Banks and money transfer specialists can help you receive a wire transfer. How quickly and how much your transfer will cost depends on the method used and how it’s delivered.
Depending on the sender’s preferred wire transfer service, you may need to submit personal details to receive your money, including:
Learn how to send wire transfers
No, bank-to-bank transactions require depositing your money directly to your bank account. But if you don’t have a bank account, online and storefront money specialists allow your loved ones to send money for cash pickup.
Companies like Western Union allow for cash pickups, while PayPal and similar sites provide intermediary accounts for deposits. To receive a wire transfer, you’ll need to provide the details of these accounts.
How to get a wire transfer depends on how it is sent — a bank, online or in-office transfers.
once the transfer is completed, your account should reflect a transaction with the sender’s bank and the amount you’re expecting. Depending on your bank, you might pay a fee to receive your wire transfer, typically automatically withdrawn from your account balance.
For wire transfers through Western Union, MoneyGram or a similar service, your sender typically receives a tracking or money transfer control number (MTCN).
You can use this number to track the progress of your wire transfer to delivery. If you plan to pick up cash at a storefront, you’ll likely need this number to complete a form and receive your money.
If your sender wires money through an online service, you’ll receive an email when the money is credited to your account. Open your account to confirm you received your money.
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| Response | Male (%) | Female (%) |
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| 65+ | 4.60% | 1.73% |
| 55-64 | 6.55% | 5.68% |
| 45-54 | 9.78% | 7.70% |
| 35-44 | 13.38% | 10.29% |
| 25-34 | 14.39% | 10.72% |
| 18-24 | 8.99% | 6.19% |
How long you’ll wait depends on the wire transfer delivery option your sender chose.
For bank-to-bank accounts, wire transfers can take from one to three days, with delays over weekends or holidays.
In-office wire transfers allow for money transfer deposits or cash pickup in minutes, as do online payment systems like PayPal.
Most money transfer services and online specialists offer end-to-end tracking of your transfers so that you can monitor the progress of your payments.
For in-office wire transfers, the service typically emails notification that your money is ready for pickup or withdrawal. You can often track the transfer using a transaction number provided by the sender.
For online transfers, email notifications are sent to both parties after the money is available in the recipient’s account.
Bank-to-bank wire transfers can often only be tracked from the sender’s online banking account. You can check your bank account from time to time to check if the money is already available in your account.
You have choices when you need a wire transfer. You don’t have to settle with just a bank — choose from online specialist and in-office transfers.
Wire transfers are a dependable, secure and fast option for getting money from point A to point B. While bank-to-bank wire transfers typically require fees on both ends, money transfer specialists — both in store and online — tend to offer lower fees, faster transactions and tracking for peace of mind.
Learn more about providers in our guide to international money transfer services.
The Federal Reserve is launching its own instant-payment system called FedNow, advertising a staggering delivery speed of seconds.
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Instarem offers no-margin, mid-market rates for some of your money transfers.
Every money transfer service has different requirements for signing up and initiating a transfer. Find out what information is required to send money overseas.
We cover the different wire transfers fees you could pay with 10 of the top US banks when sending money internationally.
Looking for higher transfer limits and lower fees? Explore these WorldRemit alternatives to find a good deal.
Western Union’s extensive global network comes with high fees and weak exchange rates, use these alternatives to look for a better deal.
Compare MoneyGram with competitive alternatives to find the best deal for your transfer.
Maam/sir it is possible that the money from international using wire transfer are long days to reflect in my local bank account?
Hi Ma. Gena,
Thanks for your inquiry.
Bank transfers can take anywhere from one to five business days to process, and the same goes for online transfers. If it takes more than five business days, you can check with your bank on what could be causing the delay. You may also want to check on what impacts wire transfer speed.
I hope this helps.
Kind regards,
Bella
I have Chase bank & need help with adding a name to my wire transfer, having trouble adding to the wire transfer, I have one on there & need to add another name.
Hi Susan,
Thanks for your question.
You can add another Chase wire transfer recipient by following these steps.
1. Log-in to your Chase account.
2. Go to Payments & Transfers then scroll down to “Wire Transfer” and select “Add a Wire Recipient.”
3. You can then enter your recipient’s details in the fields and follow the prompts.
I hope that helps Susan.
If you encounter issues in adding another recipient, you may have to contact Chase directly so they can assist you.
Cheers,
Anndy