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How to Send Money to Mexico from the UK: Best Money Transfer Services

Avoid your bank and use a money transfer specialist instead. They'll get your funds from the UK to Mexico with maximum speed and minimum cost.
Niloy Chakrabarti
Author: 
Niloy Chakrabarti
Alice Leetham
Editor: 
Alice Leetham
9 mins
February 8th, 2024
Advertiser Disclosure

While international transfers via banks are often laborious and costly with additional paperwork for big or frequent transfers, MTPs are making lives easier with transparency and lightning-fast payment speeds at nominal costs.

If you employ 50 workers in Mexico, sending that many payments every month could cost you several pounds per transaction, or a considerable chunk of money overall. If you send money back home to Mexico to support your family, these persistent fees could slowly chip away at your hard-earned money, as well.

This guide will help you choose the fastest, cheapest, and best MTPs for sending money to Mexico from the UK, compliant with rules and regulations in both countries. You will also learn about the tax implications, transaction limits, and the best payment delivery option to choose without impacting recipients with limited options.

UK to Mexico: Your Best Transfer Options

Sort by
Wise9.2Visitwise.com
1 - 3 days
0.4%
5+
Phone
TorFx8.9Visit
1 - 3 days
No fees
3+
Dedicated Account Manager, Email, Phone
XE8.6Visitxe.com
1 - 2 days
£/$1.99 - 2.99
6+
Email, Live Chat, Phone

Money Transfer Provider

Fees

Deposit Methods

Regulator

Wise

£0.31 + 0.55% (variable)

Bank transfer, debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay

FCA regulated

TorFX

No transfer fees

Bank Transfer

Regulated by the FCA and the Australian Securities & Investments Commission regulated

Remitly

£1.99 for Economy option; £2.99 for Express option

Bank transfer, credit/debit cards, cash pickup, mobile money

Regulated by the FCA and the HMRC.

Wise
Wise

With the Wise app, you can send up to the equivalent of $95,000 per transaction to most banks in Mexico from the UK. Sending money to different countries also becomes easy with their free multi-currency account.

FCA-regulated Wise clears payments in seconds on average. However, it could take up to two business days in some cases. Each transfer to Mexico would cost you £0.31, plus 0.55% in variable fees, relatively cheaper than most providers. Wise is very transparent about the charges. They also help you save on exchange conversion fees by executing transfers at mid-market rates.

The best part is that you can fund your payments using various methods including Apple Pay. If you are making business payments, their API integrations could help save good money by automating overseas employee payments.

Remember, you can't send money to BanCoppel accounts in Mexico with Wise.

Pros
  • Highly regulated, dedicated fraud protection team.
  • Payment status tracking on the app.
  • Competitive exchange rates.
Cons
  • No cash delivery option to homes.
  • Variable fees could spike for exotic payment routes.

TorFx
TorFx

If you are sending monthly payments to Mexico from the UK as salaries to workers or for family support, award-winning MTP TorFX could become your long-term choice.

If you transfer between £500-£10,000 per month for at least six months using the TorFX online account, you can opt in for their Regular Overseas Payments service to completely avoid transfer or commission fees and avail of decent exchange rates.

TorFX could earn from exchange rate conversions. Thankfully, you can also reduce them by leveraging market orders, spot and forward contracts to fix your preferred exchange rate in advance, where payments are executed when market rate reaches your target rate. There is no upper limit for transactions, but online platform transfers are capped at £25,000 per payout. TorFX generally completes payment deliveries in one business day.

For larger transfers, you can connect with your account manager for a hassle-free process. You can fund payouts via bank transfers or a Sterling/Euro debit card.

Pros
  • Highly secure with biometric verification, TLS-encrypted website.
  • Control over exchange rates with market orders, forward contracts.
  • Place orders over the phone with guidance from your account manager.
Cons
  • Limited pay-in options.
  • Rigorous document and identity verification for big payments.
Remitly
Remitly

Mexicans predominantly rely on cash for day-to-day expenses. Remitly might work if your dependants or employers prefer to collect funds in physical form.

You can directly pay to the recipient’s bank account in Mexico or via any of Remitly’s vast network of cash-pickup locations. Remitly offers one of the cheapest ways to send money to Mexico. With a flat fee of £1.99 for the Economy option and £2.99 for the Express option, you can send any amount from the UK via bank transfers, credit/debit cards, or cash-pick-up arrangements.

However, there could be exchange markup fees. The recipient can receive the funds in minutes or in up to five business working days, depending on the pay-in option. Card payments via the Express method are often faster.

Regulated by the FCA and the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), Remitly protects your data on its website and mobile app using TLS encryption fortified with AES256 and 2048-bit RSA protocols.

Pros
  • 24/7 customer service over call or live chat
  • Feature-rich, easy-to-use app
  • In-house cybersecurity team
Cons
  • Default transfer limits for new customers
  • Limited delivery options

How to Send Money to Mexico Using a Money Transfer Provider?

The process of sending money to Mexico by using an online money transfer service is simple. You only need to follow these three steps to execute a transaction!

Step 1: Compare Providers to Find the One That Best Fits You
Step 2: Sign Up with the Chosen Provider
Step 3: Transfer Money

What Are the Fastest Ways to Send Money to Mexico?

Not all MTPs operating in Mexico with fast transaction speeds offer the most convenient payment delivery options. In a cash-dependent country like Mexico, it could be worth exploring MTPs with an established cash pickup network capable of matching speeds similar to bank transfers and digital wallets.

Money Transfer Provider

Transfer Speed

Fees

Get Started

Remitly

In minutes.

£1.99 for Economy option; £2.99 for Express option.

Visit Remitly

WorldRemit

95% of cash pickups In three minutes.

£2.99; potential markup fees.

Visit WorldRemit

Western Union

In minutes.

£0 transfer fees; third-party fees and exchange rate markup may apply

Visit Western Union

MTPs like WorldRemit and Remily are capable of sending money to Mexico from the UK via bank transfer and cash pickups securely in minutes. However, make sure the recipient reaches the cash pickup location with their government ID card and transaction reference number for easy collection.

What Is the Cheapest Way to Send Money to Mexico?

The most cost-effective services to transfer money to Mexico are often reliable but could take days. If you know the payment date, you can save money and avoid delays by scheduling your low-cost MTP transfer in advance. For immediate transfers without incurring very high fees, you may check the MTPs below:

Money Transfer Provider

Fees

Transfer Speed

Get Started

Revolut

£0.15+0.15% per transfer

In minutes.

Visit Revolut

OFX

£0 transfer fee; markup charges may apply

In minutes.

Visit OFX

Remitly

£1.99 via bank deposit; first transfer free

In three to five business days.

Visit Remitly

Revolut offers one of the cheapest ways for UK-Mexico payments while OFX offers customised rates for high-value transactions and corporate clients. Several MTPs also slash service fees or offer promotional exchange rates for new customers.

What Is the Safest Way to Send Money to Mexico?

As Mexico lags behind many neighbouring countries in terms of adopting different forms of electronic money transfer like digital mobile wallets, you must verify and coordinate recipient individual or business details, especially for cash pickups.

Although delivery options in Mexico are largely limited to bank transfers or cash pickups, MTPs have accordingly focused on improving their cash pickup networks and connections with Mexican banks to ensure fast and secure transfers.

Most MTPs put in place safeguards in alignment with regulators to protect users against cyber attacks, scams, and phishing. Some of these features include two-factor authentications, email verification, as well as round-the-clock attack vector monitoring by dedicated cybersecurity teams.

What Are the Best Apps to Send Money to Mexico?

With over five million digital nomads in the UK alone, conducting business on-the-go has become a distinct trend. Be it for billing and invoicing for your business or one-off transfers, these MTP apps can make them happen in a few clicks.

Money Transfer App

Transfer Time

Fees

Download Now

Wise

In seconds

£0.31 + 0.55% (variable)

Download Wise now

WorldRemit

In minutes.

£2.99; potential markup fees.

Download WorldRemit now

TorFx

One business day.

No transfer fees.

Download TorFX now

These regulated MTP apps are available on both iOS and Android platforms and employ high security standards. With easy navigation in mind, WorldRemit app developers, for instance, ensured users could switch between services with ease. These apps let you directly get in touch with customer support, and keep track of the forex market with live updates and historical trends.

Things to Consider When Sending Money to Mexico

Ways to send money to Mexico from the UK are evolving every year with banks and MTPs adding new pay-in options and places of coverage amid trade growth between the countries.

Like always, large cross-border transactions could be delayed by banks or MTPs for extra checks in accordance with anti-money laundering regulations. Taxes could also play a role for both the sender and the recipient, where exemptions vary based on the country. Here’s a checklist for a smooth experience:

Local Authorities

The Mexico central bank, Banco de México, and the federal revenue service, Servicio de Administración Tributaria, oversee all financial entities, policies, and transactions, including inward remittances in Mexico.

Further, Mexico’s Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit is also engaged in devising government policies on income and corporate taxes.

In the UK, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the HMRC regulate and track international payments for suspicious activities.

How Much You Are Sending Abroad

The amount of money you can send from the UK doesn’t have a hard limit, and any restriction would generally arise from recipient country regulations or the MTP itself.

Your MTP will normally be able to increase your transfer limit if you provide adequate documents proving identity, address, income sources, and transaction purpose.

If a transaction is flagged for money laundering or similar criminal activities, regulators can further investigate, which could lead to criminal action if any foul play is detected.

The Cost of Money Transfer

The amount of money you lose towards fees on international money transfers can be broadly classified into transfer fees, currency conversion fees, and third-party fees.

While many MTPs don’t charge transfer fees, they often offset that by marking up the exchange rate. Check if your MTP allows you to place market orders to have better control over exchange rates. If you are using a debit or credit card to fund your transfer, third-party credit card provider fees could also apply.

In general, factors like selected delivery speed, geographical distance, payment amount, and even scarcity of delivery agents could lift overall fees.

Payment Type and Reason for the Transfer

When you send money to Mexico, it is considered as business income or a personal gift. MTPs like TorFX and Wise are likely the best options to streamline business payments by automating billing and invoicing at low fees.

While creating business MTP accounts could be a little more complex than individual accounts, cutting-edge API integrations that easily integrate with your business processes could considerably trim operating costs.

Meanwhile, MTPs like Remitly and WorldRemit are good options if you are sending money as gifts to family members.

Tax Regulations in Mexico

Mexican citizens are liable to pay applicable income tax on all global income. Further, if you hire workers from Mexico, you must withhold and remit taxes on their behalf on employee gross earnings.

While there is no explicit tax on gifts received from a spouse, lineal ancestors, or descendants, gifts from siblings or to parents might not be exempt from taxes. Other gifts are exempted up to the limit of MX$ 118,819.

In the UK, you can send up to £3,000 overseas without attracting gift taxes.

What Do You Need to Send Money to Mexico?

To send money to Mexico, you would require the following:

  • Recipient name, residential or business address with city and state.

  • Recipient bank name, nationality, and 18-digit CLABE (Clave Bancaria Estandarizada) account number.

  • Valid government ID and documents for income proof.

What Do You Need to Receive Money in Mexico?

The recipient in Mexico doesn’t need a bank account for cash pickups initiated from the UK. However, they must carry a valid government ID and a reference code to collect the money at the designated pick-up location. For all other forms of deposits, the receiver must have the following:

  • Valid bank account.

  • Current residential address.

  • A phone number (optional).

  • Valid government ID or transaction reference number.

FAQs

What is the best way to send money to Mexico?
What currency is used in Mexico?
What are the biggest money transfer providers operating in Mexico?
How do I pay someone in Mexico?

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Contributors

Niloy Chakrabarti
Niloy transitioned from his corporate job to become a personal finance writer with the goal of helping people make well-informed financial decisions. He has written numerous finance articles for major publications over the years, specialising in retirement planning and financial advisory services. Equipped with an engineering degree and fuelled by a passion for writing, Niloy endeavours to establish profound connections with readers seeking financial insights. He loves crunching numbers and curates investor newsletters for a private equity firm and a US investment bank. In his leisure time, Niloy loves to play PC games, strum the guitar, and work towards building an animal shelter.
Alice Leetham
Alice first discovered a passion for all things finance while studying for a degree in mathematics. Over the last several years, she's been building her knowledge of trading and investing through courses and first-hand experience, as well as honing her writing and editing skills while crafting content for innovative companies in the FinTech space. When she's not working on financial content, Alice enjoys foraging, ringing church bells, and creating the puzzle page for a regional magazine.
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