Alliant Credit Union international wire transfer: Fees, limits, & rates
Read on for everything you need to know about sending and receiving international wire transfers with Alliant Credit Union.
How to make international money transfers with PayPal
PayPal is known for its long history in transforming ecommerce and online payments. You can use your PayPal account to shop, to send and receive money to family and friends, to invoice clients if you’re an entrepreneur or business owner and more.
However, if you’re considering sending money abroad using your PayPal account, there are a few things you need to know about how to set up your international money transfer.
Read on to find out all you need to know about international money transfers with PayPal.
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Does PayPal work internationally?
Yes, you can use PayPal to send money internationally. You can send money to 110+ countries either online or in the app, and to 160+ countries using PayPal’s Xoom service.¹
We’ll cover PayPal’s international transfer instructions in a bit, but if you’re going to send money abroad, it pays to know a little about the fees and charges you’ll encounter along the way.
PayPal international transfer fees
When you arrange an international transfer with a PayPal account based in the US, you need to understand both the fee structure, and the currency conversion rate applied.
The international transfer fees you’ll be charged depend on where you’re sending money to — and how you pay for the transfer.
Here’s a breakdown of the most important PayPal international transfer fees:
| Payment method | PayPal international fee² |
|---|---|
| PayPal balance | 5.00% |
| Linked bank account | 5.00% |
| Card | 5.00% (plus an additional 2.90% + fixed fee) |
| Amex Send™ Account | 5.00% |
🚨Depending on the transfer amount, PayPal will charge a minimum of 0.99 USD and a maximum of 4.99 USD in international transfer fees.
All international transfer fees are applied on top of PayPal’s domestic transfer fees. In most cases, there is no domestic transfer fee. However, if you send with card, there will be an additional 2.90% fee plus a fixed fee based on the received currency.²
| 💡 Learn more about PayPal international fees and how to avoid them |
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PayPal conversion rate vs bank exchange rates
PayPal charges international transfer fees, but that’s not all you need to know about. Whenever you send a payment with PayPal overseas, you’ll also usually pay an exchange rate markup.
This is common among international money transfer services and banks. Bank exchange rates usually include a similar markup — which overall pushes up prices, and makes it hard to know what you’re really paying for your transfer.
| The PayPal exchange rate markup is known as a currency conversion spread, usually set at 4.00% added onto the mid-market exchange rate.² |
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What that means, is that PayPal takes the mid-market exchange rate, and adds their markup or conversion spread. You can see this if you compare the PayPal exchange rate with the mid-market rate, sometimes called wholesale, spot, or interbank rate.
Between this and the international transaction charges described above, you can find that the costs of making an international money transfer with PayPal mount up pretty quickly.
Here are some of the most common PayPal currency conversion fees:
| Transaction type | PayPal conversion fee² |
|---|---|
| Currency conversion when sending money to friends and family | 4.00% or such other amount, which may be revealed during the transaction |
| Currency conversion when paying for goods and services | 4.00% or such other amount, which may be revealed during the transaction |
| Currency conversion when sending using PayPal Payouts | 4.00% or such other amount, which may be revealed during the transaction |
| All other transactions | 3.00% or such other amount, which may be revealed during the transaction |
Make fast, secure and low cost international transfers with Wise
Send money to 160+ countries with the mid-market exchange rate and low, transparent fees with Wise. Set up a free Wise account online or in the Wise app on iOS and Android, to transfer money fast in 40+ currencies.
Over 50% of Wise payments arrive instantly* — and all Wise transfers are deposited directly into your recipient's bank account for convenience.
No ongoing fees, no hidden charges and no hassle — just fast, transparent international transfers that can beat the banks.
*Transaction speed claimed depends on funds availability, approval by Wise’s proprietary verification system and systems availability of our partners’ banking system, and may not be available for all transactions.
💡 Need to make a business payment? With the Wise Business account, you can send up to 1,000,000 USD per transfer from licensed states.
| Some key features of Wise Business include: |
|---|
|
Discover the difference between
Wise Business vs Personal
How to transfer money internationally with PayPal: step by step
These are the steps you need to follow if you want to make an international transfer with PayPal¹:
Step 1. Log in to your PayPal account at paypal.com or with the PayPal app
Step 2. Go to Send and Request
Step 3. Enter the name, username, email address, or phone number of the recipient
Step 4. Select the amount of money you’d like to send to the recipient and choose the currency (you should see the conversion rate of the exchange)
Step 5. Confirm the payment type and method
Step 6. Review everything and click Send Payment Now
Other ways to send money abroad with PayPal
If you do decide to make an international money transfer with PayPal, you’ll have a couple different sending options as well:
- Set up a home delivery of cash
- Make a direct bank deposit
- Have your recipient pick up the money you send from a participating location
Some of these services are delivered through Xoom, which is a PayPal subsidiary specializing in certain types of payments and transfers.¹
If you send cash to your recipient’s PayPal wallet, then they’ll need to have a PayPal account themselves to be able to access it.
However, for the other options you can transfer cash via PayPal, even if the recipient doesn’t have a PayPal account themselves.
💡 Note: Not all transfer options are available in all countries and currencies.
Alternatives to PayPal for sending money abroad
If you decide against sending money abroad with PayPal, you have a couple of other options.
- Try a different money transfer service: which might be cheaper that PayPal
- Turn to your regular bank: which could be slower, but at least it’s familiar
Use an international money transfer provider
International money transfer services are specialists in sending money overseas, and can often provide fast payments with low overall fees. Here are a few to consider:
| Provider | |
|---|---|
| Wise | For low cost international transfers with the mid-market exchange rate |
| Western Union | For a great range of payout options including cash collections around the world |
| Remitly | For low cost Economy payments, or faster Express transfers for a higher charge |
| 💡 Wise can help you save on exchange rate markups and hidden fees. See how Wise compares and make a fast, cheap and secure international transfer: |
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Make an international wire transfer (SWIFT) with your bank
If you’d rather process your international money transfer — also known as a wire transfer — in person, then you can always call your local bank.
However, the costs of making an international transfer with your bank are a shock for many people. You may find you pay up to 3 different fees:
- Your bank’s wire fee
- An exchange rate markup
- SWIFT charges (paid to third parties)
The trickiest charges tend to relate to the SWIFT network. In this common bank transfer method there could be several intermediary banks working on a single international transfer.
Each of these banks take a fee of their own — which can mean that the recipient gets less money than you might expect in the end.
| Learn more about PayPal vs bank transfer in our full guide. |
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Money transfer apps like PayPal are convenient and simple to use — but while PayPal is great for local transfers and shopping online, the fees for international transactions are fairly high.
Make sure to do your research before sending money abroad. You might find low-cost providers, such as Wise, can be a good solution for your international money needs.
| 💡 Need more information? Check out these PayPal articles: |
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Sources:
*The speed of transaction claim depends on funds availability, approval by Wise’s proprietary verification system and systems availability of our partners’ banking system, and may not be available for all transactions
**Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up-to-date pricing and fee information
Sources checked on 01.24.2025
*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.
This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.
We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.
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