, there are no cash deposit or pickup options, and in some cases they may hold your funds for a week or so while running AML checks.

Where the app-first providers like Wise or Revolut keep everything digital, MoneyGram's real strength is its physical network with over 200,000 agents across 200+ countries.

This means you can send cash from the UK, and the receiver can pick it up almost anywhere in the world.

Alongside cash pickup you get home delivery, post office collection (Royal Mail and others), and mobile wallet options like WeChat and M-Pesa, which covers hard-to-reach corridors many providers can't.

New customers also get a promotional rate and no fee on their first transfer, which makes it even cheaper compared to many other options.

Beyond the first transfer, MoneyGram adds an average markup of around 1.33%, and while smaller transfers have a small fee, transfers above a certain threshold get expensive fast.

Here are a few examples beyond the first-transfer offer:

Cash pickups are near-instant, but bank deposits can take up to 1-3 working days (sometimes up to 10) depending on the destination, amount, and any checks involved.

I’ve sent cash with MoneyGram a few times now. One thing I really like is being able to start the process in the app, and finish it off in the store. For example, I initiated the transfer on my way to the agent store, and just paid for it on the spot.

MoneyGram is regulated by the FCA and HMRC in the UK as an Authorised Payment Institution, and keeps client funds separate from company money.

So what's the downside?

• It’s a bit more expensive without the promos

• Transfers capped at around £10,000

• You can't see delivery-method costs until you've signed up (this one is very annoying for me)

It's essentially a money-delivery specialist offering cash pickup, cash delivery, and mobile wallet options that get funds to your recipient fast.

Yes, MoneyGram does this too, but the cost and the speed is the difference, especially on cash delivery.

Remitly offers a cheaper service called Economy, which can take a few days to transfer, and Express, which takes up to a day.

Cash pickup with MoneyGram will take 2-3 days, while with Remitly it can be done in a day.

This makes it a good option for sending pension to family abroad, reaching unbanked areas, getting cash to elderly relatives who can't collect it themselves, or sending cash delivery in the Philippines (a very rare option).

Remitly charges no fee but adds a markup of roughly 0.1% to 1.3% depending on the route.

That's pricier than Wise, but cheaper than other cash-delivery names like Western Union or MoneyGram (after the promo rates).

You can also lock in the exchange rate before sending.

With Remitly, you can send money online or via the app. I made a few test transfers while reviewing it and everything arrived within minutes.

Remitly is regulated by the FCA in the UK, and keeps to standard safeguarding practices.

So what's the downside?

• Steep markup on some corridors, so always check your specific destination

• Limited network, around 22 countries

• Built for cash and smaller transfers home, not large or high-volume

It’s technically not a money transfer provider, it's a UK challenger bank built around spending in the UK and abroad.

I’m adding it here purely based on my own experience. I’ve always used it abroad, and rarely had any issues with it.

Monzo offers fee-free spending overseas at the Mastercard rate, plus free foreign ATM withdrawals up to £200 a month.

Here’s a tip, have a few cards with you (for example, Monzo, Revolut, and Wise) and you’ll have almost a £1,000 ATM limit abroad. That’s what I do when travelling.

As a fully FCA-authorised bank, your balance is also FSCS protected up to £120,000 (just like with Revolut), which puts it ahead of app-only providers.

On international transfers specifically, Monzo runs on Wise under the hood. When you send abroad, the app hands you over to Wise, so the rates and fees you get are Wise's.

Just like with any bank in the UK, all domestic transfers are free regardless of what bank you send GBP to and it will be instant.

The biggest downside is that you can't receive or hold international currencies like you would with Revolut or Wise. It’s a banking app, with an added benefit for travelling on the side.

It's built for B2B international transfers rather than being a personal app with a business tier added (like Wise Business and Revolut Business).

Airwallex offers multi-currency business accounts, borderless cards, batch payments, expense management, API options, and much more all in one place.

The biggest Airwallex benefit is the global account setup.

You get 12 local currency accounts, including a UK one with account number, sort code and IBAN, giving you local details across North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania and the ability to operate in around 40 countries.

On top of that you can hold, send and receive in roughly 130 currencies, which opens up emerging markets like the Nigerian Naira and West African Franc that most other companies skip.

Fees are a bit complex, but it’s normal for B2B companies.

There are free and paid accounts, which come with different fees, features, and rates.

There’s no fee on standard transfers, FX starts from 0.5% above the mid-market rate on major currencies (1% on the rest), and SWIFT transfers carry a small fee.

Transfer limits are high at £5 million per conversion, and in testing most transfers landed within 1-3 days, though routes to some African and South American countries can take up to 5 days.

Airwallex is FCA authorised in the UK and uses strong security throughout.

So what's the downside?

• Getting hold of customer support can be slow

• No forward contracts, so no way to lock a rate ahead of time

• Card processing fees on incoming payments are on the high side

• No ATM access