Ways to Send Money Abroad: International Wire Transfers and More
USPS: www.usps.com
People are quick to criticize the Post Office these days, but this branch of the government provides a lot of services we don’t always appreciate or recognize, including ways to send money abroad. Consider the SureMoney program, also known as DineroSeguro by the many Spanish speakers who use it for international wire transfers. By visiting a participating post office (most of which are located in urban areas), you can send up to $2000 per day to a short list of Latin American countries. Rather than providing worldwide service, USPS chooses to focus SureMoney on countries where many American Latinos have relatives and friends: Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and El Salvador, for example. SureMoney works based on relationships between the USPS and post offices in these countries. For details and pricing (and to see if your local post office participates), call 1.888.338.4669.
Western Union: www.westernunion.com
Ask people to name the best-known ways to send money abroad, and most folks will mention Western Union first. Providing what is probably the most comprehensive network for international wire transfers, Western Union boasts nearly a quarter of a MILLION agents in over 200 countries and territories, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe (both of which have over 20 locations, by the way). Pick a far-flung place – Maldives, Tonga, Lichtenstein, Kosovo – and Western Union can send money abroad there to an agent in minutes. Senders can complete the transfer online or over the phone with a debit/credit card, as well as in person at an authorized location. The major drawback? Any network as large as Western Union’s is especially susceptible to fraud. Accordingly, anyone attempting an international wire transfer using Western Union is taking a risk and should review the extensive amount of fraud prevention information on their website. You’ll learn, for example, that it is discouraged for eBay purchases. As long as you make prudent choices and only send money abroad to friends and relatives, you should be fine. Call for details: 1.800.CALL.CASH.
Paypal: www.paypal.com
The service that developed alongside Ebay is another way to send money abroad. Of course, it requires the recipient to have an email address and a Paypal account. The Paypal website is available in customized format for 13 countries, but there are nearly 35 countries to which you can send funds. Many of the nations have special restrictions for senders and receivers, including how the recipient can access funds (local bank account, US bank account, paper check, etc.) Most of the countries are in the EU, Latin America, or industrialized parts of Asia. Paypal is a great way to send money abroad if you want to maintain one balance in US dollars and send out payments internationally in Euros, Yen, or a handful of other currencies. As a result, it may work better for Ebay users and other mass transactors (for whom it was basically designed) than for one-time senders who wish to use it in place of an international wire transfer.
Other services : www.Xoom.com and www.Emoneygram.com
There are other companies that will send money abroad for you via international wire transfer, including the websites www.xoom.com and www.emoneygram.com. While these sites do appear to be reliable and safe, they are relative newcomers to the financial services scene when compared with the three services above. One advantage to both Xoom and Emoneygram, though, is that they are quite affordable, as both are trying to build up user bases. In addition to these websites, a number of banks will wire money abroad, but rates and availability vary dramatically.
