A real win with Currencies Direct is that it does away with transfer fees for 90% of its transactions. And fees that are charged for the other 10% are shown upfront along with the exchange rates so there’ll be no hidden fees to worry about. To help you secure the best rates, you’ll have the use of forward contracts, limit orders and other advanced forex tools. There’s also an app to help manage your transfers.
Currencies Direct only supports around 40 currencies so it might not be able to work with all your exchange needs. And forget about this provider if your recipient doesn’t have a bank account as there are no cash pickups.
Enter the amount you want to send and the currency you want to send to, then click Calculate to see up-to-date Currencies Direct rates.
To make comparing even easier we came up with the Finder Score. Fees, features and customer service across the most popular international money transfer services are all weighted and scaled to produce a score out of 10. The higher the score the better the service – simple.
Read the full methodologyPlease note: You should always refer to quotes you receive from transfer services themselves directly for exact amounts as they may vary from our estimates.
Creating a personal account with Currencies Direct is free and you won’t pay any account maintenance or transfer fees down the line. Currencies Direct will notify you if it’s going to charge you a fee.
Occasionally, you may face a third-party fee, but you can sometimes avoid this by picking a different third party for your transfer.
Currencies Direct provides live exchange rates 24/7. When you exchange funds through it, the rate will be slightly different from the mid-market rate.
As a result of not charging fees for the majority of its transfers, Currencies Direct has to make its money another way. In this case, it adds a mark-up to its exchange rate – which is fairly typical of an online money transfer service. This means you won’t get exactly the mid-market rate, but it’s still competitive when compared to other transfer services.
To make an international money transfer with Currencies Direct you will first need to register via its online form. You’ll need to supply identifying documents when you apply, such as your passport or driving licence and bank statements.
Once you have created your account, you make a transfer by completing the following steps:
Currencies Direct offers personal and business transfers.
Payments can be made to Currencies Direct in 2 ways:
These payments can be made over the phone, online or if you live close to a physical branch, in person. Unfortunately, Currencies Direct does not accept credit card or cash payments at this time.
Currencies Direct transfers vary depending on where you are sending the funds and how quickly you make the payment for your transfer. They can take anything from a few seconds to 3 working days.
Currencies Direct is based in the UK and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Established in 1996, it claims to have helped more than 500,000 people and businesses send international money transfers.
Currencies Direct also has a level 1 credit rating with Dun & Bradstreet, and it keeps all of its customers’ funds in a segregated client account.
Yes, Currencies Direct has an app available on both the App Store and through Google Play. Through the app, you can do the following:
| Platform | Rating |
|---|---|
| Google Play Store | 4 out of 5 – based on more than 2,100 customer reviews |
| Apple App Store | 4.8 out of 5 – based on more than 4,800 customer reviews |
Reviews accurate as of February 2026
The experts at Finder compare international money transfer services and rank them on key areas to help you make your choice.
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