Send Money from the USA to Algeria: What It Really Costs in 2026
Sending money to Algeria legally means accepting two facts: few services reach the country, and every one of them converts off the official rate, well below what the informal market pays for dollars and euros. Within those limits there is still money to be saved, and a legal way to deliver hard currency when that is what your family needs.
The Honest Answer
Use a licensed service that reaches Algeria, pay from your US bank account, and expect a thinner choice than on most routes. Of the services we track, only Paysend gives a standing price on $500, at about $12.56 all-in.
Wise and Xoom reach Algeria too, but our data prices them only for other ways of paying or receiving, so they are not in the table.
Every bank, app and agent licensed to pay out in Algeria converts off the Bank of Algeria's official rate, and the informal market in Algiers pays far more dinars for a dollar or a euro. No licensed service can close that gap. What you can control is the fee and margin on top of the official rate, and whether the money arrives in dinars at all.
Licensed Services, Live
Compare Money Transfer Services
Sending 1,000.00 USD → DZD from the US · Estimated typical cost · bank deposit, bank-funded
Showing 1 of 17 services we can price for USD → DZD
Estimates only, not live quotes. "Recipient Gets" is for a bank deposit funded from a bank account, on today's mid-market rate: for a "provider quote", minus the rate markup and fee from that provider's own recent quote; for an estimate, minus the provider's typical markup and fee. Rows are ranked by total cost, the fee plus the rate markup, so a fee charged on top of the amount sent counts against a provider even when its recipient gets more. Real cost varies by corridor, amount, delivery and payment method, and promotions (e.g. new-customer offers can be cheaper). Tap a provider to get its live rate before sending. The dot by each provider shows confidence, and the label says how the figure was grounded: "corridor estimate" is a rate we measured for this exact pair; a currency-code estimate (e.g. "USD estimate") is measured for that source currency but not this destination; "typical estimate" is the provider's general figure across all its corridors; "provider quote" is that provider's own recent quote for this pair, its markup and fee applied to today's mid-market rate exactly as its calculator shows them, and a provider whose quote depends on a payment or delivery choice is left out here and priced on its own calculator. Margins are verified against live provider quotes and the World Bank Remittance Prices database; the date above is the most recent collection. See how we collect these prices and our advertising disclosure.
This lists only services we have seen quote Algerian dinars. On a route with so few, padding the list would mean guessing.
Two Exchange Rates, One of Them Legal
The Algerian dinar is not freely convertible. The Bank of Algeria manages its value, and every licensed transfer is converted off that official rate. The mid-market rate on November 6, 2026 was 136.7 dinars per dollar.
Algerians know there is a second rate. On the informal market, best known around Square Port Saïd in Algiers, euros and dollars change hands for far more dinars: in reporting from September 2026, the euro was going for about 80% more there than at the official rate. That gap is a large part of why so much of the money sent to Algeria travels informally, and why a licensed transfer can look like poor value to the family receiving it.
This guide covers licensed channels only. The informal market operates outside Algeria's exchange-control rules, and money moved through it has none of the protection or paper trail of a licensed transfer. If your family wants hard currency rather than dinars, there is a legal way to send it, covered in Sending Euros or Dollars Instead.
What you are really comparing: because every licensed service converts off the same official rate, the difference between them is the fee and the margin each adds. That is exactly what the table below measures.
What the Licensed Route Costs
Each figure is the full cost of a deposit paid from a US bank account: the fee you see plus the margin in the exchange rate, measured against the mid-market USD/DZD rate at the moment each service quoted.
| Service | Rate and fee at $1,000 | Cost shape | $200 | $500 | $1,000 | $5,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paysend | 133.82 DZD$1.99 fee | 2.12% rate + $1.99 | ≈$6.19 | ≈$12.56 | $23.17 | $108.07 |
From our current data, collected November 3, 2026, for a transfer from the US paid from a bank account and delivered to a bank account. Each rate is the service's margin from that data on the latest mid-market rate, 1 USD = 136.72 DZD on November 6, 2026, so it moves with the market. ≈ marks a price between two amounts the provider quoted, where its fee and rate are known to hold. How we collect these prices.
- Wise and Xoom don’t price a transfer paid from a bank account and delivered to a bank account on this route, only other ways to pay or receive.
- We hold no current quote for this route from BOSS Money, Instarem, MoneyGram, OFX, Pangea, Remitly, Revolut, Ria Money Transfer, Sendwave, Taptap Send, Western Union, WorldRemit and XE.
Costs are in US dollars, for dinars paid into an Algerian bank account. Green shows the lowest standing price at each amount, and a labelled promotion or a rate above our reference is never given that mark. Services that reach Algeria without a row here are listed in the next section.
A flat fee takes a large share of a small transfer and a small share of a large one, while a margin in the rate takes the same share at every amount. The same service can therefore look expensive at $200 and reasonable at $1,000, so price the amount you actually send.
At the rate on November 6, 2026, a $500 transfer is worth about 68,359 DZD before any cost, and each $10 a service charges leaves your family about 1,400 dinars short.
Why So Few Apps Reach Algeria
- Paysend: a standing price
- It names a price for a transfer paid from a US bank account into an Algerian one, shown in the table above.
- Wise and Xoom: another way only
- Our data prices them for Algeria only for other ways of paying or receiving than a deposit paid from a bank account, so they have no row in the table. Their own calculators price the way you choose.
- Taptap Send, Remitly or Sendwave: no quote
- We hold no current quote from them for Algeria. If you have used one of them for family elsewhere in North Africa, check in the app before you count on it here.
- Cash pickup
- No service names a cash pickup price for this route in our current data, so we show none rather than a figure we haven't checked. If your recipient needs cash rather than a deposit, price that option directly before you decide.
The reason the list is short is structural. Algeria's exchange controls are among the strictest in the region and the dinar can't be traded offshore, so a transfer company must settle every payment through an Algerian partner bank under those rules. Few take that on, and with so little competition there is less pressure on prices.
With few apps on this route, some senders use agent counters instead, where paying in cash is common. Since 2026, paying for a US transfer in cash, by money order or by cashier's check adds a 1% federal excise tax on top of counter prices, while a transfer paid from your bank account or a US card is not taxed.
Bank RIB or Postal RIP
- Bank account (RIB)
- Algerian bank accounts use a 20-digit RIB: bank code, branch code, account number and a two-digit key. Ask your recipient to send it in writing from their banking app or a statement. A single wrong digit can stall a transfer.
- Postal account (CCP)
- Many Algerian households keep their money in a CCP account at Algérie Poste rather than a bank. Its 20-digit RIP starts with 007 99999, Algérie Poste's institution and branch codes, followed by the account number and key. Recipients run it through the BaridiMob app and the Edahabia card. Check that the service you choose can deposit into a CCP account before you rely on one.
- Cash at an agent
- The recipient brings the transfer reference and their national ID card. It is the practical choice for someone without an account.
Algeria's weekend is Friday and Saturday, and the working week runs Sunday to Thursday. A transfer sent on a Thursday afternoon in the US may not be credited until Sunday, and holidays such as the two Eids, Independence Day on July 5 and Revolution Day on November 1 add more closed days. Since July 2026 many bank branches have also opened on Saturday mornings; ask the recipient's bank before you count on a credit that day.
Sending Euros or Dollars Instead
Any Algerian, living in Algeria or abroad, can hold a foreign-currency account (compte devises) at an approved Algerian bank, under rules set by the Bank of Algeria. These accounts can receive transfers from abroad in euros or dollars, and a transfer that lands in one is not converted to dinars at all.
There are limits on what happens next. Withdrawing the balance as foreign-currency cash is tied to taking it out of the country, within a yearly limit, and banks ask where deposits come from. Account rules and charges differ from one bank to another, so ask the recipient's bank how its accounts work before you send.
The prices on this page are for transfers that arrive in dinars. If you send dollars to a foreign-currency account, check that the service delivers dollars rather than converting them, and compare its fee and any charge the receiving bank makes.
What People Ask Before Sending to Algeria
What is the cheapest way to send money from the US to Algeria?
A licensed service that reaches Algeria, paid from your US bank account. In our latest data Paysend is the one service with a standing price for $500 sent this way: about $12.56, fee and rate margin together. Every licensed transfer converts off the official rate, so what separates services is the fee and the margin each adds on top.
Which services can send money from the US to Algeria?
In our current data, Paysend names a standing price for a transfer paid from a US bank account into an Algerian bank account. Wise and Xoom reach Algeria too, but are priced in our data only for other ways of paying or receiving. The dinar is not traded outside Algeria, so every provider has to settle through an Algerian partner bank, which few take on.
Do Taptap Send, Remitly or Sendwave work for Algeria?
Not in our data. We hold no current quote from Taptap Send, Remitly or Sendwave for a transfer from the US to Algeria, so none of them has a row in our table. An app you use for family in Morocco or Tunisia may not reach Algeria, so check in the app before you count on it.
Why does a licensed transfer give fewer dinars than the informal market?
Because a licensed transfer has to convert at the Bank of Algeria's official rate, and the informal market does not. In 2026 reporting, the informal rate for the euro in Algiers has run about 80% above the official one. No licensed service can match that. Changing money on the street also sidesteps Algeria's exchange-control rules, so a sender who uses it gives up the legal protection and the record that a licensed transfer leaves behind. If your family wants hard currency rather than dinars, the legal route is a foreign-currency account.
Can I send euros or dollars to an Algerian account?
Yes, to a foreign-currency account (compte devises). Any Algerian, living in Algeria or abroad, can open one at an approved bank, and it can receive transfers from abroad without converting them to dinars. Taking the money out as foreign-currency cash is tied to carrying it out of the country, within a yearly limit set by the Bank of Algeria. Ask the recipient's bank how its accounts work before you send.
Is there a US tax on sending money to Algeria?
Not when you pay from a US bank account or with a US debit or credit card. The 1% federal excise tax that began on January 1, 2026 falls only on transfers funded with cash, a money order, a cashier's check or a similar paper instrument. Keep that in mind if you pay at an agent counter, where many senders hand over cash.
Key Takeaways
- Paysend is the one service with a standing price at $500 in our current data, at about $12.56 all-in.
- No quote from Taptap Send, Remitly or Sendwave for Algeria in our data. Check that an app reaches Algeria before you rely on it.
- Every licensed transfer converts off the official rate. The informal premium can't be matched legally, so compare the fee and margin on top.
- For hard currency, send to a foreign-currency account, which receives euros or dollars without converting them.
- Get the full RIB, or the RIP for an Algérie Poste account, and allow for a Sunday-to-Thursday banking week.
Check a Transfer to Algeria
Your amount, priced at each service that reaches Algeria, with the dinars it delivers.
Related Calculators & Guides
Every fee on an international transfer, from the exchange-rate markup to card, cash pickup and bank wire charges, and how to see the real price.
Services priced on the same USD/NPR transfer and how far apart they land, plus why the rupee’s peg to India makes the rate pointless to time.
The Moroccan dirham, priced across the services that reach it.
Another closed currency, and what that means for the money you send.
Sources & References
- Bank of Algeria: Regulation 2007-01 on current transactions with other countries and foreign-currency accounts
- ObservAlgérie: the euro on the official and informal markets (September 2026)
- Algérie 360: foreign-currency accounts, transfers and cash limits (October 2026)
- Algérie 360: Algérie Poste on the postal identification number
- Algérie 360: Saturday opening of bank branches (July 2026)
- World Bank: Remittance Prices Worldwide
- IRS: Excise taxes
Provider pricing and exchange rates are set by the companies named and can change. Figures in this guide are checked against these official sources. Always confirm the live rate before you transact.