Send Money From the UK
Sending pounds overseas? See what a UK transfer really costs, which FCA-regulated app is cheapest to your country, how the four-step send works through Faster Payments, and exactly what lands for your recipient.
Compare live rates from the UK
Enter an amount and a destination and every major GBP service is ranked cheapest-first, showing the fee, the exchange-rate margin, and exactly how many rupees, naira or zloty land in your recipient's account.
Compare Money Transfer Services
Sending 1,000.00 GBP → INR · Estimated typical cost · bank deposit, bank-funded
Showing 12 of 17 services we can price for GBP → INR
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. Some “Send money now” buttons are partner links: we may earn a commission if you sign up, at no cost to you, and rows are ranked by cost whatever the link. See how we collect these prices and our advertising disclosure.
Best ways to send money from the UK, and who each suits
Which option wins comes down to where you're sending, how much, and whether your recipient wants a bank deposit, a wallet top-up or cash in hand. The comparison above does the sums for your route; below is a quick read on which FCA-regulated name is strong at what.
The London-born app says it converts at the mid-market rate and shows a single upfront fee, so a transfer’s cost is on screen before you commit.
Economy and Express are priced separately. It covers the routes British families send to most, India, Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines, paying out to banks, wallets and cash.
Deep coverage across Africa and Asia from the UK, including mobile-money deposits and phone airtime, handy when your recipient runs their money life from a phone rather than a bank branch.
Two apps built for the modest amounts people send home month after month, funded in a tap over Faster Payments. Check the table for what each charges on your route.
If your recipient has no bank account, these two have the widest reach: tens of thousands of counters worldwide, cash often ready within minutes. Compare the exchange rate as well as the fee.
Made for bigger sums: no upper limit and a person on the phone for large trades. On thousands, the exchange rate matters more than the delivery time, so compare what arrives.
Want the full field? Compare every provider side by side.
How to send money from the UK in 4 steps
Drop your amount and destination into the tool above. It sorts every provider by what your recipient actually pockets, fee and rate margin combined, so you’re weighing real outcomes, not headline fees.
Signing up takes a few minutes. Add your recipient’s name exactly as their bank holds it, along with their account, wallet or cash-pickup details. A quick identity check on your side is routine FCA practice, not a warning sign.
A bank transfer reaches the provider in minutes and is the cheapest way to fund a send; a debit card is instant if you prefer; credit cards are best left out. Reassuringly, the UK charges no tax on money you send abroad.
Check the rate and fees the app locks in on screen, confirm, and keep the reference or tracking link to hand until your recipient has the money.
Popular routes from the UK
The corridors British senders use most. Pick any of them (or another country) in the comparison above.
Fees vs the exchange rate: what you actually pay
A UK transfer carries two costs, not one. The fee is the part you're quoted, whether by a specialist app or by a bank for a SWIFT payment. The exchange-rate margin is the part that actually stings. Every provider works from the mid-market rate (the true figure your currency converter shows), then hands you a slightly meaner version and keeps the difference. It sits inside the rate rather than on top of it, so it never appears on your receipt. That's the whole reason "fee-free" and "cheap" are not the same thing.
Send £1,000 to India or Nigeria through a high-street bank and a margin the bank doesn't publish quietly comes out of it before the flat fee is even added. A specialist such as Wise shows its fee and its rate before you pay, so you can see what your family receives at the other end. The honest way to rank any two options is by their all-in cost (fee and margin together) as a share of the amount you send, which is precisely what the comparison above works out.
How to pay, and how your recipient gets it
- Faster Payments (bank transfer):
- cheapest and reaches the provider in minutes. No UK tax on sending abroad.
- Debit card:
- instant funding for a little more.
- Credit card:
- the priciest option. Your issuer may add a cash-advance fee.
- Bank deposit:
- suits most transfers, typically one to two business days.
- Cash pickup:
- Western Union, MoneyGram, Ria agents; often ready in minutes.
- Mobile wallet:
- UPI in India, mobile money across Africa; frequently instant.
Is it safe? UK regulation in brief
Sending from the UK is safe with an FCA-regulated firm. Money-transfer companies here are authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority as Authorised Payment Institutions or Electronic Money Institutions, and must safeguard your money in accounts separate from their own, so it's protected if the firm fails. One nuance: that safeguarding is not the same as the £85,000 FSCS guarantee, because these firms don't hold your money as a bank deposit; it only matters if you park a large balance in the app rather than passing it straight through. You can look up any provider on the FCA Register before you send.
Regulation covers the firm, not your judgement. Double-check the recipient's name, sort code and account details before you confirm, because a cross-border transfer is hard to recall once collected. And treat any unexpected, urgent demand for money as a warning sign, especially from a stranger you know only through a screen.
Sending money from the UK: FAQ
What is the cheapest way to send money from the UK?
From the UK, the winner is usually a specialist money-transfer app you fund by Faster Payments. Wise (a British company) says it converts at the mid-market rate and shows its fee; Remitly, WorldRemit, Instarem and TapTap Send serve popular UK corridors like India, Pakistan and Nigeria. High-street banks are the most expensive route: a SWIFT transfer carries a flat fee plus an exchange-rate markup the bank doesn’t publish. Which one leads depends on the corridor, so check the comparison above for yours.
Which app is cheapest to send money from the UK to India or Pakistan?
There’s no permanent winner: rates move daily and the amount matters. Pick India or Pakistan in the comparison above and enter your amount: it ranks every GBP service by what your recipient receives once the fee and the rate margin are counted. The individual country guides then dig into each route.
How much does it cost to send money abroad from the UK?
Two costs matter: the fee you see and the exchange-rate markup you usually don’t. A specialist service shows both before you pay; a bank buries a markup it doesn’t publish in the rate, on top of a flat fee. On a £1,000 transfer, the difference between the cheapest and most expensive provider can be large for the same delivery, so price your own transfer in the comparison above.
How fast will my money arrive when I send from the UK?
Usually somewhere between minutes and two working days. Cash and mobile-wallet payouts on the big UK routes (India via UPI, Pakistan, Nigeria, the Philippines) are often instant or same-day, and bank deposits typically arrive in one to two working days. Paying in by Faster Payments keeps your side near-instant; a high-street bank’s SWIFT wire is the slow option at three to five days.
Are UK money transfer services regulated, and is my money safe?
Yes. Reputable UK money-transfer companies are authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as Authorised Payment Institutions or Electronic Money Institutions and must safeguard customer funds in separate accounts. Wise, Remitly, WorldRemit, Western Union, MoneyGram, Instarem and Revolut are all FCA-regulated. You can check any firm on the FCA Register before you send.
Is there a limit on how much I can send from the UK?
Limits are set by each provider and your verification level, not by a single national cap. Many services let verified customers send tens of thousands of pounds per transfer, with higher amounts needing extra ID or proof of funds. Large transfers may also trigger anti-money-laundering checks, which is normal. For very large sums, a dedicated FX broker can beat an app on the rate.