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PayPal fees for sending money overseas explained
Sending money abroad with PayPal can be expensive - discover how much it could cost you.
There are many variables when it comes to using PayPal to send money overseas. Where your recipient is located and the currency you are converting to can all change the cost of your transfer. Take a look at our guide to PayPal fees to help you make sense of it all.
What are PayPay’s fees to send and receive money within the UK?
If you are sending money to friends and family in the UK in pounds sterling, then there are no fees to send or receive money.
It’s also free for you if you’re sending money to buy goods and services. For example, if you buy something from eBay – the seller will pay the PayPal fees.
What are PayPal’s fees to send money overseas from the UK?
Things become a little more complicated – and expensive – if you plan to use PayPal to send money to friends and family abroad.
There are two separate costs you need to take into account:
- International personal transactions fees. Basically the PayPal fees for sending money overseas.
- Foreign currency conversion fees. These are the fees for converting the currency and if there is any currency exchange involved.
International personal transaction fees
These are always paid by the sender and depend on the country you’re sending money to from the UK and how much you’re sending.
Here’s how they work:
| Rate | Minimum fee | Maximum fee |
|---|---|---|
| 5.00% of the transaction amount | £0.99 | £2.99 |
Foreign currency conversion fees
The foreign currency conversion fee can either be paid by the sender or the receiver, depending on which currency the sender uses.
For example, if your money is in pound sterling but you are sending it to a recipient in New Zealand, you can:
- Send it in the receiver’s currency. You’ll pay both the international personal transaction fee and currency conversion fee in the recipient’s currency (in this case NZD).
- Send it in your currency. You’ll send the money in pound sterling and it will be converted into NZD, with a fixed 2.5% currency conversion fee.
Here’s how PayPal fees work for all other transactions involving currency conversion:
| Currency | Fee |
|---|---|
| Australian dollar (AUD) | 4% |
| Brazilian real (BRL) | 4% |
| Canadian dollar (CAD) | 3.75% |
| Czech koruna (CZK) | 3.75% |
| Danish krone (DKK) | 3.75% |
| Euro (EUR) | 3.75% |
| Hong Kong dollar (HKD) | 4% |
| Hungarian forint (HUF) | 3.75% |
| Israeli New shekel (ILS) | 4% |
| Japanese yen (JPY) | 4% |
| Malaysian ringgit (MYR) | 4% |
| Mexican peso (MXN) | 4% |
| Currency | Fee |
|---|---|
| New Taiwan dollar (TWD) | 4% |
| New Zealand dollar (NZD) | 4% |
| Norwegian krone (NOK) | 3.75% |
| Philippine peso (PHP) | 4% |
| Polish zloty (PLN) | 3.75% |
| Russian ruble (RUB) | 3.75% |
| Singapore dollar (SGD) | 4% |
| Swedish krona (SEK) | 3.75% |
| Swiss franc (CHE) | 3.75% |
| Thai baht (THB) | 4% |
| UK pound sterling (GBP) | 3.75% |
| US dollar (USD) | 3.75% |
It is worth seeing how PayPal’s fees stack up against other money transfer providers. You can use our comparison table to compare them with other services you can use to send money abroad.
What fees does PayPal charge for commercial cross-border payments?
Things work slightly differently if you are sending or receiving money for commercial purposes.
If you’re receiving money from buyers outside the UK, you’ll be required to add a cross-border commercial payment fee. This comes in two parts:
- A percentage based cross-border fee.
- A fixed fee element based on the currency received.
Cross-border fee
| Sender’s country | Cross-border fee |
|---|---|
| Northern Europe* | 0.5% |
| Europe I ** | 0.5% |
| US/Canada | 2% |
| Europe II*** | 2% |
| Rest of the world | 2% |
* Northern Europe: Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland (including Aland Islands), Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden.
** Europe I: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, France (including French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion and Mayotte), Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, United Kingdom (including Channel Islands and Isle of Man), Vatican City State.
*** Europe II: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine.
Fixed fee based on currency received
If you’re accepting payments in other currencies, the percentage will be the same as stated in the table above, but the fixed fee will vary according to the currency you’re receiving.
Moreover, a 2.5% currency exchange fee for converting money back to pounds will apply.
| Currency | Fee |
|---|---|
| Australian dollar | 0.30 AUD |
| Brazilian real | 0.06 BRL |
| Canadian dollar | 0.30 CAD |
| Czech koruna | 10 CZK |
| Danish krone | 2.60 DKK |
| Euro | 0.35 EUR |
| Hong Kong dollar | 2.35 HKD |
| Hungarian forint | 90 HUF |
| Israeli shekel | 1.20 ILS |
| Japanese yen | 40 JPY |
| Malaysian ringgit | 2 MYR |
| Mexican peso | 4 MXN |
| Currency | Fee |
|---|---|
| New Zealand dollar | 0.45 NZD |
| Norwegian krone | 2.80 NOK |
| Philippine peso | 15 PHP |
| Polish zloty | 1.35 PLN |
| Russian ruble | 10 RUB |
| Singapore dollar | 0.50 SGD |
| Swedish krona | 3.25 SEK |
| Swiss franc | 0.55 CHF |
| Taiwan new dollar | 10 TWD |
| Thai baht | 11 THB |
| UK pound sterling | 0.30 GBP |
| US dollar | 0.30 USD |
How to check PayPal’s international money transfer exchange rates
Like other international money transfer services, PayPal applies a margin to the mid-market exchange rate. To check what PayPal’s exchange rates are for your chosen currency, you just need to complete the following steps:
- Log in to your PayPal account.
- Click Wallet, which should be near the top of your screen.
- Click Currencies Calculator, which is under your PayPal balance.
- Select the currencies you want to convert to see rates.
Compare money transfer services
Our table below lets you compare services you can use to send money abroad. Compare fees, exchange rates and discounts from different money transfer services, and when you have made your choice, click Go to site.
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Ask an Expert
Hello,
I would like to send 135 dollars to the USA and my account is in pounds. How much in pounds will that come to with all the charges?
Hi Naomi,
Thank you for getting in touch with Finder.
If you consider using Paypal to send USD, you may do so even if you’re having GBP in your account. The currency conversion fee from GBP to USD is 3.5% of the transaction value. In addition, you may convert currencies in your Paypal account. To convert your PayPal balance to a different currency – from GBP to USD. Simply log in on your Paypal account then click PayPal balance at the left side of the page then click on Manage currencies. Kindly enter the amount you want to convert under the Currency Exchange column then choose the new currency. If you need further assistance on your Paypal account, please click the Help tab at the top of Paypal page.
I hope this helps.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Jeni
If I pay for goods not via friends and family how much will I get charged and how much will the person I am buying off get charged. The amount I want to send is £140. Thank you.
Hi Dawn,
Thank you for leaving a question. For PayPal fees. If you are the buyer, you will not be charged for anything. Otherwise, if you are the seller of an item and receiving payment, this will depend on the currency involved. PayPal gets a fee for the transactions as payment for the services provided. Usually it is 1.9% to 3.4% of the amount paid, if it is cross border then there is an additional fee as well.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Val