Send money from United States to South Africa

Choosing the best service provider for USD to ZAR transfers

To identify the best provider for your needs when sending money to South Africa from United States, the main things you should be considering are the current USD – ZAR exchange rate, the time it will take for the funds to be delivered, and the level of fees you will pay when making your transfer.

Our comparison engine has taken these factors, along with many others, into consideration while comparing over 30 major money transfer providers. This has enabled us to examine the market and quickly identify the top services to use when sending money to South Africa from United States online.

If you’re looking for the best combination of price, speed, and reliability we recommend using XE when sending USD – ZAR.

This means that by using XE for online money transfers to South Africa from United States, you are likely to save on transfer fees and benefit from fast speeds – so your recipient will get more money and have it delivered in less time.

Alternatively, if you are unable to access XE for any reason, our comparison engine has found TorFx and Wise also to be very good options when sending USD – ZAR.

This recommendation was updated one minute ago.

Benefits of sending money online

There are many reasons people send money online, and it is important to make sure you are getting a good deal. You might be looking to send money to your family in South Africa or need to make a quick and easy payment to a business in United States, but whatever the reason you’re transferring funds you should always compare money transfer providers.

There are many benefits when it comes to sending money to South Africa using online money transfer providers.

• Speed: Depending on the payment method you use, money transfers to South Africa can be instant or take up to a few days – but money transfer providers definitely beat the banks for speed.
• Security: Online money transfer services employ a variety of security measures – from SSL secure websites to two factor authentication on payments – making transferring money a simple, quick, and secure process.
• Flexibility: You can send as much USD as you want, to as many people in South Africa as you need using online money transfer providers.

The cheapest way to send money from United States to South Africa

There are many reasons you might want to transfer money from United States to South Africa. Unless you’re sending money for an emergency, it’s vital to compare your money transfer options if you want to find the cheapest money transfer service when transacting between USD – ZAR.

Sending money to South Africa can be expensive if you choose the wrong provider or payment method, and by quickly comparing your options you can avoid these pitfalls. It is also important to bear in mind that transfer rates for USD – ZAR vary a lot between banks and money transfer providers. Banks and wire transfers may often be better known brands, but they typically charge higher fees and exchange rate margins than online services.

In order to avoid high fees, you should consider TorFx when sending money from United States to South Africa.  

TorFx has been determined by our comparison engine to be currently offering you the cheapest rates possible.

The fastest way to send money from United States to South Africa

When sending money from United States to South Africa, speed is one of the biggest factors you need to consider in terms of the service offered by different money transfer providers. Currently, WorldRemit is the fastest way to send USD – ZAR.

Before making a transfer to South Africa, you should consider how quickly you need your money to arrive in United States and how much you’re willing to pay.

Typically, when making a transfer from United States, it’s good to consider the following:

• The size of your transfer
• The payment method you’re going to use
• The recipient’s withdrawal method
• The time you lodge your transfer
• The money transfer provider you’re using

Online money transfer companies tend to provide the fastest way to send money to South Africa from United States, especially those utilising a P2P system where senders and recipients are matched in real time. 

The fastest provider for sending  USD to South Africa is currently WorldRemit according to our comparison engine.

What payment methods are available when sending money from United States to South Africa?

Most money transfer providers allow you to deposit and send money using various payment methods, but not all providers offer every option. Typically you’ll find the most common methods are bank transfers and card payments, but many providers also accept cash and some will even deliver funds straight to your recipient’s door.

Sending money to South Africa from United States using credit card

There are a few ways you can use your credit card when making international money transfers. You can use a credit card to send money internationally through your bank account, however, your credit card provider is likely to charge you a higher fee when doing this. To avoid high fees you can opt to use an online money transfer provider such as Wise to pay for your transfer to South Africa.

Sending money to South Africa from United States using a debit card

With XE you can send money online to South Africa using your debit card. But before making a payment, make sure you understand all the processing fees in place. 

Using a wire transfer to send money from United States to South Africa

Bank and wire transfers are the most common ways of sending money South Africa as they are secure, reliable, and convenient. However, they often come with the slowest delivery times in case speed is an important factor for you. You can use XE to send money using a bank or wire transfer at a great rate as long as you’re happy for your transfer to take 1-2 days.

When sending money to South Africa from United States using bank account transfer you are paying for the outgoing fees, flat fees, currency exchange rate markup, and sometimes an additional incoming transfer fee.

On the other hand, you usually only pay a sender fee and a small exchange rate markup when using online money transfer services such as XE, TorFx and Wise.

Getting Started

Before sending money to South Africa from United States, you should consider the following:

• The amount you want to transfer: It is likely that the more money you send to South Africa the more value you will get. This is because any flat fee charged ends up as a smaller percentage of your transfer amount, and also because many providers allow you to negotiate a better exchange rate margin if sending large amounts.
• The USD – ZAR exchange rate margin: Money transfer providers charge a small percentage on top of the mid-market exchange rates in order to generate revenue. Make sure you find the provider with the lowest margin to ensure more of your money reaches the intended recipient. Current mid market rate is 17.12062 and the lowest exchange rate margin is currently offered by XE at 0.9% above the mid market rate.
• Hidden fees & charges: Before sending money to South Africa, make sure the provider you are using doesn’t charge any hidden fees. Our reviews and comparisons will take you through exactly what you’ll pay when using each provider.
• Discounts & offers: Various companies will offer different perks when using them to send money online, so it’s good to have a quick look and see if any companies have any particularly attractive offers.

How to send money from United States to South Africa at the best rate?

This one’s easy. Our comparison engine has identified that XE is the best provider to use when sending money to South Africa from United States. If for any reason you cannot use XE, you can try TorFx, Wise and CurrencyFair to transfer your funds.

After that it’s just a process of making your transfer via the following steps:

• Click “Visit Site” inside our comparison table
• Register for an account if required
• Input how much you are willing to send
• Fund your transfer
• Receive & save an email confirming your transfer

How to receive money from United States in South Africa?

Your recipient has a few methods available to receive your money in South Africa. These will vary between providers, but it is possible to find services that will:

• Deposit funds directly into a bank account
• Enable the recipient to pick up cash a specific locations
• Deliver money directly to their door
• Send money to your recipient’s mobile wallet

If your recipient is going to collect or have the money delivered to them in South Africa, then they will usually need the following:

• A government issued I.D document
• The money transfer reference number
• Senders details and the amount of money sent

By now you should know everything you need, to start sending money to South Africa from United States, so get started right now or read our FAQs below where we answered all the most common questions!

Your Questions Answered