What is the best way to send money to Africa? Which app can send money across Africa? In this post, we will discuss the 10 best international money transfer platforms in Africa.
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What's in this guide?
Best international platform to send money to and from Africa
Here are the best solutions to send money to and from Africa
1. Western Union
Western Union is one of the first and largest money transfer providers in Africa and the world beyond.
This international money transfer service allows Africans to send and receive money at any nearest Western Union agent outlet closest to them.
Western Union has over 550,000 agent locations in more than 200 countries of the world. In Africa alone, this international money transfer platform has more than 39,000 agent locations. This includes Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Guinea, Tanzania, Senegal and lots more.
Western Union transaction fees range between 1% to 10%, depending on the amount of money you’re sending inside or outside of Africa. Generally, you can’t send more than USD 50,000 in a single transaction.
2. MoneyGram
MoneyGram is the second-largest international money transfer platform in the world.
This global financial services provider allows people to send and receive money from over 200 countries and thousands of MoneyGram Agent locations in Africa.
MoneyGram provides both internet and physical, as well as domestic and international money transfers. This includes mobile top-ups, bill payments, money orders, prepaid-card loading and lots more.
However, you can only send a maximum of $10,000 (or its equivalent) for online transfers every 30 days. Payouts in certain currencies are available only at some locations.
3. PayPal
Starting from its creation in 1999, PayPal has played a significant role in the Fintech, banking, and e-commerce industry. As a result, our list of the best international money transfer platforms in Africa is not complete without mentioning this giant.
PayPal is very flexible to use, as it suits the financial needs of almost everyone. Individuals, business owners, freelancers, drop shippers, agents, and many calibers of people can always create and use PayPal services without stress.
Although there was a time when most African countries were not allowed to use PayPal, that’s no longer the case. Today, PayPal personal and business accounts can be opened in many countries, including but not limited to Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, and Chad.
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PayPal fees
PayPal is widely known for its generosity, as it doesn’t charge a dime for domestic money transfers (most of the time). However, the same can’t be said for international money transfers outside of Africa.
PayPal charges currency conversion fees that are more than the wholesale exchange rate. This is usually between 3% and 4%,.depending on the currency being converted to.
One of the benefits PayPal has over other international money transfer platforms is its incredible speed. You can send funds from any African country and they will reach their destination on that same day.
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4. WorldRemit
WorldRemit is another international money transfer service that sends money to over 140 countries in the world. These 140 countries include the 41 African countries supported by WorldRemit.
This includes Burundi, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa.
Note that WorldRemit deals with money transfers through computer and mobile devices. It’s a cashless international money transfer service.
There’s no minimum transfer amount on WorldRemit. The maximum transfer amount is $5,000. If you’re sending directly from your credit or debit card, the maximum amount is $2,000.
Although this is a limitation, don’t forget that WorldRemit is very fast, and it has a cheap service fee that’s usually less than 1% of the transaction amount.
5. Azimo
Azimo is based in the United Kingdom and currently supports over 200 countries. 40 of these countries are based in Africa.
Being one of the best in the Fintech industry, Azimo’s website and mobile apps allow users to send money from any part of the world to any of its supported countries.
The sender can fund the money transfer with a credit or debit card. Azimo can also be funded with a bank account or with an online direct payment method (SOFORT).
The beneficiary at the other end can receive the money through his/her bank account, mobile phone or any of the Azimo pick-up locations.
However, there’s a downside. It can take up to 2 working days for the money to get to the recipient.
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6. CurrencyFair
CurrencyFair is an online peer-to-peer currency exchange service that allows Africans to send and receive funds on the internet.
Whenever a user has money in one currency but wants to convert it to another, he/she will be matched with another user that needs that currency.
If you don’t want to go that way, you can convert your money at the rate set by CurrencyFair. This is usually around 0.35%, which is cheaper than the mid-market rate.
However, CurrencyFair has a disadvantage. It has limited account funding options, and it only supports 20 currencies at the moment of writing this article.
7. Wise (TransferWise)
Wise, formerly known as TransferWise, is an online money transfer platform available in Africa and many other continents.
Wise is currently supported in Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and many other African countries. It has a fair currency exchange rate and transparent fees.
However, Wise is not a wise option for sending large amounts, as the fees increase as the transfer amount increases. Also, the recipient at the other end must have a bank account for this to work.
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8. Xoom
Xoom is a Fintech service owned and managed by PayPal. Both payment services are integrated, meaning that users can use a PayPal-linked account, debit card, or credit card.
However, users are not allowed to send funds out of their PayPal balance from their Xoom dashboard. Xoom has excellent customer service with a fast transaction speed, just like PayPal.
A giant can only give birth to a giant, not a dwarf. Smiles…
9. Wave
Wave is another international money transfer platform in Africa. This Fintech service is widely known for its high transaction speeds. Wave also has a mobile app, which enhances its accessibility.
However, it’s only available in a few African countries. This includes Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and a few others.
10. Chipper Cash
Chipper Cash is an international money transfer platform in Africa that was founded in 2018.
It’s currently available in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa and the United States. Chipper Cash allows users to buy airtime at discounted rates while also enjoying free cross-border transactions.
However, it is only available on mobile devices at the moment of writing this article. Also, only 8 countries are supported at the moment.
