Find the Best Ways To Send Money to India From the USA (2024)

Best for Transfers to a Bank Account

• Cheapest

  Panda Remit Monito Score 8.9

  Cheapest

  in 70% of all comparisons

  Fastest

  in 70% of all comparisons

  Go to Panda Remit

• Top rated

  Wise Monito Score 9.5

  Top rated

  in 100% of all comparisons

  Go to Wise

Best of 13 providers. Compare all

Best for Transfers to Cash Pickup

• Top provider

  Remitly Monito Score 9.3

  Cheapest

  in 99% of all comparisons

  Top rated

  in 100% of all comparisons

  Fastest

  in 100% of all comparisons

  Go to Remitly

• Cheapest

  in 99% of all comparisons

  Top rated

  in 100% of all comparisons

  Fastest

  in 100% of all comparisons

Best of 2 providers. Compare all

About Money Transfers from the USA to India

Monito compares 14 providers offering international money transfer services from the USA to India. The total cost of the cheapest available option at any given point in the past month was 0.0% of the transferred amount. In comparison, the total cost of the most expensive provider was on average 6.9%.

How to Transfer Money From the USA to India

If you're like most NRIs sending money home from the US, you probably want to keep your currency exchange fees to an absolute minimum when converting from dollars to rupees. Using Monito's comparison tools and savvy how-to resources, you can find exactly how to transfer money from the USA to India by taking advantage of the simplest, speediest, and most secure ways to transfer your money from the US to India — no matter the amount or the pay-out method.

First, it's worth noting that although there are many ways to transfer money from the USA to India, not all of them are suited for your needs. Some (e.g. wire transfers with traditional banks) can often be costly and slow. In contrast, others (e.g. PayPal's international transfer arm Xoom) are popular among NRIs in the US but still don't offer the fairest fees and exchange rates, the fastest transfer speeds, or the most flexible payment options.

To find out how to transfer money from the USA to India, take a look at the overview below to discover how to transfer different amounts from the USA to India for two of the most popular receiving methods — bank deposits and cash pickup:

Bank Transfers From the USA to India

To transfer money from the USA to a bank account in India, you will have two options. Firstly, you can make a wire transfer from the USA to India (also known as a "wire transfer"), which is done from your American bank account to your (or your recipient's) Indian one. These wire transfers are the preferred method of high-street banks and tend to be very slow and pricey. See more about making a wire transfer in our in-depth guide here.

The other option you have is to make an ordinary bank transfer (i.e. an ACH transfer in the US) to the local bank account of an international money transfer specialist service, which, in turn, will pay out the funds more quickly and cheaply to your recipient in India than the bank would.

When sending money from the USA to India, these specialist services are significantly faster and equally secure as the banks, and everything is wrapped up at a fraction of the cost. This is because funds sent via wire transfers (the method most banks use to send money abroad) typically need to follow several steps as they pass along the SWIFT network, adding new time and costs to the process. Find out more about how ordinary ACH transfers differ from wire transfers in our guide here.

According to search data from Monito's comparison engine for transfers from the USA to India in 2020, the following transfer services were, on average, the cheapest for various transfer amounts:

Very Small Bank Transfers (<US$100)

💻 Service: WorldRemit

💵 Cheapest: On 53.3% of Monito bank searches below US$100 from the USA to India in 2020

Go to WorldRemit ❯

Small Bank Transfers (<US$500)

💻 Service: Ria

💵 Cheapest: On 28.4% of Monito bank searches up until US$500 from the USA to India in 2020

Go to Ria ❯

Medium Bank Transfers (<US$1,000)

💻 Service: Instarem

💵 Cheapest: On 38.1% of Monito bank searches up until US$1,000 from the USA to India in 2020

Go to Instarem ❯

Large Bank Transfers (>US$5,000)

💻 Service: Instarem

💵 Cheapest: On 64% of Monito bank searches above US$5,000 from the USA to India in 2020

Go to Instarem ❯

To learn more about the cheapest services for sending money online from the US to India, take a look at our in-depth guide on the topic here.

Very Large Bank Transfers From the USA to India

If you'd like to send a substantial amount of money from the US to a bank account to an Indian one (i.e. more than US$50,000), then your best bet will be to use a foreign exchange broker. These services are similar to ordinary money transfer and remittance services. The main difference is that they're specialised in large transfers and can negotiate favorable exchange rates on your behalf.

According to search data on Monito's comparison engine from 2020, OFX was by far the cheapest forex broker for international money transfers from the US to India, being the cheapest service on 80.7% of all searches above US$50,000 during that period.

Cash Pickup Transfers From the USA to India

The other major pay-out method popular among NRIs sending money from the USA to India are cash pickups. These transfers allow recipients in India to retrieve their money in cash from a physical location rather than having them deposited electronically into their bank account.

According to search data from Monito's comparison engine in 2020, the cash pickup services that were, on average, cheaper than the rest depended largely on how much money was being sent in the first place:

Smaller Cash Transfers (<US$1,000)

💻 Service: Ria

💵 Cheapest: On 55% of Monito cash pickup searches up until US$1,000 from the USA to India in 2020

Go to Ria ❯

Larger Cash Transfers (>US$10,000)

💻 Service: Xoom

💵 Cheapest: On 49% of Monito cash pickup searches up until US$10,000 from the USA to India in 2020

Go to Xoom ❯

Looking To Save on Every Transfer?

There's probably a fair chance that you're looking to save money on your transfers from the US to India no matter the amount you send or the receiving method. If this sounds like you, then we recommend that you make a point of checking ourcomparison enginebefore every transfer. That way, you'll ensure that you both discover the cheapest service in real-time and make considerable savings on your transfers to India:

What's the Best Way To Send Money to India From the USA?

In our experience comparing the international money transfer market, we've found that when people are looking for the "best" way to send money from one country to another, they're usually talking about cost, speed, security — or a combination of all three.

When it comes to security, you can rest assured that all services appearing on Monito are fully authorized money transfer operators that have been vetted against the highest standards of security and reputability even before showing up on our comparison engine. However, while all services on Monito are just as secure, not all of them are just as cheap or fast when it comes to transfers from the USA to India.

The Fastest Way To Send Money to India From the USA

While it's sadly not possible to send money instantly from the USA to India, it is possible to get the job done very quickly, with some services taking a matter of hours — or even minutes.

When it comes to bank transfers from the US to India, Remitly, for example, offers some of the fastest transfers available, and with them you can expect money to arrive in your recipient's bank account in just a matter of minutes. For cash pickup transfers, Small World and Remitly are on average the quickest services, with cash also frequently being ready for pickup in India within minutes after payment has been made in the US.

To see Monito's top tips for sending money abroad quickly, be sure to see our how-to guide here.

The Cheapest Way To Send Money to India From the USA

As we discovered above, the cheapest way to send money from the USA to India depends quite considerably on the receiving method and the amount sent. However, on average, the following services took the cake in 2020 according to search data from Monito's comparison engine:

For transfers from the USA to India for cash pickup, the cheapest services in 2020 were Ria (which was the cheapest on 47% of searches), Xoom (cheapest on 29%), and MoneyGram (cheapest on 14%).

Go To Instarem ❯

For bank transfers from the USA to India, the playing field was more competitive. According to Monito's comparison data, the cheapest services in 2020 were Instarem (which was the cheapest on 24% of searches), followed closely by Ria and Wise (both cheapest on 22% of searches), and Skrill (cheapest on 19% of Monito searches.)

We hope that you found this comparison guide useful. To discover the lowest money transfer fees in real-time, be sure to run a search on Monito's comparison engine to get the job done and sign up for rate alerts so you can find the best times to send money from the United States to India.

The Cheapest Way to Send Money From the USA to India

Let's start with the most expensive solutions: banks, cash-based money transfers, and mobile payments apps likePaypalare typically very expensive options when you factor in all fees including hidden exchange rate margin fees).

As we mentioned above, the cheapest way to transfer money internationally is to use a specialist money transfer service. They provide much more competitive rates, fees, and commissions than banks or Paypal. Their fees depend on various factors:

• Pay-in options: Credit card, bank transfer, cash payment, etc.
• Amount transferred from the USA to India: The cheapest operator will not necessarily be the same for a transfer of $500 and a transfer of $5,000.
• Transfer speed: Does the money have to be available instantly, or can a beneficiary wait a few days?
• Pay-out options: Will the money arrive in your beneficiary's bank account, or will they receive it in cash?

A dozen other parameters influence the price of sending money to India. You shouldcheck out Monito’s live comparison toolwith dozens of services to find the cheapest or fastest one for you!

Fastest Way To Send Money to India From the USA

It should come as no surprise that thespeed of your transfer depends on the method you choose to send your money from the USA to India.

Online money transfer providers are typically the fastest option. For example, Instarem offers transfers that will go to the recipient's account the same day, whereas Skrill and Wise offer transfers that arrive the next business day.

When comparing the fastest options, always be sure to also compare the exchange rate to check you’re not getting a poor deal. More information about the fastest way to send money abroad can be found inour guide.

FAQ About Sending Money From the USA to India

• How do I find the lowest USD/INR exchange rate? 💱

  The best way to send money from the US to India depends on the way the transfer will be paid for and deposit, the amount you send, the countries between which you make a transfer, and the transfer speed. Sound too complicated? With Monito's real-time comparison engine, you can find the best option to send money to India from the US with just a few clicks.

• Is money sent from US to India taxable?

  In general, yes. In India, the transfer recipient will be required to pay gift taxes on all amounts greater than 50,000 INR per year, unless they're your close relative of yours, in which case they'll pay no taxes. On the American side, a maximum of US$14,000.00 is allowed to be transferred per person per year without having to pay tax. Anything exceeding that amount, and you as the sender will be taxed by the IRS.

• What's the cheapest way to send money to India from the US? 💸

  A good rule of thumb: never send money from the US to India with banks, Paypal, or cash-based money transfer services. Sending money with them is very expensive if you calculate all the fees (including hidden currency exchange rate margins). However, there are also plenty of other options to send money from the US to India. You can compare on Monito and find the cheapest money transfer operator for your next transfer to India.

• Can I send money from the US to India using Google Pay? 💳

  Yes, you'll be able to send money to India from the USA using Google Pay either through Wise (which offers the best rates to Indian bank accounts) or Western Union (which offers cash pay-out methods and a large number of other payment options.)

• How to send money from the US to India bank account at the best rate? 🏦

  Your bank in the US might not offer you the best rate to send money to India. But there are plenty of dedicated money transfer services that will allow you to send money to an Indian bank account at the best rate. You can compare these services using Monito's live comparison tool. Here's how to send money from the US to an Indian bank account with a money transfer specialist:

  1. Compare & find the cheapest service on Monito.com
  2. Open an account online with them
  3. Set up your transfer, with the beneficiary's bank details in India
  4. Fund your transfer by wire transfer, debit or credit card
  5. Click 'send' and... voilà! The money is on its way 💸

Best Rated Providers to Send Money from the USA to India

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