10 PayPal Alternatives For International Payments

If like me, you reside in a country where PayPal is not available, then you are probably thinking about PayPal alternatives for international payments. PayPal was undoubtedly a revolutionary piece of technology, which changed the industry entirely. Sending payments internationally? Not a problem. Ensuring that they are secure and not likely to be hacked or stolen? PayPal was the best bet out there and even now, with around 300 million users of the platform. And these aren’t just passive users. They are active users with the average user engaging in around 36 transactions annually.

Paypal was eventually bought by Ebay in 2002, for an (at the time) astounding $1.5 billion dollars, mainly because Paypal was the primary payment route used by Ebay customers. While this relationship did not last, it has done nothing to dampen the popularity of Paypal, which has continued unabated. Today, PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) is $170 billion public company.

However, while the services offered by Paypal are fantastic, perhaps the main reason behind its popularity is the brand name, rather than the service offered by it. It was a pioneer in the field and over the years, people have gone to trust it. Hence, it has been difficult for competitors to lure customers away, because of the loyalty of the people. However, there are now plenty of Paypal alternatives for international payment, which offer a better service and a much more user friendly interface. And like I mentioned earlier, Paypal isn’t even an option for people like me, who work freelance for international clients and don’t have Paypal in their country. For us, alternatives aren’t just to explore our options, but rather fall in the definition of being a necessity. This is why our list will focus more on transfer services rather than payment options, though it will include a bit of both worlds. Our ranking is based on the transfer fees charged by each service as that is easy to determine. However, most money transfer services make a profit on exchange rate and therefore their nominal transfer fees may not capture your entire cost. This is why it is good to check out the merits and demerits of each service before selecting one.

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So what are the alternative payment options to Paypal for international money transfers? Well, we take a look at the absolute 10 best options, which are well known for their customer service, user friendly interface, and provide a safe and reliable way to receive or send international payments. So without further ado, let’s look at the best Paypal alternatives, starting with:

10. Skrill

Transfer fees from US to Pakistan on any amount: Not available in the country

Transfer fees from US to Philippines on any amount: Not available in the country

Transfer fees from US to India on any amount: $0

Skrill is extremely popular among gamers and cryptocurrency enthusiasts. It is a fine payment as well, and is quite easy to use. You can easily send or receive money, in addition to linking your bank accounts as well. While we would rank it higher because of the $0 transfer fees charged in India, the fact that it isn’t present in the other two has affected its ranking.

9. Ria

Transfer fees from US to Pakistan on any amount: Not available in the country

Transfer fees from US to Philippines on any amount: $0

Transfer fees from US to India on any amount: $0

Ria is another popular service which was established in 1987 and is now present in several countries and has 397,000 locations in 16o countries, making it the perfect option for those who need to send money to several different countries. It charges no transfer fees at all, at least up to $500 instead making its profit through the exchange rate.

8. Xoom

Transfer fees from US to Pakistan on $100 or $200: $4.99

Transfer fees from US to Pakistan on $100 or $200: $7.99

Transfer fees from US to Philippines on $100: $1.99 if paid through PayPal or bank account, $5.99 through debit or credit card

Transfer fees from US to Philippines on $200 or $500: $0 if paid through PayPal or bank account, $5.99 through debit or credit card

Transfer fees from US to India for $100: $2.99 if paid through PayPal or bank account, $4.99 through debit or credit card

Transfer fees from US to India for $200: $2.99 if paid through PayPal or bank account, $6.49 through debit or credit card

Transfer fees from US to India for $500: $4.99 if paid through PayPal or bank account, $15.49 through debit or credit card

Xoom is a money transfer service which provides much better rates for international transactions than most banks. In addition to the above rates, it also makes a profit on exchange rates. Despite these fees, it is still an excellent service to use for international transfers.

7. WorldRemit

Transfer fees from US to Pakistan on any amount: $3.99

Transfer fees from US to Philippines on any amount: $3.99

Transfer fees from US to India on any amount: $3.99

World Remit is exactly what the name suggests, a service allowing you to send money anywhere in the world. The fees charged by WorldRemit are not significant and are often fixed in nature, meaning regardless of the amount of transaction, the fees remains the same, encouraging high value transactions.

6. Payoneer

Transfer fees from US to Pakistan on any amount: $3

Transfer fees from US to Philippines on any amount: $3

Transfer fees from US to India on any amount: $3

While I’ve had a Payoneer card for years, I’ve never really gotten around to using it much. However, while conducting research for this article, I realized that there are a lot of benefits to using Payoneer that I was not previously aware of. Payoneer provides you with an online account and a free debit card which can be used in several international countries. You can use the debit card to withdraw money from ATMs around the world!

5. Remitly

Transfer fees from US to Pakistan on any amount: $1.99

Transfer fees from US to Philippines on any amount: $0 with economy package and $3.99 with Express

Transfer fees from US to India: $3.99 on under $1,000 and no fees for transactions above $1,000

Currently one of the best services out there in the US, Remitly is surging in popularity with over 2 million current users. Remitly has two options, the Express option which allows you to send money quickly via debit or credit card and the Economy option, which allows you to send money through bank account and has lower fees. While checking the transfer fees from US to Pakistan, both options had the same transfer fees. However, Remitly also does make a small profit on exchange rate, which is why the transfer fees isn’t the only thing to notice.

4. MoneyGram (NASDAQ:MGI)

Transfer fees from US to Pakistan on any amount: $1.99

Transfer fees from US to Philippines on any amount: $1.99

Transfer fees from US to India on any amount: $0 from bank account, $2.99 on debit / credit card

MoneyGram is one of the most popular international money transfer services in the world, and the biggest reason behind their popularity and success is the low transaction cost in making transfers from MoneyGram. Many transactions aren’t even completed within a few hours, which is an excellent speed where international transactions are concerned.

3. Transferwise

Transfer fees from US to Pakistan for every $100: $1.7

Transfer fees from US to Philippines for every $100: $1

Transfer fees from US to India for every $100: $0.9

If you’re a business with a high level of international transactions, then Transferwise is one of the best options for you. It provides cheap, fast transfers charging a nominal fees, allowing transfers of up to $1 million. An excellent feature of using this service is that it uses the real time exchange rate, so you won’t feel ripped off on the exchange rate.

2. XE

Transfer fees from US to Pakistan on any amount: $0

Transfer fees from US to Philippines on any amount: $0

Transfer fees from US to India on any amount: $0

One of the oldest and most highly respected money transfer services in the world, XE was founded in 1993 and has over 280 million visitors annually. It does not charge any transfer fees at all; however, it does earn a profit on the mid market rate, so depending on the rate at the time of the transaction, it may end up being a better or worse option that other services which do charge a nominal transfer fee.

1. Western Union (NYSE:WU)

Transfer fees from US to Pakistan on any amount: $0

Transfer fees from US to Philippines on any amount: $0

Transfer fees from US to India on any amount: $0

Topping the list of 10 PayPal alternatives to international payments is Western Union, which is perhaps one of the most famous money transfer options in the world. Present in over 200 countries and at least 550,000 locations, Western Union’s reach is almost omnipotent. As mentioned above, Western Union often doesn’t charge transaction fees on any transfers, but it does manipulate exchange rate for profits so don’t be fooled just by seeing no transfer fees, hidden charges are always lurking in the form of poor exchange rates.