Alternatives to Small World

Small World has ceased trading, but this guide can help you find similar international transfer services.

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By

Matthew Boyle

Updated

Fact checked

With the collapse of the money transfer service Small World, many people are looking for a new app to send money abroad to friends and family. Below, we have created a list of alternatives that you can use if you need to send money urgently.

Alternatives to Small World

A closer look at these services

Wise logo

1. Wise

Wise supports money transfers across 40 currencies and 160 countries. It’s a low-cost option, offering the mid-market rate on all transfers, and your rate is guaranteed for a set number of hours. It does charge fees though – a small fixed fee plus a variable fee (a percentage of the transfer amount).

You can send an instant transfer, which has higher fees attached, or a low-cost transfer which takes up to 4 business days. There is a daily limit of £1,000,000, although this may vary by location. Funds can be sent via bank transfer, credit card or debit card.

Wise is running a special offer – Refer 3 friends to receive up to £50 referral bonus.

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Atlantic Money logo

2. Atlantic Money

Unlike many other money transfer providers, newcomer Atlantic Money has no markup on the exchange rate. It simply charges a flat fee of £3 for a transfer. This transparent fee structure is a plus but, at the moment, it only supports a limited range of currencies.

Atlantic Money is a self-service provider and everything is operated through the app with no account handler to assist you. You can only send money via bank transfer, with no option for cash or mobile wallet transfers.

Money transfers with Atlantic Money take 2-4 business days to arrive, which is longer than some of the larger providers.

Read review

Remitly logo

3. Remitly

With Remitly, you can send money to over 170 countries across more than 100 currencies. There’s a flexible selection of transfer options, including bank transfer, cash pickup, mobile wallets and even home delivery.

Remitly offers two transfer speeds with different fees – Express and Economy – and your money is guaranteed to be delivered by a specified time or your fees are refunded. Transfer fees also vary based on the sending destination and delivery method. Your transfer limit will depend on the ‘tier’ you are in – additional personal information is required to unlock the higher tiers.

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Western Union logo

4. Western Union

Western Union is one of the world’s largest money transfer providers and probably the most recognisable name on this list. It has a huge global network, making it easy to send money almost everywhere.

You can make transfers online or at an agent location and pay with cash, credit card, debit card, bank account and more.

However, Western Union exchange rates tend to be higher than other providers so it can be worth checking around for a better deal. There’s also a maximum online transfer limit of £50,000 every 3 days with a bank transfer and £4,000 with a credit card.

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WorldRemit logo

5. WorldRemit

WorldRemit (read review) supports transfers to 61 more currencies than Small World (notably including US dollars). With WorldRemit your recipient can pick up cash, so no bank account is needed (that facility's not available through Small World).

Transfers to a bank account take a similar amount of time with WorldRemit or Small World.

Read review
PassTo logo

6. PassTo

PassTo provides online money transfers via the app or website and supports more than 50 currencies across 60 countries. There’s a transfer fee of between £1.40 to £15 based on the destination and delivery method. You can set rate alerts in the PassTo app and easily track your transfers.

Supported transfer methods include bank transfer, mobile wallets and cash pickup, and these can be made by bank deposit, debit card and credit card. The majority of transfers are completed within minutes, but some will take longer depending on the delivery service. There’s a daily limit of £5,000 a day.

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Paysend logo

7. Paysend

With Paysend, you can transfer money online to over 170 countries around the world. The provider offers a range of payment options, including bank transfer, credit card and debit card.

Paysend has a fixed transfer fee of just £1 and you will also be able to review the currency exchange rate before making the transfer. However, Paysend likely has a slight markup on the mid-market rate, so it’s important to keep that exchange rate in mind.

The majority of Paysend transfers will arrive in a matter of minutes, but some can take longer depending on the recipient’s location and bank.

Read review

Sources

We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you. Most of the data in Finder's comparison tables is provided by Defaqto. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.
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Matthew Boyle is a banking and mortgages publisher at Finder. He has a 7-year history of publishing helpful guides to assist consumers in making better decisions. In his spare time, you will find him walking in the Norfolk countryside admiring the local wildlife. See full bio

Matthew's expertise
Matthew has written 221 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Helping first-time buyers apply for a mortgage
  • Comparing bank accounts and highlighting useful features
  • Publishing easy-to-understand guides
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