Choosing the right service to transfer money can save you time, money and headaches. Although your bank may offer transfers, it’ll often be more expensive than the other options available to you. Find the cheapest and fastest way to pay your roommate for rent with our hand-picked list of 5+ ways to send money online you can download right now.
When new users sign up for Cash App through your referral link, you receive a $5 bonus per sign-up
Send money online within the US
Many free options allow you to send money within the US between bank accounts. Here are some of the most popular options for sending money online to friends or family within the country.
PayPal
What we like:
Fraud protection covers the sending and receiving of funds for both domestic and international purchases
Free transfers to other PayPal accounts
What we don’t like:
Fees can add up quickly when you send money online to international destinations
Why use PayPal?
Transferring money for both businesses and individuals is one of PayPal’s strengths, and its network of global coverage makes it a good option for international users trying to figure out how to wire money online safely. Sending money domestically is free between PayPal accounts, but pay attention to fees when sending money across borders from a linked bank account. PayPal also offers money transfer protection when making purchases online from other individuals, something Cash App and Google Pay lack.
Straightforward app with no receiving limits and offers a way to purchase Bitcoin
Easy and fast to pay friends back
What we don’t like:
Instant withdrawals charge a higher fee than some competitors
Transfer are limited to $1,000 per month until you verify your account
Why use Cash App?
For users seeking a clean, simple interface and straightforward payment options, Cash App is high on our list. If all you want to do is send and receive money without social feeds or having to share your bank account numbers, this may be the choice for you.
Fast transfers and non-restrictive limits for casual users
What we don’t like:
Instant withdrawals can get expensive if used often
Can’t make transfer money abroad
Why use Venmo?
Venmo is a more socially-focused payment app that includes features like emojis, seeing payment history sent between friends and a clean user interface. Connect a bank account, credit card or debit card to make payments — but make sure to check your privacy settings if you’d like to keep payments out of the public eye.
Integrates with other Google services like Google Home and Gmail
Easy to use
What we don’t like:
When paying merchants, you have to use your phone — no physical card exists to spend your Google Pay balance
Why use Google Pay?
Google Pay is integrated with Android phones, but can also be used through a browser and iPhone app. It works well with many of the existing Google Services, such as Gmail, Google Assistant and Messages. It comes with enhanced security and has the option for Two-Factor Authentication and sign-in notifications — must-have features for anyone who’s prone to losing phones.
Google Pay’s fees and limits:
Instant deposit
Transfer limits
Transfer speed
Other fees
Free to bank account
Send: $5,000/week Receive: Unlimited
Less than 3 minutes
Google Pay charges no fees for bank transfers, but your bank may — contact it to find out
Only accessible to Apple product users, making it awkward to try and set up payments with friends who use other brands.
Why use Apple Pay?
Apple Pay is integrated with Apple products, making it a simple service to use if you’re an avid iPhone user. You can add payment methods, pay merchants and manage App Store purchases all through Apple Pay.
Apple Pay’s fees and limits:
Instant deposit
Transfer limits
Transfer speed
Other fees
Free to bank account
Send: $10,000/week Receive: Unlimited
Less than 10 minutes
Apple Pay charges no fees for bank transfers, but your bank may — contact it to find out
Bank accounts that support Zelle transfers can send and receive money instantly
Uses your banking app so you don’t need to install anything else on your phone
What we don’t like:
Transfer speeds are slow for bank accounts that don’t support Zelle
Why use Zelle?
Zelle is supported by many major banks and has built a network that makes it easy for supported accounts to send and receive money with ease. If your bank supports Zelle you can use the transfer service through your existing bank’s app or online portal, almost always for free.
If you’re looking to send money to your loved ones or make a business transfer to a foreign contractor, the best providers to send money abroad will differ from the picks above. Unlike transferring money to people locally, you have to consider a range of other factors when making international transfers: exchange rates, fees, availability of transfers to the country, etc.
Typically, if you are making an international transfer for the first time, using an international bank transfer might seem like the obvious choice. However, you are likely to be charged high international transfer fees. Additionally, your recipient will most likely receive a lower amount than intended due to unfavorable exchange rates offered by banks. Luckily, other options exist today. There are various online money transfer services disrupting this industry by helping you send your money abroad for a fraction of the cost charged by banks.
Compare international money transfer services
Looking to send money abroad? Compare your options below to find the best international money transfer services for you.
Our table lets you compare the services you can use to send money abroad. Compare services on transfer speeds and fees, then click Go to site when you're ready to send.
There are a range of options that can securely transfer your money from A to B while avoiding steep bank fees — be it within the US or internationally. The best way to transfer money depends on your situation, how fast you need the money transferred and to where.
But there’s no need to commit to only one service. With so many options available, it pays to road-test a few first or keep several accounts at once. Checking the prices of different services will help save money.
Our approach to helping you pick a money transfer service
Our users have diverse needs, so to find some of the most popular money transfer products, we investigated a variety of companies by comparing factors like fees, consumer sentiment, transfer limits and user experience.
All of the sending and receiving limits are based on the highest limits a user can unlock with each service.
Whether products shown are available to you is subject to individual provider sole approval and discretion in accordance with the eligibility criteria and T&Cs on the provider website.
Zak Killermann was a technical publisher at Finder who specialised in currencies and investing. Zak’s expertise was in breaking down technical finance concepts into approachable, digestible nuggets of information.
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finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which finder.com receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. Please don't interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. finder.com compares a wide range of products, providers and services but we don't provide information on all available products, providers or services. Please appreciate that there may be other options available to you than the products, providers or services covered by our service.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
