Remitly Vs Xoom
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.
Remitly and Xoom are both great money transfer services but choosing which is best for you depends on your specific needs.
- Remitly focuses on helping immigrants in 17 developed countries (including the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Germany, France, Singapore, etc) send money home to support their families in 50+ developing countries at affordable rates. Xoom helps residents of the US, Canada, UK, and Eurozone send money overseas to 130+ countries to support their families, pay utility bills, fund personal travels, etc.
- If you want to send money fast, both Remitly and Xoom can do that. But Remitly has more affordable rates than Xoom, so you can save some money. Both are safe and reliable for small money transfers, but not recommended for big ones.
In this review, we will look closely and compare how much they charge, how safe they are, how easy they are to use, how fast they are, and how good their customer service is. Let’s get started.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and savings on transfers if you use some of the links! For more information, see my disclosures here.
Quick Comparison: Remitly Vs Xoom
Remitly and Xoom are both reliable money transfers. On Trustpilot, Remitly has an “Excellent” rating at 4.6/5 (70k+ reviews) while Xoom has a “Bad” rating at 1.6/5 (23k+ reviews). Both are great options for small personal transfers. Remitly has better transparency while Xoom excels in coverage.
Remitly
Remitly Likes:
- Near-instant cash transfers
- Satisfaction guarantee
- 24×7 customer support
- Affordable rates
Remitly Dislikes:
- Transfers not supported between the 17 sender countries
- Limits applicable and not ideal for large transfers
Xoom
Xoom Likes:
- Wide coverage for receiving countries (send money to 130+ countries)
- Supports utility bill payments
- Fast transfers with credit or debit cards
- Multilingual customer service
Xoom Dislikes:
- Only supports transfers from the UK, US, Canada, and Eurozone
- Limits according to user levels are applicable, which makes them not suitable for large transfers
1. Real Fees & HIDDEN Costs
Remitly
- Charges fixed service fees ($2.99-$3.99 USD) for transfers below $1,000 USD
- Sometimes service fees can be waived based on the currency pair and amount
- Charges a margin on the exchange rate which is between 0.5% to 3.5%, depending on the currency pair
- Express cash transfers (funded by credit cards) are expensive and attract a 3% credit card fee charged by the issuer.
- Economy transfers (bank-to-bank transfers) are more affordable
- Exchange rate margin fees: Remity show the exchange rate they offer in addition to service fees. see what you will pay here
Xoom
- Fees on Xoom depend on:
-Transfer type (cash, bank, or bill payment)
-Currency pair
-Amount
-How the transfer is funded
- You will pay a service fee and currency exchange fee for all transfers
- Xoom’s exchange rate includes a margin – between 0.4% to 3% depending on the currency pair and the amount sent
- Transfers funded by banks are more affordable (service fee $4.99 for any amount)
- Transfers funded by cards can be expensive
- Service fees and currency transfer fees applicable for utility bill payments and mobile top-ups (typically fixed fees)
- Exchange rate margin fees: Not as transparent as they could be. Here is their fee calculator. Read the “*”!
Winner: Tie
Both Remitly and Xoom are online-focused remittance services that keep costs very competitive compared to traditional options like Western Union, MoneyGram, and Ria.
Remitly may be more affordable for some corridors when they waive the service fees, however the margin on the exchange rate mush also be considered.
Generally sending cash is more expensive than transferring to a bank account.
2. Are Remitly and Xoom Safe?
Remitly
- Remitly is registered with the U.S. Dept. of Treasury as a Money Services Business and licensed in several U.S. states as a money transmitter. They’re also regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (UK), the Central Bank of Ireland (Europe), and in Australia by []
- They use 256 bit SSL and two-factor authentication to protect your money and data
- Automated and manual audits help to flag suspicious activities
- 100% satisfaction guarantee – they refund the service fee if your transfer is delayed
- Recipients need to carry ID to receive cash
Xoom
- Xoom is owned by PayPal, which is a licensed money transfer service and regulated by federal government bodies in the US, the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK, and the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier in Europe.
- They use 128-bit SSL to keep your money and data safe
- Transfers are regularly audited to meet compliance standards
- Employees undergo mandatory background checks
- Recipients need to carry ID to receive cash securely
Winner: Tie
Both services are licensed international money transfer companies and have adopted state-of-the-art security protocols to keep your money and personal information safe.
3. Ease of Use
Remitly
- Online-focused service
- Their website is available in 11 languages, including English, French, Spanish, etc.
- Mobile apps available for both iOs and Android
- 24×7 phone support
- Supports transfer funding from bank account, credit card, and debit card
- Many payout methods including cash, bank transfer, and mobile wallet top ups
- Multiple transfer speeds offered (learn more below)
Xoom
- Online focused service
- Their website is available in 15 languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Russian, etc.
- Also offers mobile apps for both iOs and Android
- Multilingual phone and email support
- Lets you pay utility bills overseas (select countries)
- Supports transfer funding from PayPal balance, bank account, credit card and debit card
- Also offers transfers to bank accounts and mobile wallets along with cas
Winner: Tie
Both Remitly and Xoom have created remittance facilities that are safe and offer excellent support to clients in spite of being online-focused services. Plus, they offer a lot of flexibility in terms of how the transfer can be funded and how the money can be received.
4. Reviews (inc. Negative Ones) — What Others Are Saying
Remitly
Remitly is rated 4.6/5 on Trustpilot with over 70,000 reviews, which is considered “Excellent.”
Positive
- Fast and efficient transfers
- Safe and secure
- Competitive rates – See what you pay
- Good customer service
“I’ve used several other companies throughout the years to send money and Remitly is by far the best. Their customer service is great. You can actually speak to a live person when you need them.”
– Maggie Magana on Trustpilot
“Efficient, easy to use and low cost. That’s all one really wants in a service like this.”
– Rob Kent on Trustpilot
“I would highly recommend remitly as this is very fast and convenient way to send money. I was impressed how fast the transfer was made.”
– Rukhsana Kouser on Trustpilot
Negative
- Account shut down unexpectedly
Some users were annoyed when their Remitly account was shut down unexpectedly. This usually happens when users fail to comply with Remitly usage guidelines (personal transfers only) or if Remitly needs to check a transfer for compliance.
But here’s the reassuring part: Remitly’s customer service is available 24×7 and they’re happy to answer any questions related to your transfers.
- Transfer delays
Transfers can be delayed if you go over their rolling limit (weekly or monthly). Other reasons include setting up your transfers beyond banking hours in your country, such as a holiday or over the weekend.
Xoom
Xoom is rated 1.6/5 on Trustpilot with over 23,000 reviews, which is considered “Bad.”
Positive
- Fast and efficient service
- Good customer service
- Simple process
“Xoom is one of the best ways that I have found to quickly and easily send money to anyone anywhere, you can deposit it right into their account by just following their easy steps.”
– Kurt Edward Boardman on Trustpilot
“Xoom Works.
I enjoy Xoom services and they made life easy for me during my travel in Europe. I couldn’t have done some of the things I needed to without Xoom. They saved the day when I really needed them to transfer funds to pay my apartment rent while living abroad.
Xoom customer service is awesome. Very kind folks and helpful. I give credit where it is due. So thank you.”
– Romeo H on Trustpilot
“I have made two international transfers to myself (USA to Europe) and both gave a good rate and the latest this morning was completed bank to bank in 3 hours…. That is frankly unbelievable.”
– Alan Oakes on Trustpilot
Negative
- Transfers frozen
Some users were dissatisfied when their transfers were unexpectedly frozen. Usually, this is a result of going over Xoom’s prescribed limit (based on user levels and time periods) or if they need to check for compliance.
Winner: Tie
Both Remitly and Xoom are great remittance services that offer fast, efficient transfers. They’re completely secure and have great customer support too.
According to user reviews on Trustpilot, we found that Remitly’s strengths are their instant transfers at affordable rates, while Xoom shines with their wide reach and fast transfers.
5. Transfer Speeds
Remitly
- With Remitly’s Express service (funded with a credit card and more expensive), your recipient can get cash in minutes
- The Economy Service (bank transfers and more affordable) makes sure your money reaches recipients in 3-5 days.
Xoom
- Transfer speed on Xoom depends on:
-Currency pairs
-Agent and bank operating hours
-Xoom’s audit protocols
-Audits by the recipient’s bank
- Transfers funded with a credit or debit card are received within minutes (usually cash transfers) or hours (for bank transfers in popular currencies)
- Bank-to-bank transfers can take 3-5 days
Winner: Remitly
Both Xoom and Remitly’s transfer speeds depend on a lot of variables, but Remitly has made it easier by creating dedicated services that can cater to various needs backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee (where your transfer fee is refunded if the money doesn’t reach on time).
6. Customer Service and Support
Remitly
- Multilingual FAQs for on-demand support
- 24×7 phone and live chat support
Xoom
- Xoom offers multilingual phone and email support during fixed office hours in the US, Canada, UK, and Eurozone
- Agents in the US, Canada, and the UK can speak English, Spanish, French or Filipino
- Agents in the Eurozone can speak French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Arabic
Winner: Tie
Both Remitly and Xoom make sure their international customers feel comfortable doing everything online with multilingual and responsive support.
7. Verdict – Remitly Vs Xoom
With one win for Remitly and six ties, it can be difficult to say whether one service is better than the other.
But that doesn’t mean they’re substitutes for each other for small personal transfers.
Remitly is ideal if you live and work in one of these 17 developed countries (UK, US, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Singapore and Sweden) and need to send money home affordably and fast.
You can see what you will pay with Remitly.
Xoom is a great option if you need to send money to family members in both developed and developing countries (or to another overseas personal bank account if you’re moving abroad or traveling)
So ultimately it comes to your specific needs.