Knowing the best way to transfer money overseas from the United States is critical to some businesses. Each method of transferring funds has different advantages and disadvantages. Some methods of transferring money have sky-high fees, while others are low. However, cheap transfer fees can mean you get poor exchange rates, or that the transfer takes a few days.
If you need to send money to India from the United States, as part of hiring a freelancer or otherwise, keep reading. We’ll discuss the top three ways to transfer money and the pros and cons of each method. For more information on how to pay international employees read here.
PayPal or Financial Third Parties
PayPal and its peers, such as Wise, can be a great way of transferring money from the United States to Indian accounts. They are especially good for settling invoices with Indian businesses. What is great about PayPal is that most people already have an account, so the process is quick and easy. Sometimes, all you need to know is an entity’s email address to transfer funds.
Another benefit is that PayPal accounts are safe, so the risk of sending funds to an unknown account is minimized. Plus, you don’t need to share all your financially sensitive information – like your bank details.
The one downside to all this security, ease, and speed, is that transfer fees can be high on PayPal and its competitors. While some offer better rates than others, PayPal does not use the spot rate for international transfers, so you may be stuck with a less than attractive exchange rate from dollars to Indian Rupees.
Bank Wire
Depending on your bank, a good way around high transfer rates is bank wires. What is fantastic about bank wires is that there is already a system to transfer funds directly from your bank to another bank.
If you simply wanted to transfer funds to an account in India, this is a quick and easy way to do so. If the two accounts are at banks in the same corporation, your transfer could be instantaneous. However, if your accounts are at different banks, the transfer could take several days. If your transfer needs to happen within a specific timeframe, this may not be the right method for you.
International Institutions
Sometimes you may need to transfer funds from the United States to India as hard cash. If that is the case, a wire transfer is not suitable. Instead, you should use companies like Western Union or MoneyGram.
What’s great about these companies is that a person does not have to go into a bank to withdraw the money. All they need to do is stop by one of the many outlets these companies have in local shops. The larger, well-established companies like MoneyGram or Western Union will even have outlets in small towns and in out-of-the-way places – so it’s a great option for people if there is no bank nearby.
However, transfer speeds vary, and if you need the transfer to be as quick as possible, it will cost you more. Transfer rates are typically competitive, but they can change from day to day.
Conclusion
Sending funds from the United States to India is not unusual for companies or individuals, so it is important that you choose the appropriate method for your needs. Keeping fees and transfer exchange rates to a minimum can help decrease the costs of sending money abroad. However, increased costs can sometimes mean better service, so it is crucial to choose a method that works best for you.
Guru makes it easy for employers to pay freelancers in India via many different payment methods. Additionally, Guru offers a SafePay service to protect both employers and freelancers during the payment process. From facilitating secure payments to India to finding Thinkorswim programmers, Guru helps businesses work efficiently and flexibly.
