How to send money overseas from your credit/debit card

Most of us use our cards for the majority of our purchases. A 2020 study in the United States found that consumers made 28% of their payments with their debit cards, and 27% with credit cards. (Cash lagged behind, at 19% of payments.) Whether you’re paying your rent, running out to the grocery store, or making a fun little impulse purchase, a card payment is a quick, simple and paperless way to make your payment.

Now, we’ve told you before—it’s not a good idea to use a credit card or debit card to buy something in another country or another currency. Why? Because you’ll be slammed with foreign transaction fees, and may not get the best rate for your exchange.

However, there is one way you can make an international payment from your card without the excessive foreign transaction fees and unfavourable exchange rate. You can facilitate your money transfer through a money transfer provider, and use your card to provide the funds to the provider for your transfer.

We’ve previously gone through how to use a bank or wire transfer to send money. Now, let’s talk about how you can send money with Xe using your credit or debit card.

From which regions can I use a card payment?

You can use a credit or a debit card if you’re sending money from:

• The European Union

• The United Kingdom

• The United States

We are currently in the process of expanding our service, so don’t worry if you’re from another region. We’re working on it as we speak.

Where can I send money to using my card?

For recipients, you can use a card payment to fund money transfers to:

• British Pounds (GBP)

• Euros (EUR)

• Danish Krone (DKK)

• Norwegian Krone (NOK

• Swiss Franc (CHF)

• Swedish Krona (SEK

• US Dollars (USD)

Why should I use a card payment?

• It’s easy. There’s not much that goes into it. If you have your card on you (or you have your card details memorized), all you need to do is enter those details.

• It’s our fastest payment method. Card payments require much less behind-the-scenes processing than bank transfers and direct debits. Once you confirm your transfer, we’ll receive an instant payment and send the transfer on the payment date from your confirmation.

However, it is important to keep in mind that card payments do typically come with higher fees than other payment methods if you’re sending money from the United States. You can find a breakdown of our card payment fees here:

• Fees for debit card payments

• Fees for credit card payments

How to use a debit/credit card to fund your Xe money transfer

Before you can use your card to pay, you’ll need to initiate your transfer.

1. Sign in to your Xe account or sign up.

2. Select the currencies you’d like to exchange and enter the amount to check the send rate and get your quote.

3. Provide your recipient’s banking information, or select from your list of recipients if you’ve already sent to this person.

At this point, you’ll be asked ‘How will you be paying us?’ Don’t worry—it’ll be quick and simple from here.

1. Select ‘Debit/credit card’ from the list of options.

2. Enter your card details, just as you would for any other online shopping transaction.

3. Confirm and send.

Barring any issues with your card (such as insufficient funds or a payment limit), everything will be done from here. The payment will be sent to us immediately, and we’ll be able to get to work on completing your transfer.

All set?

Like we said, using a card payment for your money transfer is quick and simple. If you have an overseas payment coming up, you can try it out in just a few clicks.

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