Send Money from USA to UK

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which may save you and do not cost any more. For more information, see my disclaimers here.

1. 6 Best Ways to Send Money from USA to UK (Comparison Table)

2. How Bank Transfers from USA to UK Work

Sending money from a US bank account to a recipient’s account in the UK is certainly reliable but typically more time-consuming and costly than using a dedicated international money transfer service.

We have explored some popular US banks for sending money to the UK and are presenting our findings below.

Chase Bank

You can send money to the UK from the Chase Bank website or mobile app or by visiting a branch. They don’t charge a fee if you send an amount above $5,000 USD to the UK in GBP. Below the $5,000 USD limit, they charge a $5 USD fee on every transfer. Chase Bank also allows you to check USD to GBP live conversion. Keep in mind that they also apply a markup on currency conversion.

Bank of America

Bank of America also allows its customers to send money to the UK with ease from the website or their mobile phone. They charge a $35 USD transfer fee if you send the money after converting your USD to GBP. On the other hand, if you want to send USD without conversion, then you have to pay a $45 USD fee per transfer. Transfers are completed within five business days most of the time.

Service Type	Bank of America Fees
Sending an international wire transfer	$30
Sending an international wire in foreign currency	$0
Sending an international wire in U.S. dollars	$45

PNC Bank

With PNC Bank, you can send money to the UK safely and reliably from the website or the phone app. Go to the “Transfer Funds” option pick “Send a Wire or International Transfer“ and follow the instructions on the screen. The transfer fee depends on the type of account you have. Usually, it is around $45 USD per transfer. You also have to pay a markup on currency conversion.

U.S. Bank

To send money to the UK, log in to the website or open the mobile app and pick the “Transfer, deposit & pay“ option. Then, by selecting “External transfers“ you can choose either the wire transfer or external transfer option. US bank has different wire transfer fees for personal and business account holders. They charge business users a $75 USD fee per wire transfer, while the personal account holders pay a $50 USD fee. There is also a markup for USD to GBP conversion.

Service Type	U.S. Bank Fees
Sending international transfers (personal)	$50 USD
Sending international transfer (business)	$75 USD

As you can see from the above analysis of US banks due to their higher overhead costs from maintaining physical branches, banks can charge around 5-6x more compared to dedicated money transfer services. They also tend to use poorer exchange rates and offer slower transfer times. 

The more affordable and efficient option is using an online money transfer provider.

3. 8 Best Apps for Sending Money from USA to UK

For those wondering how to send money from the US to the UK easily using their mobile phones, we are listing below our 8 best mobile app picks.

4. Best for Cash

MoneyGram and WorldRemit are the best ways to send money from US to UK as cash pickup.

4.1. MoneyGram

MoneyGram is a US-based money transfer and payment services company that uses its network of 350,000 agents globally to transfer cash securely and quickly. 

They are our best pick for sending cash payments from the US to UK because of their extensive network in both countries. MoneyGram has over 30,000 agent locations in the USA and more than 8,000 in the UK. 

You can easily find the nearest location on their website. They usually work with post offices, retailers like Walmart, and other shops.

MoneyGram USA to UK cash transfers are generally completed within a few minutes. This kind of speed, convenience, and flexibility is MoneyGram’s key differentiator.

That said, they have no fixed fee structure. Their fees change based on the currency pair, the destination country, and the payment funding method. The average USD to GBP conversion fee is typically .1-3.5% but it can change. You can use their cost estimation tool on their website.  Read MoneyGram full review

4.2. WorldRemit

WorldRemit is a remittance transfer service used by over 8 million people across 130 countries, so it’s pretty popular. It’s a great choice if you need to send cash to someone in the UK.

They are headquartered in London, so they naturally have a very strong presence in the UK. In the US too, they are fully regulated and have an office in Denver.

The mix of digital convenience, reasonable pricing, and quick cash transfers makes WorldRemit’s service superior – compared to traditional players like Western Union and Ria – for both senders and recipients alike.

WorldRemit cash transfers come with a $1.99 USD transfer fee but you can enjoy your first 3 transfers fee-free when you use their promo code ‘3FREE’. Simply visit their website to learn more.

Moreover, they charge a 1-3% markup on USD to GBP currency exchange. Money usually is available to the recipients in the UK within minutes of initiating the transfer. Read WorldRemit full review

5. Best for Smaller Transfers

Wise and CurrencyFair are our picks over other competitors for sending money from USA to UK in smaller transfers of below $7,000 USD or £4500 GBP.

5.1. Wise

The main thing Wise cares about is helping people send money quickly and easily. Quite frankly, they are the best service to send money from the USA to UK. 

They operate from their headquarters in London and have offices in New York and Tampa in the USA. So you get full regulatory compliance and excellent customer service in both countries.

And when you compare the total fees to transfer money with Wise  – only 0.66% on average – versus their competitors, Wise is way cheaper.

Unlike some other companies, they don’t tack on crazy markups to the exchange rate when converting USD to GBP. You get the mid-market exchange without any hidden fees. The best part? you can use the Wise Calculator (opens a new tab) to check your actual fees and how much your recipient can get right now with no sign-up required.

What’s more, they’re also super speedy when it comes to getting funds from one bank to another. Most transfers are completed within 48 hours. Read Wise full review

5.2. CurrencyFair

CurrencyFair is also one of our favorites, they are very well-regulated in both the USA and the UK. They have an office and official presence in the UK along with a partnership with Barclays Bank. While in the USA, they function through a special partnership with Community Federal Savings Bank. 

With CurrencyFair, you pay the same fixed $3.10 USD fee or 2.5 GBP for every transfer. You can use the CurrencyFair calculator (opens a new tab) right now to see your fees upfront. Alternatively, you can enjoy 10 fee-free transfers when you use this link.

And your transfers happen quickly too – usually within 1 to 3 business days, the money will be in the UK. Read CurrencyFair full review

6. Best for Larger Transfers

We believe that for big transfers – above $7,000 USD or £4500 GBP – OFX and Currencies Direct can be the best services.

6.1. OFX

OFX has been doing money transfers since way back in 1998, so they’ve built up a great reputation over the years for dependable service.

Large transfers are not easy because there are several extra regulations —  like anti-money laundering and anti-terror financing — that get triggered when the transfer amounts go beyond $7000 USD. OFX covers these regulations well in both the USA and the UK. 

To ensure the smooth delivery of their service, they have physical offices in San Francisco and London.

For any transfer under $5,000 USD, they can charge a $5 USD fee but we arranged to get this fee waived for you (opens a new tab). That way, you can skip this fee, if applicable. But if you’re sending over $5,000 USD, the transfer is completely free. 

OFX only transfers between bank accounts and banks sometimes add their own charges too – watch out for this. 

What’s more is that OFX makes money from the exchange rate margin and It helps that they have a sliding scale for the exchange rate margin too. If you’re transferring a sum – the conversion fee starts at just 1% worse than the mid-market rate. As the transfer amount gets bigger with more transfers you make, the margin keeps going down to 0.4%. In short, the more you send, the more you save. Read OFX full review

You can expect your money to show up in the UK under two days – in most cases.

6.2. Currencies Direct

Currencies Direct is actually owned by a trusted UK currency broker called TorFX, so they know their stuff when it comes to transferring money between countries.

Currencies Direct is based in the UK themselves. They are also fully regulated at the federal level in the US and have an office in Orlando, Florida.

With Currencies Direct, for personal payments under $25,000 USD, you don’t pay any transfer fee at all. The money will get to your recipient’s bank account in the UK within two business days most of the time.

Being a sister company of a currency broker, they make money from currency exchange margins. For USD to GBP conversions, typically 0.5-1.5% margin is applied. You can actually get a free quote right now for your money transfer needs. They can provide better rates based on the amounts you send. Read Currencies Direct full review

7. Cheapest Transfers from USA to UK

Sending physical cash from the USA to the UK is certainly not the cheapest option nowadays. Major cash transfer companies like Western Union and MoneyGram have to build extensive agent networks to enable global delivery. Signing up, training, equipping, and overseeing thousands of localized partners also requires major upfront and ongoing investments. These costs inevitably lead to higher fees passed on to customers.

Complying with stricter regulations around money laundering and terrorist financing also piles on more expenses for cash transfer operators. 

While cash transfers remain important for unbanked recipients, growing competition from digital-first players like WorldRemit has driven prices down somewhat. However, the costs of physical money movement still keep cash transfer fees disproportionately high compared to digital transfers.

That said, for the cheapest transfers we experienced- under $7,000 USD or £4500 GBP – Wise is difficult to compete with. Their average fee is an ultra-low 0.66% and they use the real mid-market exchange rate with no markup. So you get the most pounds for your dollars.

If you’re sending over $7,000 USD, OFX can become the cheapest option. Their exchange rate markup starts at just 1% and keeps dropping in percentage terms toward 0.4% as the transfer amount increases.

Therefore, as you send more money, OFX’s fractional markup saves you more in percentage terms compared to flatter fees.

8. Fastest Transfers from USA to UK

For smaller sums below $7,000 USD/ £4500 GBP, Wise can be very fast – we’re talking minutes in most cases. Even if there is a delay, you’ll get your money in just a couple of days max – much faster than traditional transfers that take 3+ days.

With larger transfers, OFX can provide the quickest speed. As an early pioneer in the industry, they’ve got their system down to a science to move big money quickly between accounts. Bank-to-bank in as little as 48 hours.

All that said, if cash-in-hand speed from the USA to UK is your top requirement then MoneyGram can be the fastest. Their vast network of agents in both the USA and the UK means your recipient can often pick up cash within 10 minutes. The fees are higher than Wise or OFX though.

So in short, the digital disruptors Wise and OFX can handle bank transfers rapidly and cost-effectively. While MoneyGram can deliver urgent cash speed at a premium. Choose based on your speed and budget needs.

Service	Transfer Time
American Banks	Generally 2-5 days
MoneyGram	Cash in 10-30 minutes, Bank-to-bank 2-3 days
WorldRemit	Cash within minutes. Bank 1-3 days
Wise	Wise-to-Wise near-instant. Bank transfers near-instant to 3 days
CurrencyFair	1-3 days
OFX	1-3 days
Currencies Direct	1-3 days

9. Fees for Transfering Money from USA to UK Compared

We hear you – no one wants to pay more than they have to when transferring money overseas. This is why we avoid bank wire services charging 5-6x more than better options like Wise and OFX.

For smaller transfers, Wise is hands-down the most affordable service we experienced – with a super low 0.66% average fee. And you get the real mid-market exchange rate with zero markups that could also be fixed for up to 48 hours. 

Now for bigger transfers above $10,000 USD, OFX has the lowest fees. They offer completely free transfers over $5k USD – below this limit they can charge a $5 USD fee but this fee can be removed if you use our link (above). OFX earns money by charging an incremental 0.4-1% margin on USD to GBP conversions. As you increase the amount, their exchange rate also keeps improving.

Service Provider	Exchange Rate	Sending Fee
USA Banks	2-5% markup on average (Changes with bank and account type)	$0-45 USD (Varies with bank & account type)
MoneyGram	1-3.5% markup	Variable fee ($1.99-$20.49 USD)
WorldRemit	1%-3% markup	$1.99 USD
Wise	No markup	0.66% on average
CurrencyFair	0.2-0.6% markupUse P2P market – buy from other users	Per transfer $3.10 USD / £2.5 GBP
OFX	0.4-1% markup	No fee if above $10,000 USD, Below $15 USD
Currencies Direct	0.5-1.5% markup	Up to $25,000 USD no fee

10. Requirements and Restrictions

You’ll need to provide personal identification such as a passport or driver’s license when setting up an account with a money transfer service. The ID helps verify your identity. This is standard due to anti-money laundering regulations. 

Be aware that most money transfer services set limits on the maximum amount you can send in a single transaction. Additional identity verification steps may be required if you need to send more than the limit.

You must provide the full recipient details – missing or inaccurate information will prevent the successful delivery of the funds. The recipient bank also matters so make sure the bank your recipient uses is compatible with the money transfer service. 

Transfers above $100,000 USD may trigger gift tax obligations, so know the rules if sending large sums. While restrictions vary between providers, most will review transfers closely to satisfy regulations. It’s also important to be transparent about the reason or purpose for the transfer.

11. How to Keep Your Money Safe

1. Stick to well-established reputable companies that have a proven track record of keeping customer funds secure. These companies invest heavily in data protection and compliance.

2. Only send funds to recipients you personally know and trust. Never transfer money to strangers or people you meet online – no matter how convincing their story. 

3. Use strong and unique passwords for your money transfer services and also enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for logins. The 2FA adds an extra layer of security and prevents criminals from accessing your account if your password is compromised.

4. Only send and receive money via the official provider website or app. Some scammers try to reroute transfers outside the provider system; stay in the official ecosystem and don’t follow external links.

12. Final Word 

But Wise is not perfect, it also has some limitations that you can read in our Wise full review to know when Wise works and when it doesn’t. Read more reviews (above)

For big transfers – above $7,000 USD or £4500 GBP – OFX and Currencies Direct can be the best services. Large transfers are not simple because there are many extra regulations. These companies know their stuff when it comes to moving money between countries. 

OFX is not only fast but also an affordable option. Their exchange rate markup starts at just 1% and keeps dropping in percentage terms toward 0.4% as the transfer amount increases. So, as you send more money, OFX’s fractional markup saves you more in percentage terms compared to flatter fees. Read more reviews (above)

Currencies Direct charges no transfer fee at all for personal payments below $25,000 USD. For USD to GBP conversions, typically 0.5-1.5% margin is applied. One thing that sets Currencies Direct apart is they can provide better rates based on the amounts you send and you can get a free quote anytime. 

If safety is what concerns you, the companies listed above maintain multi-security levels and follow USA and UK regulations, so they are safe to transact with.

There are a lot of choices to pick from, each with different costs and features and there’s no one service that’s best for everything. So, always compare your options (above) based on what they offer and how much they charge.