Alternatives to Ria

1. WorldRemit

Both Ria and WorldRemit provide a variety of transfer options in more than 140 countries worldwide, including online, bank-to-bank and cash transfers. With both transfer services, fees vary by country you’re sending funds to and the global exchange rate at the time of your transfer, with low minimum transfer amounts starting at just $1. WorldRemit has a maximum transfer amount of $5,000 — $2,000 higher than Ria’s — and also has the added bonus of offering transfers to mobile wallet and mobile airtime accounts.

2. XE Money Transfer

XE Money Transfer is a service designed to help you transfer your funds to a bank in a foreign currency — it doesn’t allow same-currency transfers like Ria does. If you’re working far from home, XE is ideal for getting cash to your family or making investments overseas.

Given how easy it is to transfer your money to foreign companies in their currency, it’s especially ideal for business accounts. Both XE and Ria offer money transfers to over 144 countries, but Ria offers more payment options than XE’s limited bank-to-bank option only. Still, XE offers low fees and has no transfer limit compared to Ria’s $2,999.99 daily transfer cap.

3. Wise

Wise is a money transfer site designed to help you save money on exchanges through a peer-to-peer system. Its unique system allows you to exchange your funds with those of another seeking to convert their money to your currency. It’s basically trading money with another person, but it doesn’t cross borders.

Because of its unique platform, Wise doesn’t allow for same-currency transfers like Ria does, but it does offer a high daily transfer cap of $49,999 compared to Ria’s $2,999.99 cap. Both companies have a low minimum transfer amount of $1 and offer fees that depend on the amount of money transferred, but Ria offers more payment options including cash, debit card, credit card and bank account, while Wise only allows for bank-to-bank transfers.

4. TorFX

Unlike Ria, which allows you to send money from anywhere in the US, TorFX only allows money transfers from Australia. It’s a stricter money exchange and transfer company than others, and requires that funds be cleared by individuals who hold TorFX accounts — meaning the money must be sent in advance before the transaction can be performed.

TorFX only offers bank-to-bank transfers, while Ria offers a variety of transfer payment options including cash, debit card, credit card and bank account. But TorFX stands out with its no-fee transfers and best rate guarantee, which Ria doesn’t offer.

5. Currencies Direct

Unlike Ria, which has fees dependent on the transfer amount, location and method of payment, Currencies Direct offers no-fee money transfers 90% of the time. However, if you’re looking to send money with cash or a credit or debit card, you’ll need to stick with Ria, as Currencies Direct only offers bank-to-bank transfers. With a relatively low minimum transfer amount of $100 and an unlimited maximum transfer amount, Currencies Direct supports 60 market currencies and is a great option for large or small businesses alike.

6. MoneyGram

The second-largest international money transfer service in the world, MoneyGram transfers funds in over 200 countries and territories to more than 350,000 agent locations worldwide. Both MoneyGram and Ria have low minimum transfer amounts of $1, offer home delivery and cash pickup and have fees that vary depending on payment type and transfer destination. The biggest difference between the two companies? Ria has a lower maximum daily transfer cap of $2,999.99 compared to MoneyGram’s $6,000 cap.

7. Walmart

Known for its retailing business, Walmart offers money transfer services to over 190 countries thanks to a partnership with MoneyGram — quite comparable to the 144 countries Ria offers money transfers to. Both Walmart and Ria have a low minimum transfer amount of $1; offer a variety of payment options including debit card, credit card, cash or bank account; have home delivery and cash pickup available; and can take as little as 10 to 15 minutes for some transfers. The biggest difference between the two companies is that Walmart has a higher maximum sending limit of $6,000 per transaction — compared to Ria’s $2,999.99 daily transfer cap.

8. Sharemoney

Sharemoney is a part of the Omnex group, a company that’s specialized in money transfers for over 25 years. Unlike Ria, which offers money transfers in over 144 countries, Sharemoney only transfers money to 21 countries, which are largely limited to South America and select Asian countries. Both Ria and Sharemoney have low minimum transfer amounts of $1 and $20 respectively, and both have a minimum daily transfer cap of $2,999.99. Or, request cash pickup or home delivery options with both money transfer companies, and you could get transfers in as little as 15 minutes.

9. Western Union

Like Ria, Western Union offers transfers to over 144 countries around the world through multiple payment options including cash, debit card, credit card, or bank transfers, with the option of a cash pickup. They each have a low minimum transfer amount of $1, and offer relatively low maximum transfer amounts of $5,000 for Western Union and $2,999.99 for Ria. While Ria’s rates and fees depend on the amount of money you’re transferring, the location and the method of your transfer, Western Union is known for its high fees and weak exchange rates that can be nearly 5% more than the mid-market rate.
Full Ria and Western Union comparison

10. Xoom

Xoom is a leading provider in the digital money transfer market that offers transfers to 57 countries around the world — not quite as many as the 144 countries Ria services. Both Xoom and Ria have low minimum transfer amounts of $10 and $1 respectively, offer cash pickup and home delivery options and have fees that vary depending on where you’re sending money to, how much you’re sending and the method you use.

The biggest difference between the two companies? Xoom offers a unique money-back guarantee if your transfer doesn’t arrive on time — a perk few transfer services offer.

11. PayPal

You likely know PalPal’s digital service for online purchases, but you may not know that it supports wireless overseas transfers. Its popularity around the world makes it possible to transfer up to 20 currencies across more than 200 countries — a larger reach than Ria’s 144 countries. Like Ria, PayPal has a low minimum transfer amount of only $1 and has fees that vary by location of transfer and method. If you’re looking to send a transfer with a cash pickup, you’ll need to go with Ria or another transfer company that has that option, as PayPal does not.