Please note: You should always refer to quotes you receive from transfer services themselves directly for exact amounts as they may vary from our estimates.
Find the best way to send money to South Africa
Learn how to send money to South Africa from the UK in our step-by-step guide.
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Looking for the best way to send money from the United Kingdom to family, friends or businesses in South Africa (or even to your own overseas bank account)?
Don't head straight to your British bank – compare specialist money transfer services instead. They nearly always offer better ZAR exchange rates and lower fees, so for the same amount of pounds you send, your recipient will receive more rands.
Of the companies we've compared, OFX is among the cheapest, with competitive exchange rates and fees starting from £0. Need a really fast transfer? CurrencyFair can get money to your recipient in South Africa within minutes.
Best ways to send money to South Africa from the UK
The best way to send money to South Africa depends on your payment method, how you want your money to be received and how fast you need it to arrive.- Online money transfer provider. When buying pounds or rands money transfer specialists typically offer better rates and cheaper fees than a local bank.
- Bank transfer. Bank transfers are an easy way to send money to South Africa but they charge extra for the convenience and are often slower than other methods. UK banks generally add a 3% to 6% markup onto exchange rates.
- Cash pickup. If you need your money to arrive fast, cash pickup gives your recipient instant access to the money you've sent when they collect it from their agent location in South Africa.
- Mobile wallet. Essentially an electronic wallet service, mobile wallets allow users to store, send and receive eligible currencies using their phone, often with fees attached.
- Prepaid phone credit. Specifically used to top up a recipient's prepaid mobile phone plan, prepaid phone credit is usually added instantly or within a few minutes.
- Home delivery. If your recipient may struggle to get to a cash pickup location, you may be able to opt for door-to-door cash delivery.
Compare the best money transfer companies to send money to South Africa
Use our table to compare the best money transfer companies to send money to South Africa. You can compare deposit and receiving options, fees and transfer speeds, then click the "Go to site" button when you've found the best one to get your money to South Africa.
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Cheapest way to send money to South Africa
Bank transfers are typically the cheapest way to get your money to South Africa. OFX and Remitly have some of the lowest bank transfer fees of the brands we've compared.
When you're hunting down the cheapest ways to send money to South Africa, it's more important to look at the overall cost of your transfer. This has a couple of elements:
- Transfer fees. While still cheaper than your British bank, some money transfer services charge either a fixed or percentage-based fee for making your transfer.
- Exchange rates. Another way money transfer providers make money is to add a margin to the mid-market GBP/ZAR exchange rate.
Some providers may charge the mid-market rate but add fees on top. Others may have very low fees but apply a markup on the exchange rate. This means it is important to compare exactly how many rands your recipient will end up with.
Fastest way to send money to South Africa
Many online providers can offer transfers to South Africa within minutes, although you're likely to pay a premium for the convenience.
Here are some of the fastest average transfer speeds to South Africa:- CurrencyFair — within minutes
- PassTo — within minutes
- Remitly — within minutes
Actual transfer times from the United Kingdom to South Africa can depend on several different factors including transfer amount, payment method and currency.
Safest way to send money to South Africa
The safest way to get your money to South Africa is to use a provider registered with the United Kingdom's industry regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). All of the companies we've compared in our table are overseen by a local regulator and comply with the relevant laws and regulations in both the United Kingdom and South Africa.
A great way to dive deeper is by reading our extended reviews of each transfer service and researching first-hand customer feedback on Trustpilot and similar platforms.
Large money transfers to South Africa
If you need to make a sizable money transfer to South Africa, consider using a provider such as Wise (TransferWise) or Key Currency to benefit from its expertise in handling larger transfer amounts.
Using a large transfer specialist can have the following advantages:- Tax guidance. Large transfers to South Africa may have tax implications for you or your recipient. A transfer specialist can help get you up to speed on HMRC's latest advice.
- Foreign exchange (forex) tools. Advanced tools such as forward contracts, limit orders and stop-loss orders can help you lock in the ZAR exchange rate you want.
- Account manager. Some money transfer providers assign a personal account manager who can help and advise you on your transfer needs.
- Phone service. If you want to talk your transfer through with someone, providers such as CurrencyTransfer Business and Wise (TransferWise) can give you support over the phone.
How to send money to South Africa from the UK
To send money to South Africa, you'll need the necessary documentation, your recipient's details and a way to pay.
- Compare your options.
Use our table to find a money transfer provider that sends funds to South Africa. One may be better for cash pickups while another may suit a bank transfer. Once you've found the best one for your requirements, click "Go to site". - Create an account.
You'll need to give your name, address, contact details, proof of ID and method of payment.- Provide your recipient's details.
Enter your recipient's name and contact information. If you're sending straight to their South African bank account, you'll need the account number, SWIFT or IBAN plus their bank branch's address.- Enter your transfer amount.
Check you're happy with the fees, exchange rates and transfer speed, then enter the amount you wish to send. Double-check the total rands your recipient gets.- Complete your transfer.
Send your money transfer to South Africa. Keep your transaction reference number safe so you can track your transfer. Your recipient may need it too.Example: Ethan sends money to South Africa
Ethan is working in the United Kingdom as a software engineer and he stays in regular contact with his elderly parents back home in South Africa. His parents need some funds to help pay off a mortgage, so Ethan plans to send them £2,000 from the United Kingdom.
He decides to compare a bank and a money transfer specialist to see which one can save the most money on his transaction.
Bank Money transfer company Exchange rate 1 GBP = 23.05 ZAR 1 GBP = 23.35 ZAR Transfer fee £10 £2.50 Transfer method Bank account deposit Bank account deposit Processing time 2 - 5 working days Next day Amount received 45,863.63 ZAR 46,645.92 ZAR The money transfer company enables Ethan to send an extra R782.30, which is transferred straight to his parents' Standard Bank account.
How to choose the best money transfer companies to send money to South Africa
When choosing a money transfer provider to send money from the United Kingdom to South Africa, it's important to consider the cost, how you want your recipient to receive the funds and the turnaround time. Here are other features to review:
- Exchange rates. Banks and transfer services use the mid-market rate to trade with one another. It is the best rate you can get. However, not all money transfer providers offer you this mid-market rate so compare the ZAR you're offered to the mid-market rate and look for the smallest difference.
- Transfer fees. Are you being charged a flat fee or a percentage of your transfer amount? For example, a provider offering to transfer your money to South Africa for a flat or low fee might work out better if you plan to send a large amount.
- Transfer type. Does your recipient have a South African bank account or is cash or cell phone top-up a better option? Each transfer type will have different fees. For example, instant cash pickups tend to be more expensive than bank transfers.
- Transfer speed. If you need your transfer to arrive quickly, you can pay for an express delivery. Companies such as WorldRemit offer instant cash pickups but may charge more. If you're not in a rush, online money transfer services offer the best value and get your money to South Africa faster and cheaper than banks.
- Transfer limits. Find out how much you can send with each service. For example, Western Union has a transfer limit of £4,000 while OFX allows unlimited transfers.
- Discounts. Some providers may offer you a free transfer simply for signing up. Others may offer a discount if you transfer more than a specific amount of rands.
Is this a good time to send money to South Africa?
Compared to a month ago, the pound is weaker against the rand. Currently £5,000 is equivalent to R117,347.50, whereas a month ago, £5,000 was equivalent to R119,321.00. That's a decrease of 1.65% over the past month.
But compared to a year ago, the pound is stronger against the rand. A year ago, £5,000 was equivalent to R113,719.00. That's an increase of 3.19% over 12 months.
What's more important, however, is where the strength of the pound against the rand goes from here – which is harder to call. But whichever way it goes, shopping around has the potential to get you more rands for your pounds and can help you get the best out of any market conditions.
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Get startedFrequently asked questions
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 has the source: Moneyfacts Group PLC. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.Go to siteMore guides on Finder
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2 Responses
- Provide your recipient's details.
i want to do a transfer from a bank in uk to south africa…according to the bank i must first pay a fee here in south africa which is a demuurage fee…as soon as it is paid then only they can make the transfer…i ask them to deduct the fee from the uk account as this account is also under my name…they say they cant…is this legal at some banks in uk???
Hi Wendy,
Thank you for contacting finder. We are a comparison website and general information service, we’re more than happy to offer general advice.
That depends on your bank, while banks can certainly send money overseas for you, their fees are often higher compared to companies that specialize in international money transfers. You may refer to this page for other options that may suit your needs. You may review and compare the offers available on the table. Once you have selected one, you may proceed by clicking the green “Go to Site” button.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Danielle