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Azimo international money transfers review
Get competitive rates and fast transfers for funds sent to - but not from - Canada.
UK-based Azimo offers affordable overseas transfers to 200+ countries. But while you can send to a lot of places, the list of countries you can send from is limited.
Must read: Azimo is NOT available for transfers from Canada
Azimo currently only allows transfers from the UK or Europe – not Canada. However, transfers can still be sent to Canada in CAD. That doesn’t rule out any possibility of it expanding to allow transfers from Canada in the future, though.
Read our guide on international money transfers to learn more about your options for sending funds overseas.
Quick verdict
Good for
- Small transfers
- Low fees and competitive rates
- Sending money fast
- A fairly wide range of countries and currencies
- Card or bank transfer payments
Not so great for
- Paying with cash
- Sending money from Canada
See our full list of pros and cons below.
What is Azimo?
Azimo is a money transfer service founded in 2012 with the mission of making money transfers cheap and fast for all its customers.
It does this by cutting costs compared to the money transfer services offered by banks. It’s online only so it doesn’t pay the cost of maintaining stores, it doesn’t accept cash because doing so can be expensive and it claims to pay its executives fair and reasonable salaries rather than bank-sized bonuses.
Azimo makes money transfers easy with highly-rated apps for both iOS and Android (you can read our review of other awesome money transfer apps here). The company holds enough currencies to support instant cash transfers to over 60 countries around the globe, while most other transfers are completed in less than 24 hours.
To transfer money, simply go to Aizmo’s website, enter your recipient’s details, pay via bank transfer or by using one of several major accepted credit cards and then your money will be sent to your recipient’s bank account or to a location for cash pickup.
Compare Azimo to other brands
Azimo doesn’t offer services to customers from Canada.
Our table below lets you compare services you can use to send money abroad. Compare fees, exchange rates and discounts from different money transfer services, and when you have made your choice, click Go to site.
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Azimo exchange rates and fees
Azimo’s fees start as low as £1 (roughly $1.70 CAD). However, there are several factors that affect how much your Azimo international money transfer will cost, including how much money is being sent, the destination country and how the funds are to be received. Note that there is a 2.99% fee for paying by credit card.
Azimo’s exchange rates are updated live according to the fluctuations of the global foreign exchange markets.
Available currencies
Azimo allows you to send funds to more than 200 countries across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Americas and Europe. You can see a full list of possible transfer destinations, as well as the receiving options available in each country, by visiting www.azimo.com. Popular currencies include:
- USD United States dollar
- EUR Euro
- GBP British pound
- PLN Polish zloty
- AUD Australian dollar
- CNY Chinese yuan
- SEK Swedish krona
- JPY Japanese yen
What types of transfers can you make with Azimo?
Azimo offers the following transfer options, although not all options are available in every country:
- Bank account transfers
- Cash pickup from more than 200,000 locations
- Mobile airtime top-ups allowing you to purchase minutes for your recipient’s mobile
- Mobile wallet transfers
You can send a transfer online or using the Azimo mobile app, while you can pay for your transaction using Visa, Master Card, a bank transfer or a Maestro debit card.
If you ever require assistance with a transfer or have a question about Azimo’s service, you can visit its online support center. Email and multilingual phone customer support are also available if needed.
Benefits and drawbacks
Pros
- Worldwide access. Azimo offers transfers to over 200 countries, making it possible to send money to loved ones all around the world.
- Transfer options. With bank account transfers, cash pickups, airtime top-ups and mobile wallet payments, Azimo lets you choose the transfer method that’s most convenient for you.
- Affordable. Compare Azimo’s fees and exchange rates with those you receive from banks and other money transfer providers— you’ll see that Azimo offers a competitive money transfer solution.
Cons
- Not all transfer options are available to all countries. You’ll need to visit the Azimo website to see which transfer methods are available for your destination.
- No cash payments. You can pay with card or bank transfer, but not with cash.
Which payment methods does Azimo accept?
You can pay for your transfer a few different ways, including:
- Bank transfer
- Credit card (Visa and Master Card)
- Debit card (Maestro)
How long does a transfer with Azimo take?
The transfer time depends on where you’re sending money. In most cases, transfers arrive on the same day, but sometimes it might take up to 2 business days or longer. Check the details of your transfer destination on the Azimo website to see how long it will take for your funds to arrive.
Transfers typically take
1 – 2 days
Is Azimo safe to use?
- Security and regulation:
- Government registered by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and regulated UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
- Certified by Germany’s TÜV for data protection.
- Verified by MasterCard and Visa.
- App transactions are secured by an SSL certificate. No sensitive information is stored on your phone, so you won’t have to worry if your phone gets stolen.
- Established: 2012
- Number of customers: 1 million+*
- Reviews: Trustpilot gives Azimo an average score of 9/10 on over 24,000 reviews*
- Investors: Rakuten, Jeremy Yap, Silicon Valley Bank
- Money-back guarantee: You will get a refund if your order is delayed or fails. Refunds usually take from 2-5 business days to process, but can take as long as 7 business days.
How does Azimo make money?
Azimo makes money by charging both a transfer fee and a small margin over the exchange rate. You may notice the exchange rate you get quoted is different to the one you can see on Google or Reuters. This is because banks and most money transfer services add a margin onto the mid-market rate to cover their own costs and make a profit.
How to register an account
You’ll need to register for an account before you can send money overseas with Azimo.
How do I make an international money transfer with Azimo?
To send money with Azimo you’ll need to provide transaction details including:
- The amount of money you want to send and which currency you would like to send it as
- How the money will be transferred and received
- Where the money is going
- Details of your recipient, such as their name, address and bank account information
- How you’ll pay for the transfer
Once you’ve provided these details you’ll be able to review your transfer information, including the exchange rate and fees that apply. If you’re happy with what you see, you can then pay for your transfer with a bank transfer, a Visa or Master Card or a Maestro debit card. You can track the progress of transactions in your Azimo account dashboard.
Bottom line
Azimo is a popular money transfer service for UK and EU residents, but it’s not yet available for Canadian senders. To save on your next money transfer from Canada, read our guide to finding the best deals on international money transfers.
Frequently asked questions
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