You can find lists of services online through the World Bank or at FXcompared.com.

The right to have your money delivered to the correct person and location.

Before you pay, and after the transfer is sent, receive information about:

Walk-in money transfer services – RIA, MoneyGram and Western Union.

Direct Bank account transfers – Usable only if both parties have bank accounts.

Bank wire transfers – They tend to have high fees, and are best used when sending large amounts of money that exceed the daily or monthly limits imposed by other types of money transfers.

Credit or debit cards –You will pay more and some cards will charge you extra fees to use this service

Prepaid debit cards to another’s card means money is available in minutes, but high fees make this a very expensive option.

Cell phones – You can use your smart phone’s browser to access a money transfer service website. Several new technologies allow you to access a free PayPal app, which lets you text money from your papal account to another using recipient’s phone number or email address. PayPal accounts are free.

The transfer service Viamericas offers an online tool that calculates the total cost, making it easy for you to compare services.

Don’t pay extra to get the money there in hours, if it’s alright that it arrives in a few days.

Adjust the timing and amount sent to take advantage of the best exchange rates. This is particularly true with automatic transfers – they may be happening when there is an unfavorable exchange rate.

Send dollars to dollars if possible; it is almost always cheaper to send in dollars and have the recipient convert the money into the local currency.