The cheapest ways to send money from UAE to the Philippines, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

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Do you know what the cheapest method for sending money from the UAE is? The answer depends on the country you’re sending money to and the amount you have to transfer.

You can use banks or alternative money transfer services but finding the best way to send dirhams will cost you time and money. We at Time Doctor have created special tables to help you deal with the taxes and hidden fees banks and other popular transaction companies charge you. Most of these service providers have an upfront fee. Very often, in addition to the charge, there will be a hidden currency conversion fee.

For example, if you use Skrill (Table), you’ll pay a 41-dirham fee plus a 50-dirham exchange rate charge for sending 1,000 dirhams to India. The tables below will help you calculate the common charges for sending money from the UAE to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines.

Table 1: Sending 1000 Dirham from the UAE to the Philippines
Transfer method	Fees to send 1000 AED	Hidden currency conversion cost	Total fees	Time for the transfer to arrive
OFX*	0	20	20	1-2 days
Wall Street	15	8	23	1-3 days
MoneyGram (fast)	15	12	27	In Minutes
IME	20	8	28	1 day
Xpress Money	20	11	31	3-5 days
Exchange4free	0	31	31	3-5 days
Western Union (fast)	25	10	35	In Minutes
WorldRemit	34	5	39	1 day
Travelex	0	56	56	3-5 days
Al Ansari Exchange	20	52	72	1-3 days
Skrill	41	50	91	3-5 days

Table 2: Sending 1000 UAE Dirham from the UAE to India
Transfer method	Fees to send 1000 AED	Hidden currency conversion cost	Total fees	Time for the transfer to arrive
IME	15	2	17	1 day
Wall Street	15	3	18	1-3 days
OFX*	0	20	20	1-2 days
MoneyGram (fast)	15	10	25	In Minutes
Western Union (fast)	15	10	25	In Minutes
Xpress Money	15	10	25	3-5 days
Al Ansari Exchange	20	6	26	1-3 days
Exchange4free	0	33	33	3-5 days
WorldRemit	34	5	39	1-2 days
Remit2India	64	6	70	2-4 days
Travelex	0	84	84	3-5 days
Skrill	41	50	91	3-5 days

Note:

• Minimum transfer amount of 500 AED for OFX.

Table 3: Sending 1000 UAE Dirham from the UAE to Pakistan
Transfer method	Fees to send 1000 AED	Hidden currency conversion cost	Total fees	Time for the transfer to arrive
IME	0	10	10	1 day
Wall Street	0	10	10	1-3 days
OFX*	0	20	20	1-2 days
MoneyGram (fast)	15	5	20	In Minutes
Xpress Money	0	25	25	3-5 days
Al Ansari Exchange	20	9	29	1-3 days
Exchange4free	0	36	36	3-5 days
Western Union (fast)	25	15	40	In Minutes
Skrill	41	50	91	3-5 days
Travelex	0	101	101	3-5 days

Note:

• Worldremit can also send money from UAE to Pakistan but through Mobile Airtime service. This service has been providing by almost every telecommunication company in Pakistan which are; Mobilink, Telenor, Ufone, Warid and Zong.
• Most Importantly, recipients will get 75% of the top-up value because Pakistan deducts tax locally.
• Minimum transfer of 500 AED for OFX.

Table 4: Sending 1000 UAE Dirham from the UAE to Bangladesh
Transfer method	Fees to send 1000 AED	Hidden currency conversion cost	Total fees	Time for the transfer to arrive
Wall Street	15	1	16	1-3 days
MoneyGram (fast)	15	2	17	In Minutes
IME	15	2	17	1 day
OFX*	0	20	20	1-2 days
Xpress Money	15	9	24	3-5 days
Western Union (fast)	15	13	28	In Minutes
Exchange4free	0	33	33	3-5 days
Al Ansari Exchange	20	17	37	1-3 days
WorldRemit	34	6	40	2-4 days
Skrill	41	50	91	3-5 days
Travelex	0	125	125	3-5 days

Table 5: Total Cost of Sending Money including HIDDEN Fees
Transfer method	To Philippines	To India	To Pakistan	To Bangladesh
Wall Street	2.3%	1.8%	1%	1.6%
IME	2.8%	1.7%	1%	1.7%
MoneyGram (fast)	2.7%	2.5%	2%	1.7%
OFX*	2%	2%	2%	2%
Xpress Money	3.1%	2.5%	2.5%	2.4%
Western Union (fast)	3.5%	2.5%	4%	2.8%
Al Ansari Exchange	7.2%	2.6%	2.9%	3.7%
Exchange4free	3.1%	3.3%	3.6%	3.3%
WorldRemit	3.9%	3.9%	Not available	4%
Remit2India	Not available	7%	Not available	Not available
Skrill	9.1%	9.1%	9.1%	9.1%
Travelex	5.6%	8.4%	10.1%	12.5%

Note:

• Minimum transfer of 500 AED for OFX.