Cash App International Transfers

About Author: Hi, I’m Quinn Askeland. In 2014, I started Transumo after experiencing expensive, slow, and frustrating international money transfers and payments through banks. Once I discovered how to manage my own international currencies much better, I became driven to help others improve their transfers and payments. Fortunately, today, there are many excellent options. See My Full Bio.

6 Best Alternatives

Yes, Cash App is great way to pay or get paid (often for free) in the US and the UK.

But there’s one massive drawback – you can’t use Cash App for most international transfers.

Although limited, you can send or request Cash App payments with friends between the UK and USA.

So if not Cash App then who?

We’ll share 6 tried and tested options to make international transfers easy and affordable from the US.

But first, we’ll see what you can and can’t do with Cash App.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and potential savings on transfers if you use some of the links! For more information, see my disclosures here.

Cash app is a well-liked and reliable service for many users. Trustpilot may give Cash App low ratings (1.2/5), but it has high ratings on the Play Store (4.6/5) and App Store (4.8/5).

1. How Cash App for International Works? (and when it doesn’t)

For now, Cash App is limited to transfers between the UK and the USA and you can send or request payments from either country.

“When you send a payment …, Cash App will convert the payment from GBP to USD (or USD to GBP) based on the mid-market exchange rate at the time the payment is created.”

Cash App USA and UK

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Pros

UK to USA or USA to UK

Can be free

Cons

Very limited outside of the USA or UK

Can be expensive

Using the mid-market exchange rate (similar to interbank rate) is about as inexpensive as it gets.

So if you both have Cash App it can be a great way to go.

But that does not mean they are the best for you!

For example, the other person may not have Cash App set up or want to.

And Cash App as some other limitations.

For example, you can only send and receive up to $1,000 within any 30-day period ($250/week without verifying your identity). Apparently you can get your account can be upgraded to a send limit of $7,500 per week and an unlimited receiving limit (unverified).

The biggest issue however could be the additional fees.

As soon as you start trying to anything other than simple transactions (like using a Credit Card or speeding up the transactions) things can become relatively expensive quite quickly.

2. Cash App Costs and Fees

Bank-to-bank transfers with Cash App are free.

However, they do charge the following fees:

• Typically, Cash App transfers take about 2-3 days to be completed (like a regular bank transfer). However, if you need to send funds instantly, you can pay a rush fee of 1.5% of the transfer amount.
  
• Funding your transfer with a credit card? Your card issuer will charge about 3% of the transfer amount (industry standard)
  
• ATMs withdrawals are free if you enable direct deposits to receive your salary. Otherwise, each withdrawal will cost you $2.

3. Can you use Cash App while overseas?

Although you can access your US or UK bank account when you’re travelling abroad, Cash App doesn’t support domestic or international transfers in the US when you’re overseas.

Moreover, you can only use your Cash App Visa debit card to make ATM withdrawals and in-store purchases in the US or the UK.

But we do have some great options below.

4. Can you use Cash App Internationally (including Canada and Mexico)?

I know what you’re thinking right now – does Cash App work in Canada or the rest of the world?

Unfortunately the answer is no.

Currently Cash App is only available in the US and the UK. Their international transfer capabilities only extend to USD-GBP and GBP-USD transfers.

5. Cash App Alternatives (International)

For payments inside the US, check out our Cash App Alternatives page.

If you are looking to send money overseas, here are some services that can do a whole lot more than payments between the US and the UK.

6 Top Ranked Alternatives

5.1 Wise

Wise and their Multi-currency account are excellent Cash App alternatives if you want to send money abroad affordably and extend your international spending capabilities.

The important bit:

Wise makes bank-to-bank and card-to-bank transfers affordable and simple at the mid market (or interbank rates). Their fees and systems are transparent, so you’ll know exactly what you will pay before you hit “Send.”

You can even calculate the small fees on their Widget.

Availability: You can register from 59 countries (including the US, UK, and Canada) and send money to 60+ countries in 40+ currencies.

Strengths: Transparent and affordable fees, easy online interface, helpful customer service, specialized money transfer service for small amounts (below $7000 USD), support for both individuals and businesses, and lots of cool perks with the Borderless Account.

Fees: Wise has very competitive fees (especially compared to banks) and their transparent fee structure will keep you coming back for more. Typically, their fees vary on your funding method (bank transfer or credit or debit card), the amount you’re sending, and the currency.

Wise’s fees are usually between 0.4-1% of the transfer amount and you’ll always get the best exchange rate with them (with no markups!).

Wise has created an alternative to the network that banks use to send money internationally, which helps them pass on the savings to their users by minimizing fees when sending money all over the world.

Wise also offers a Multi Currency Account and a prepaid MasterCard (accepted pretty much anywhere globally and great for online purchases).

You also get international bank details in major currencies like USD, CAD, GBP, EUR, AUD, SGD, and NZD, which makes getting paid or accepting money in those currencies as if you had bank accounts in those countries.

This means you can receive payments in those currencies for free and you losing money when exchange rates fluctuate.

If this aligns with your needs at the moment, check out our full reviews of Wise Transfers and Wise Multi Currency Account.

5.2 WorldRemit

WorldRemit could be a great Cash App alternative for international transfers if your recipient doesn’t have a local bank account or Cash App account.

WorldRemit lets you send cash, supports mobile wallet transfers (worldwide) and home deliveries (in Vietnam) and even lets you top up your recipient’s prepaid mobile with their Air time service. Other than that, they also support bank-to-bank transfers.

WorldRemit also offers 3 free transfers to some countries including the US (use the link for more info).

Availability: You can sign up for World Remit in 44 countries, including the US, UK, and Canada and send money to 150 countries worldwide.

Strengths: Wide base of receiving countries, various payout methods, support for both individuals and businesses

Fees: WorldRemit’s fees vary according to the amount, the payout method, your target currency, and the funding method.

Their exchange rate depends on market fluctuations (that is, you don’t get the mid-market rate ). They charge a margin on the exchange rate and their fees range between $3.99 USD and $24.99, depending on the payout method and the receiving currency.

However, their transfers are still a good deal cheaper than high street banks.

Typically, transfers funded with a credit card are more expensive (your card provider charges a fee that WorldRemit doesn’t account for) and banks at either end can also charge fees.

Cash transfers can be more expensive, but you can save big on your fees if your recipient chooses to receive the funds in a local currency.

If this should right for you, don’t miss our full review of WorldRemit.

5.3 Remitly

Remitly makes international money transfer affordable, easy and fast for immigrants based in developed countries who want to support their families in developing nations.

Remitly supports cash transfers, cell phone transfers, as well as bank transfers and Remitly usually has an offer for new applicants.

Availability: You can sign up for Remitly from 16 developed countries: UK, US, Canada, Australia, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore and Sweden and send money internationally to family members in 50 countries worldwide (personal transfers only).

Strengths: Specialized service for personal transfers, instant transfers, many payout methods.

Fees: Remitly’s fees depend on your sending country, selected service (Express or Economy – which determines transfer speed), your transfer amount, and the target currency.

Their Express service (instant transfers) can be a bit more expensive than their Economy service (slower – 3-5 days), but extremely handy in an emergency.

But a perk of the Economy Service is that Remitly waives their transfer fees if you send more than $1,000 USD for some receiving countries.

Remitly limits transfers between the 16 sender countries, so Cash App is still a good option for local transfers in the US.

Want more details on how Remitly works? Check out our Remitly review.

Verdict

Cash App helps you bypass fees on your domestic bank-to-bank transfers in the US (which can cost between $5-$25 USD, depending on whether you’re opting for ACH or wire transfers).

Functionality wise, it offers quite a bit more than its competitors like Venmo and Zelle.

However, with Cash App’s limited international transfer capabilities, you need to consider specialized international money transfer services.

Wise (review) is excellent for smaller transfers below $7000 USD and they offer a great deal with their transparent fee structure.

Wise are also ridiculously transparent on fees (even before you sign up) as you can see here with their calculator.

Moreover, their Multi Currency Account comes with a lot of perks.

If you’re more into exploring how digital banks work and need a debit card that’s great for international transactions and travelling abroad, N26 (review) is an option you should also look at.

WorldRemit and Remitly are ideal if you’re looking for a variety of payout methods.

Happy Transfers!