Sending money from the USA to India is best done online through services like Remitly, Wise, Xoom, or Western Union, offering fast bank deposits, UPI, or cash pickup options. Common methods include bank wire transfers (1–3 days) or digital services that often provide better exchange rates and lower fees. You will need the recipient's bank details, IFSC code, and, for bank transfers, the SWIFT/BIC code.
IMPS, UPI, NEFT, RTGS etc. India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has already made Money Transfer products like IMPS, assisted UPI, NEFT, RTGS available for IPPB customers and interoperable AePS for non-customers.
Yes, you can use Google Pay from the USA to send money to India by integrating with services like Wise or Western Union within the US Google Pay app, but you need an Indian recipient with a UPI ID or bank account and an Indian phone number to receive it. The US Google Pay app was discontinued in June 2024, so you'll use the Google Wallet app (which is the new name for GPay in the US) to initiate international transfers powered by partners like Wise to send money to India.
Yes, UPI can be used in the US to send money to India. While UPI is primarily an Indian payment system, Western Union allows US users to transfer funds directly to a recipient's UPI-linked bank account. To learn more, check out how to send money to India.
5 Best Apps to Send Money from USA to India – Features, Fees, Speed & More
You can send money to any bank account in India or UPI handle through a local remittance service provider or bank. International Money Order (IMO): International money order is a reliable and accessible service offered by the Indian postal network for sending or receiving money across borders.
This is what you can do:
Tap or scan Google Pay at stores overseas that accept contactless payments. Use Google Pay at foreign websites or apps that accept Google Pay checkout.
The Western Union app is a handy way to transfer money to India. The app makes instant money transfers to India easy, especially if you send money often.
How can I send money internationally with Venmo? Venmo cannot be used to send money overseas. It is only available for domestic money transfers or payments in US dollars within the United States. There are, however, plenty of alternatives if you need to send or receive money internationally.
You can send up to $50,000 directly to an Indian bank account from your US account. You can make a money transfer to India banks including State Bank of India, HDFC and ICICI.
Remitly generally offers more transparent and affordable fee structures, especially with the Economy transfer option. Xoom tends to charge higher fees for rapid transfers.
Best ways to send money to India with WISE
Remitly is a safe and legitimate way to send money to family and friends in another country.
Remitly has higher sending limits and better customer ratings, plus the option to choose your transfer speed. However, there's a big issue with both services, and it's that they both add currency exchange rate markups to the mid-market rate.
Xoom charges exchange rate markups, and Wise doesn't, so Wise can often end up being less expensive. With Wise, you can send up to 1,000,000 USD per wire transaction to 140+ countries, with the mid-market exchange rate and low, transparent fees.
You can use Google Pay to send money to friends and family in India using your mobile device. You'll need an internet connection, an Indian bank account and an Indian phone number.
UPI excels in India for peer-to-peer transfers, offering instant, free transactions using mobile numbers or QR codes. Zelle is ideal for quick, domestic U.S. transfers between bank accounts. Lightspark outperforms both by enabling instant, low-cost global transfers, eliminating geographical limitations.
However, remittance services are usually considerably cheaper. For example, Remitly charges a $1.99 fee for an international transfer, with no fee at all in some markets, while banks charge $30 to $45—maybe more if you're not sending US dollars.