much I sent.
If you are in no big hurry then probably the cheapest way to send money would be an international money order. You
should be able to get one through a bank with no problem. I have never send money this way but if you plan ahead it
should be the cheapest way to send money overseas.
There are more options for sending money overseas than I have listed, but they are more situation specific and confusing
to most people. Which ever option you choose I hope you find some helpful information here.
(Patrick 11/12/05)
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It seems like every week I see new and less expensive ways to send
money overseas to the Philippines. The days of getting taken to
the cleaners by Western Union are over for me. Yes, they have
been around a long time and I have never had any problem
sending money with them. But to send $300 and be charged $29
(with my discount card) just gives me the feeling I am getting
screwed. They are charging me 10% for what? For the lady at the
grocery store to spend 5 minutes pushing a few buttons and giving
me a receipt? Sorry, I am not going to pay that fee anymore.
Do yourself a favor and do a search for "cash transfer" and
"money gram" and you will find a lot of other choices now. There
are up and coming companies begging for your business and they
will charge you half the price of Western Union in many cases.
Money Grams is a type of cash transfer becoming very popular,
and today when I did a search I saw I a company that will send my
same $300 to the Philippines same day service for and $18 fee.
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That is 6% and I can swallow paying that a lot easier than what
Western Union charges. You do need to be careful and make sure
you know how long it will take for the money to get to your loved
one. The company you choose should make it very clear on how
much the fee is and how long it will take depending on what service
you choose. Also, if you choose a money gram or a cash transfer
make there is a convenient pick up location in the country and city
where you are sending the money.
I also checked out bank wire transfers once by sending one. I
was charged $40 and the payment was not instant. Banks in the
Philippines are only open a few hours a day and it took a couple
days for my mother in law to get her money. However, if I was
sending a large amount of money (like a couple thousand dollars) I
would probably use the bank wire transfer for security purposes.
Plus, with very large amounts of money the wire transfer amount
should not be any higher. My bank charged $40 no matter how
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