Compare the best ways to send money from United States to South Africa

Comparing providers offering services between the United States and South Africa based on your specific transfer amount, is the easiest way to get the best price on your transfer.

For USD/ZAR

• We found Wise to be the best and easiest option. Sending 7,000 USD to ZAR will cost you $40.17 in fees, and your recipient will get 114,464.15 ZAR.

• Key Currency is the cheapest way to send money to South Africa from the United States out of the 17 companies compared.

• Fastest money transfers to South Africa from the United States is with Revolut.

We cover the entire USD-ZAR market and have compared 17 providers offering services between the United States and South Africa.

This ensures you will get the most comprehensive options for sending US Dollar to South Africa.

The exchange rate determines the price you will pay when buying Rand in the United States. A better exchange rate means more US Dollars being sent to South Africa.

The current rate between the US Dollar and Rand is 16.5117. The USD-ZAR exchange rate is always changing.

The total cost of sending money to South Africa from the United States is made up of a combination of mid-market, exchange rates and fees.

• The Mid-Market and Exchange Rates: The current mid-market for USD-ZAR is 16.5117 ZAR per US Dollar.

• Fees: When sending money you may have to pay fees. Key Currency costs 0 USD per transfer at the moment, which is the cheapest option of the 17 providers compared. We would recommend searching to ensure you get the correct fee for your transfer amount.

• Amount Received: When comparing providers, the best measure is the amount of Rand eventually received in South Africa.

Understanding the average, and then waiting a day or two can help you get more ZAR for the same amount of US Dollars - but you might end up worse off.

A safer option if you want to get a particular rate is to use a forward contract. This allows you to lock in an agreed exchange rate between the United States and South Africa.

Sending via a bank transfer is the payment method that will get you the best price on a transfer from the United States to South Africa.

Here are your options:

Bank transfers

Bank transfers are often the best and easier way to send money from the United States to South Africa.

By using a money transfer company such as Key Currency for transfers from the United States to South Africa, you can send money via a bank transfer and benefit from lower fees and more favorable exchange rates than would be offered by a bank. 


Debit and prepaid cards

Sending money from the United States to South Africa with a debit or a prepaid card is easy with Xe.


Xe is a leading money transfer company for debit card payments, and offers transfers from the United States to South Africa.

Credit cards

We recommend avoiding credit card transfers due to high fees, and instead, you should consider a bank transfer or a debit card deposit.

However, if you do need to use a credit card to fund your transfer, use our comparison tool to get the latest deal.

and have different financial regulations to be aware of. Ensuring you fully understand these regulations will aid in keeping your money safe.

Our directory of worldwide financial regulators contains details on regulation for money transfers between United States and South Africa

Companies offering money transfers between the United States and South Africa will have minimum or maximum thresholds on how much you can send or receive across set timeframes.

Exchange rates and fees for different transfer amounts could change and sending regularly could mean losing out.

That’s why it’s best to compare USD-ZAR rates for your specific transfer amount.

For regular transfers to South Africa to the United States, shopping around each time can make a huge difference.

For sending large amounts of USD to South Africa without hitting a threshold, we’d recommended Wise. They offer a combination of rates and fees when sending from the United States to South Africa that is the most competitive, even at larger amounts.

Be sure to check with the recipient and understand any declarations needed on large amounts of money entering South Africa from the United States.

Options for receiving Rand in South Africa include direct bank deposit, cash pickup, a mobile wallet or receiving money into a multi-currency account.

Not all of the 17 providers offering transfers from the United States to South Africa will support every method for incoming Rand, so it’s best to check ahead of time.

The most common option is to send directly from the United States to a bank account in South Africa. For most part, this is convenient but does have receiving fees to potentially be aware of.

Wise is the best company for bank transfers between United States and South Africa.

Cash pickup is popular in some parts of South Africa, but not always supported and can be costly compared to cheaper options.

Mobile wallet or P2P services and payment apps like PayPal, Xoom, and CashApp are popular because of convenience, but they come with more limitations and higher costs compared to money transfer providers like Revolut.

When sending Rands to South Africa, through a money transfer company, you will need to verify your ID when signing up.

The documents you need can vary and in some cases you might need a couple of options.

Generally, government issued ID such as a passport or driver's license are accepted in the United States. If the recipient needs an ID to collect money in South Africa, the same applies there. You may also be able use other ID formats, where these aren’t available.

Large transactions between United States and South Africa can be subject to additional checks such as proof of funds for anti-money laundering purposes. This may also require additional ID checks.

One of the reasons Wise as scored so highly for transfers to South Africa is their easy sign up process in the United States.

As well as proof of funds, when sending large amounts of money between the United States and South Africa there will be tax declarations to consider. This is also potentially due to regular transactions.

Some transfers into Rand may need to be reported to tax authorities in South Africa and the United States, particularly where inheritance or property purchases are involved.

Tax limits and personal allowances do change in South Africa based on age, income and a few other elements. Everyone’s tax obligations are unique - when in doubt, please contact a tax professional in the United States or South Africa.