Skrill payments and transfers review
- Fees (pay by bank transfer)
- From £0
- Minimum transfer amount
- £1
- Maximum transfer amount
- No limit
Skrill's money transfer service offers transfers to many popular destinations, but watch out for high fees and bad reviews.
There’s not that much going for Skrill until you become a True or VIP Skriller - Skrill’s top two tiers. Until then, you’ll be charged for moving money from your Skrill account to a bank account, paying an application fee for the physical prepaid card and a fee every time you withdraw cash. Once verified, some fees are waived and you’ll also have access to other perks.
Sadly, Skrill adds a hefty markup of up to 3.99% when converting your dollars for overseas transfers. On top of this, US customers have no access to instant transfer support so check the rates and fees carefully before going ahead. Inactivity can also incur fees but avoid this by making at least one transaction every 12 months. Finally, a host of bad reviews might make you look elsewhere.
Pros
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Diverse sending options. Send through both Skrill money transfer and Skrill-to-Skrill to reach a global network.
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Skrill card. Withdraw cash at cashpoints and pay online and in-store with your Skrill balance.
Cons
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Doesn't use the mid-market rate. Skrill reserves the right to add a margin markup on top of the mid-market rate without warning. It is unclear whether or not you will see this markup before you agree to the transfer.
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Limited currency and country support. For example, you can't use Skrill to send money to the US or China.
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High fees and a confusing fee structure. On top of the usual transfer fee, you be charged when making deposits and withdrawing money, and if you don't use the account frequently enough. Be sure to read up on exactly what and when you will be charged.
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Not the fastest transfers. Recipients will typically receive the funds in 2 to 5 business days.
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Poor reviews. Nearly 20% of reviews for Skrill were "Bad" on TrustPilot when we checked.
Details
Product details
| Product Name | Skrill |
| Pay by | Cash, Credit card, Debit card |
| Receiving options | Bank account, Mobile wallet, Prepaid phone credit |
| Customer service | Phone, Live chat, Email |
| Available currencies | AUD, BDT, EUR, GBP, IDR, INR, KES, LKR, MXN, MYR, NGN, NPR, PHP, PKR, PLN, THB, VND |
| Bank account required? | No |
| Personal account manager? | No |
What is Skrill?
Skrill, formerly known as Moneybookers, is an online e-commerce service that lets you send money both domestically and internationally between a variety of currencies. Money sent through Skrill can be delivered directly to bank accounts or held in a third-party mobile wallet, depending on what the customer wants.
Is Skrill safe?
Skrill is licensed and regulated by many different countries and federal organisations, including the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 and the Financial Conduct Authority. Specific features of these regulations require Skrill to:
- Maintain set amounts of capital and liquidity. Skrill is required to maintain a minimum of €350,000 of its own funds at all times.
- Practice safe float management. In order to protect customers’ money, Skrill must follow EU Electronic Money Directive protocols to protect customers in the event that the company encounters an insolvency event. In short, this means your money is protected even if Skrill goes bankrupt.
- Pass FCA vetting The Financial Conduct Authority performs a test on each member of Skrill Limited senior management to test for honesty, integrity, reputation, competence, financial soundness and capability.
- Monitor and vet all transactions. To prevent financial crime, Skrill must follow legal requirements to check the identity of customers and monitor transactions to detect money laundering and fraud.
Skrill reviews
What Skrill’s reviews look like, accurate as of 24 June 2020.
| Trustpilot | 4.5 out of 5 – based on 12,796 customer reviews |
|---|---|
| Monito | 8.3 out of 10 – based on staff reviews |
When we checked, 19% of Skrill’s reviews on Trustpilot were Bad, which is Trustpilot’s name for 1-star reviews. This is something to keep in mind before using the service. A lot of the Bad reviews focus on customers losing money during transfers, a lack of customer service and customers having to pay high fees to withdraw money from their accounts.
Make sure you read up on Skrill’s fees and exchange rates before sending a transfer to make sure you understand exactly what you’ll be paying and when fees will be charged. And keep an eye on its social media pages to see what customers are saying on there.
Skrill fees and exchange rates explained
Skrill’s fees aren’t exactly clear, but this is what we found on its website on 5 June 2020.
- Deposit funds: One-time fee of 20% for first deposit. All subsequent transactions will incur a 1.45% fee.
- Withdraw funds: 3.99% foreign exchange fee
- Send money abroad: Free
- Currency conversion: 3.99% above the mid-market rate, or higher. This fee is applied without notice to you, which means that although it may appear you are getting the mid-market rate for your transfer, you probably aren’t.
One additional fee to watch out for when opening a Skrill account is the Stay Active Fee. If you don’t login and make at least one transaction every 12 months you’ll face a €5 (or equivalent) fee every month until you start using your account again.
Skrill limits
Skrill limits UK customers based on the status of your account, selected payment method and the country you’re sending to. It is unclear whether Skrill will allow you to raise these limits, as Skrill says it reserves the right to vary transaction limits at its discretion. The standard maximum transfer amount for UK customers is £12,240.
Calculate what your transfer could look like with Skrill
What types of transfers does Skrill support?
Depositing funds
Skill allows deposits in the following ways:
- ACH transfer (Automated Clearing House)
- Bank account wire transfer
- Mastercard or Visa credit card
- Paysafe card
If this is the first time you’ve made a deposit to your Skrill account, you’ll have to pay a higher one-time fee of 20%. All subsequent transactions will incur a 1.45% fee.
Withdrawing funds
There is only one way to withdraw funds – into a bank account via a wire transfer. You’ll have to pay an additional 3.99% foreign exchange fee when you withdraw the money, and also the money may take up to 5 business days to arrive.
In addition, because Skrill relies on wire transfers instead of ACH transfer for withdrawing, be aware that your bank may charge an incoming wire transfer fee. Contact your bank directly to find out if this fee will apply to you.
How do I send money through Skrill?
Sending money through Skrill is fast and simple. You will first need to sign up for a free Skrill account before loading funds into your wallet. To do this, you’ll need to provide:
- Your full name and personal contact information, including your phone number and email address
- Your passport number or driving licence and proof of residence
The steps to send money through Skrill are:
- Confirm your email address and identity
- Enter banking or credit card information
- Deposit funds into your Skrill account
- Enter recipient information and transfer details
- Track the progress of your initial deposit and any money transfers through your Skrill account
Your recipient will typically receive the funds in 2 to 5 business days.
Is there a Skrill app?
Yes, Skrill has an app on both Google Play and the App Store. The app makes it possible to:
- Manage your Skrill Visa card. Check your balance and add more money to your account on the go.
- Log in using biometrics. Both face and fingerprint recognition can be used to log in.
- Check exchange rates on the go. Current currency exchange rates and fees can be found in the app.
- Send and receive money. Transfer money to friends and family with just a few taps.
- Track your transfer. Real-time notifications on your transaction are available through the Skrill mobile app.
| Reviews accurate as of 24 June 2020 | |
|---|---|
| Google Play Store | 3.9 out of 5, based on 80,728 customer reviews |
| Apple App Store | 4.5 out of 5, based on 2,085 customer reviews |
More on the best money transfer apps
What else can I use Skrill for?
Skrill offers both personal and business services. Skrill’s business services include merchant accounts that can:
- Accept credit card payments
- Handle international transactions
- Create payment corridors in local currencies worldwide
How does Skrill compare to other money transfer services?
Bottom line
As Skrill continues to expand into different countries, expect more nations and currencies to become available for international transfers. If the country you want to send to isn’t supported by Skrill, head over to our international money transfers guide to find a money transfer service that works for you. And if you can send the money through Skrill, read up on its fees and exchange rates before sending a transfer to make sure you understand exactly what you’ll be paying and when fees will be charged.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between Skrill and PayPal?
Skrill and PayPal are both large e-commerce-focused payment services. There are many differences between the platforms, including:
- How much you’ll pay
- Countries you can use it in
- Currencies you can send to or receive
- What you can use it for
- Buyer protections
- Cashback and loyalty programmes
To learn more about PayPal and decide for yourself which option is the better choice, read our PayPal review.
How to cancel a Skrill transfer
You will only be able to cancel a Skrill transaction if it hasn’t processed yet. If the status of the transaction is marked as pending, then follow these steps to cancel:
- Under the Transactions section of your account, tap the pending transaction you want to cancel.
- Tap Cancel Transaction on the popup window.
- Confirm the cancellation by tapping Yes, Cancel.
Funds should automatically be returned to your account after you sucessfully cancel the transaction.
How do I delete/close my Skrill account?
Follow these steps to close your Skrill account for free:
- Log in to your account and withdraw all of your funds.
- Go to Settings.
- Navigate to Account Settings and tap Close Account.
Note: Any funds not withdrawn before closing your account will be forfeited to Skrill.
How do I contact Skrill customer service?
Skrill customer service can be reached through email: help@skrill.com
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