How to compare international transfer costs
Compare the same total outlay and recipient amount, rather than judging a transfer by its advertised fee alone.
Start with a fixed total budget
A fee and an exchange rate answer different questions. Set one amount you can afford to spend in your own currency, then ask how much arrives in the recipient’s currency. Keep the destination, payment method and comparison time the same.
The CFPB’s transfer checklist includes the rate, fees, expected recipient amount and timing. Those fields provide a useful comparison structure. They do not make every service, corridor or cash payment available to every customer.
A one-way comparison with two illustrative offers
Assume a total budget of US$1,000. Offer A deducts a US$5 fee from that budget and converts the remaining US$995 at €0.90 per dollar. Offer B charges no stated fee but converts at €0.89. These are invented inputs for arithmetic, not quotes from named providers.
| Illustrative offer | Calculation | Recipient amount |
|---|---|---|
| A: US$5 deducted; 0.90 EUR/USD | (1,000 − 5) × 0.90 | €895.50 |
| B: no fixed fee; 0.89 EUR/USD | 1,000 × 0.89 | €890.00 |
A delivers €5.50 more in this example. If a fee is added on top instead, that offer no longer has the same total outlay until you adjust the principal. Ask whether intermediary or receiving-bank deductions can change the amount shown.
A transfer is different from a round trip
Sending money once uses one conversion. Buying foreign cash and later converting it back uses two rates and may incur two sets of fees. Do not apply a round-trip simulation to a one-way remittance without changing the assumptions.
Our converter’s Costs section models one conversion. The homepage cash simulator models entry and exit. Their results answer different questions even when both begin with the same amount. Neither tool includes every possible charge.
Check the offer before paying
Record the total you pay, the final amount expected to arrive, the currencies, the quoted rate, any additional deductions and the expected delivery time. Recheck these when the quote expires or the funding method changes. A daily reference is a comparison point rather than an available transaction offer.
Explore the examples
Sources and scope
- CFPB: information to compare before sending money
- ECB: reference rates and their informational purpose
Sources consulted 2 Nov 2026 for the explanations above. The numerical scenarios are the directory’s own illustrative arithmetic, not provider offers or historical investment returns. Prepared with AI assistance; no independent professional financial review is claimed.