Send money with debit card: all you need to know

If you need to get a fast payment to a business, friend or loved one, you may be wondering how to send money online with a debit card. This guide is for you.

We’ll explore ways to send money instantly with your debit card, and dive into the best ways to send money online with a debit card using a peer to peer payment platform, or a specialist service like Wise.

Can you send money with a debit card?

So: can I send money with a debit card?

The good news is that you can send money with a debit card using a specialist online service. This can also often mean you get a fair exchange rate, and low fees — and you’ll be able to generate instant quotes to compare your options online with no commitment.

Can you send money instantly with a debit card?

Paying with a debit card is often one of the fastest ways to have your payment delivered, whether you’re sending to a bank or mobile money account, or for cash collection.

Payments can arrive in minutes if you’re sending for cash collection, for example, as long as the agent location you’re sending to is open at the time you process your payment.

Some services, like Wise, also offer super quick deposits to bank accounts. More on that later.

How can you transfer money from a debit card to a bank account?

There are a couple of smart ways you can send money from a debit card to a bank account — even if the bank you’re sending to is on the other side of the world.

Using a P2P payment service

Depending on the type of transfer you want to make, a peer to peer (P2P) payment service, like Venmo®¹ or PayPal®² may work well.

These providers let you link a debit card to your account, to send easy USD payments using just the recipient’s phone number or email.

In some cases — as with PayPal — funds are deposited into the recipient’s provider account, so the person you’re sending to will also need to use the same payment platform.

With a money transfer provider

Another option is to use a money transfer provider — like Wise, Western Union® or Xoom®.

In this case you can still pay for your transfer with a debit card, and your funds may be deposited to the recipient’s bank or mobile money account, or collected in cash at an agent location, depending on the service you select.

More on that, and some top providers to pick, coming right up.

What are some of the best ways to send money online with a debit card?

If you’re not sure which provider to pick, we have you covered. Here are a few great options for sending money online with a debit card.

Most of these providers also offer easy ways to generate an instant quote so you can see and compare your costs and pick the perfect match for your needs.

Wise

🏆 Best for: Payments online and in-app, to bank accounts in 80+ countries, with the mid-market exchange rate and low, transparent fees⁴

Wise offers low cost international payments which you can fund from a debit card, or using a mobile wallet like Apple® Pay.

You’ll always get the mid-market exchange rate to switch from dollars to the currency you need, and your money will be deposited into the recipient’s account for convenience.

Wise payments are fast — with 50% arriving instantly or in seconds³ — and come with low, transparent fees so you can easily check and compare the costs.

✅ Pros	❌ Cons
No exchange rate markup — you get the same rate you find on Google Low fees, from 0.41% based on currency Easy to use service online and in-app	No branch or in person service Fees and delivery times vary based on destination

Get a Wise Account
in minutes

Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

Western Union

🏆 Best for: Global reach, and options to send for cash collection as well as to bank accounts

Western Union⁵ is one of the most recognizable money transfer brands on the planet, and offers payments arranged in app, online, and by phone which you can pay for using your debit card.

You can also send money at an agent location — but often this requires you to pay in cash rather than with a card.

✅ Pros	❌ Cons
Send to almost any country in the world Range of pay in and pay out options Intuitive service — with phone support if you need it	Fees apply which vary based on the service you choose Exchange rates include a markup

Xoom

🏆 Best for: Sending payments to bank accounts and for cash collection, and paying with the debit card linked to your PayPal account, or your PayPal balance

Xoom⁶ is a PayPal company, which lets you send payments overseas to a broad selection of countries and currencies.

You can pay with your debit card from the US — and if you have a PayPal account it’s super easy to use any card you’ve already linked to PayPal to fund your transfer.

Send your payment online or in the provider’s app for convenience, and have the funds deposited to a bank account or collected in cash.

✅ Pros	❌ Cons
Send to a good selection of countries, with varied payout options Fund your payment with a Visa®, MasterCard® or Discover® debit card⁷ Part of the PayPal family — easy to use any debit card already linked to your PayPal account	Exchange rate markups apply, which can be fairly high Not all services are available in all countries

Ria Money Transfer

🏆 Best for: Easy fast debit card payments to bank accounts, mobile wallets and for cash collection in 165+ countries

Ria Money Transfer®⁸ supports payments to an impressive 165+ countries, with pay out options including bank and mobile wallet deposit and cash collection.

If you choose to pay with a debit card your money could be on its way super quick — and ready to be collected on the other side of the world in no time at all.

✅ Pros	❌ Cons
Great range of supported countries and currencies Easy to pay by card — and this is often one of the fastest ways to get your money moving Pay out options include cash collection and mobile wallet deposit	Exchange rates include a markup Fees and service availability depends on the destination country

MoneyGram

🏆 Best for: Overseas payments, funded by card, which may have no upfront transfer fee

Another huge global organization offering international payments you can fund with a debit card, MoneyGram®⁹ has easy ways to set up your transfer online and in-app.

While fees do vary based on the destination, you may even find there’s no upfront MoneyGram transfer fee, just an exchange rate markup, which is rolled up in the rate used to convert your dollars to the currency required for deposit or pick up.

✅ Pros	❌ Cons
Some payment types and destinations have no MoneyGram transfer fee Good selection of countries supported Pay with your card for a fast service	Exchange rate markups apply — even when there’s no transfer fee Services vary by country

What are the advantages and disadvantages of sending money online with a debit card?

If you need to get a payment to someone overseas, or locally within the US, sending with a debit card isn’t your only option.

You could also use your bank to send a wire or ACH, or use a provider which lets you walk into an agent office and pay with cash.

Here are a few benefits and drawbacks of sending money online with a debit card, to help you decide if it’s right for you.

✅ Pros	❌ Cons
Safer and faster than sending cash or checks Usually cheaper than using a credit card to send money Often cheaper than using a bank wire Some providers offer instant debit card payments — even overseas Use a specialist and you can also choose to have your money collected in cash or sent to a mobile wallet	Fees apply — even if they’re not always obvious. Exchange rates may include a charge, for example Not all services are available in all destinations You may need to register a provider account to send money, although this can usually be done online or in an app

Sending money overseas — debit card vs credit card

One point to note here is the difference between sending a payment overseas with a debit card compared to a credit card.

Let’s assume you’ve picked a specialist money transfer service to arrange your payment. You’ll often find the provider’s fees are higher for a credit card vs a debit card — and the difference can be pretty staggering.

In addition, some cards instantly start to charge interest on cash advances, without the normal grace period you get for other card use.

All in all, if you can pay for your overseas transfer with a debit card instead of a credit card, you’ll probably find you pay less. Compare your options to see which works for you.

Try Wise, an easy way to send money abroad with debit card

Need to send a payment to a bank account overseas? Try Wise.

Wise offers easy ways to set up overseas payments to 80+ countries — and you can pay with your debit card, or even with Apple Pay to make simple mobile payments from your preferred card.

All Wise currency conversion uses the mid-market exchange rate with no markup and hidden fees⁴ — you’ll see exactly what your transfer costs in the app, with all the charges split out for transparency.

Plus you get a quoted estimated delivery time before you confirm — which could be instant or in just a few seconds when you pay by card³.

This way to easy
international payments

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Sending money online with a debit card is actually pretty easy. The biggest challenge will be picking which provider you’d prefer to use from the great options out there.

The best provider for your needs will depend on the payment you’re making — but you can use this guide to kickstart your research and find your perfect match.

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Sources:

1. Venmo
2. PayPal
3. 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
4. Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information
5. Western Union
6. Xoom
7. Xoom - How can I pay?
8. Ria Money Transfer
9. MoneyGram

Sources checked on 02.24.2023