Send Money From Australia
Sending Australian dollars to family overseas or paying someone abroad? This page lays out what a transfer actually costs, points you to the AUSTRAC-registered service that's cheapest on your route, and shows how PayID keeps the price down — so you know exactly what reaches the other end.
Compare live rates from Australia
Set a destination and an amount, and the table stacks every AUD provider from lowest cost to highest — each with its fee, its rate margin, and the sum that finally reaches your recipient.
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Best ways to send money from Australia — and who each suits
There's no service that's best full stop — it hinges on the country, the size of the transfer, and how your recipient wants to collect. The live table decides your route; the shortlist below just points you to who's good at what.
Wise
Best for the raw mid-market rateOne of the few that quotes the interbank rate itself and charges a clear, separate fee — no padding buried in the spread. On everyday AUD bank-to-bank transfers it typically tops the table for value.
OFX
Best for big, one-off amountsA Sydney-born outfit made for larger sums — no upper limit, no transfer fee for Australians, and a dealer you can phone. When you’re moving five figures, its rate tends to beat the app crowd.
Instarem
Best for low-cost Asian routesSharp rates and slim fees across the Asian corridors Australians lean on — India, the Philippines, Vietnam. A smart first look for the region.
Remitly
Best for family transfersEconomy or Express, your call, with dependable payout to banks, wallets and cash desks across Asia and the Pacific. Built for the money people send home each fortnight.
TapTap Send
Best for fee-free sendsOften charges nothing on its core corridors and loads straight from your Australian bank in seconds — handy for the smaller, frequent amounts.
Western Union
Best for cash in handThe pick when your recipient collects in person and has no bank account: a worldwide counter network that pays out cash, usually within minutes. You cover that convenience through a slightly wider rate.
Want the full field? Compare every provider side by side.
How to send money from Australia in 4 steps
- 1
Sort the options by true cost.
Type your amount and where it’s going into the tool above; it orders providers by what your recipient truly receives — fee and rate margin combined — not the fee that shouts loudest.
- 2
Add the recipient to your account.
Registration is quick. Enter the person you’re paying — their name matching their bank or wallet, and the BSB/account, wallet ID or pickup point. You’ll confirm your own identity a single time, which AUSTRAC requires, so it’s routine.
- 3
Pay in with PayID or Osko.
A bank transfer via PayID or Osko is the cheapest way to load a send and clears almost instantly; a card is handy but dearer. And there’s no Australian tax on what you send out.
- 4
Send it and track it home.
Give the locked rate and fee one more look, send, and keep the reference so you can watch the transfer all the way to collection.
Popular routes from Australia
The corridors Australian senders use most — pick any of them (or another country) in the comparison above.
Fees vs the exchange rate: what you actually pay
Two things make up the cost of sending from Australia. Out in the open is the fee — commonly A$0 to A$5 through an app, A$20 to A$40 for a bank's overseas transfer. Out of sight is the exchange-rate margin — the gap between the mid-market rate and the slightly worse one you're actually handed, which the provider pockets. It shows up on no receipt, so a "fee-free" offer can end up the dearest of the lot.
Send A$1,000 to India and a bank might quietly hold 3–4% in the rate — thirty or forty dollars — before its flat fee, whereas a lean app takes a couple of dollars on a rate close to mid-market and the rupees landing at the other end are visibly more. Rank providers on a single measure — fee plus margin as a percentage of the amount sent — the very basis the table above uses to line them up.
How to pay, and how your recipient gets it
How you pay
- PayID / Osko bank transfer — the cheapest way to load a send, and near-instant. No Australian tax applies to overseas sends.
- Debit card — instant to set up for a little more.
- Credit card — the dearest, and your bank may charge a cash-advance fee.
How they receive it
- Bank deposit — the usual choice; generally one to two business days.
- Cash pickup — Western Union and Ria counters; often ready within minutes.
- Mobile wallet — UPI in India, GCash in the Philippines, e-wallets across Southeast Asia; commonly instant.
Is it safe? Australian regulation in brief
A transfer from Australia is safe when the provider is registered. Money-transfer businesses here must enrol on AUSTRAC's Remittance Sector Register and carry out identity and anti-money-laundering checks, and the larger operators also hold an Australian Financial Services licence from ASIC. Each option in the table is registered, so the single identity check when you join exists because the law demands it — not because something is off.
Registration covers the business, not a wrong instruction. Check your recipient's name and account or wallet before you approve — money is hard to get back once it's collected overseas — and stay wary of anyone pressing you to send in a hurry, above all someone you've only met online.
Sending money from Australia — FAQ
What is the cheapest way to send money from Australia?
For the vast majority, the answer is a transfer app funded straight from your bank by PayID. Wise gives the true mid-market rate for a small fee; Instarem, OFX, Remitly and TapTap Send run keen or fee-free on the routes Australians use most — India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Nepal. Going through a big bank is the pricey route, with a 3–5% rate markup layered on a A$20–A$40 international-transfer fee. Since the leader varies by destination and amount, let the table above sort it for your transfer.
Which app is cheapest to send money from Australia to India or the Philippines?
Because rates change by the day, read this as a hint rather than gospel: India generally goes to Wise or Instarem; the Philippines often to Remitly or Instarem, particularly on bank deposit and cash pickup. Check it against the live figures above before you commit.
How much does it cost to send money abroad from Australia?
You pay a visible fee and an invisible rate markup. The leaner services charge A$0–A$5 with a markup under 1–2%; a bank tucks 3–5% into the rate and adds a flat fee on top. On a A$1,000 transfer that gap works out to roughly A$30–A$60 between the cheapest and dearest option for the same delivery.
How fast will money arrive when I send from Australia?
Minutes on the quick corridors, up to a couple of business days on the rest. To the busy destinations, cash and wallet payouts land instantly or same-day, while a bank deposit generally turns up in one to two business days. PayID and Osko settle the Australian leg almost at once — it’s only a bank’s SWIFT wire that stretches out to three-to-five days.
Are money transfer services in Australia regulated, and is my money safe?
Yes. Money-transfer businesses must enrol on AUSTRAC’s Remittance Sector Register and carry out identity and anti-money-laundering checks, and the larger providers additionally hold an Australian Financial Services (AFS) licence from ASIC. Wise, OFX, Instarem, Remitly and Western Union are all registered here — the one-time ID step at sign-up is a legal requirement, not a warning sign.
Is there a tax on sending money abroad from Australia in 2026?
None at all. Money leaving Australia isn’t taxed — a contrast with the American system, where since 2026 a 1% federal charge applies to some transfers paid for in cash. On an Australian transfer you’re left with just the fee and the rate margin.