Cheapest Ways to Send Money to Africa From the UK or US (2026)

If you're sending money from the UK, US or Europe into Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana or South Africa, mobile-money and app-based transfers beat banks and cash agents on cost almost every time, and the cheapest option isn't always the one that advertises "zero markup". On 5 October 2026, sending GBP 150 straight into an M-Pesa account in Kenya through WorldRemit landed around KES 25,500, more than the KES 25,183 you'd get through Wise after its GBP 3.30 fee, even though Wise uses the real mid-market exchange rate and WorldRemit doesn't publish its margin as a separate number. The same pattern held for Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa that day. Cash agents like Western Union and Mukuru still matter when your recipient has no bank account or mobile wallet, but their websites don't show a number until you enter your details, so always check their live calculator before you send. This guide is about sending money to a person — if you're paying a supplier or business in another African country instead, PAPSS now lets a growing list of banks settle that directly in local currency, without the correspondent-bank detour described below.

Quick comparison: sending GBP 150 from the UK

This is what GBP 150 turned into on 5 October 2026, checked directly on Wise's pricing pages and WorldRemit's calculator.

WorldRemit's Kenya quote that day included a one-off "welcome rate" of 170.9537 for a first transfer, against its standard 170.0278 — the welcome rate won't repeat on your second transfer, so don't plan around it. Both figures beat Wise's bank-payout rate for Kenya either way.

Sending from the US works the same way, just in dollars: Wise charged $10.42 to send $200 to Kenya at a rate of 129.80 KES/$ (you'd get roughly KES 24,607), while WorldRemit's M-Pesa payout for the same $200 landed closer to KES 26,000 with no stated fee, on the same day.

How much does it cost to send money to Kenya from the UK or US?

The cheapest way to get money into Kenya right now is straight into M-Pesa through an app like WorldRemit, not a bank transfer. On Wise's own pricing page, sending USD 1,000 to a Kenyan bank account costs $17.79 (1.78%) by bank-to-bank transfer or $13.41 (1.34%) if you pay by direct debit from your own bank, at a rate of 129.800 KES per dollar, arriving in minutes to about a day. WorldRemit's M-Pesa payout is instant — it says 90% of its transfers reach its Kenyan partners within minutes — and on 5 October 2026 it showed no separate fee on top of its exchange rate for both bank and mobile-money payouts.

You can also receive money directly into M-Pesa without going through a fintech app at all. Safaricom's own M-Pesa Global page confirms that M-Pesa customers can receive funds from abroad through partners including Western Union, among others, straight into their M-Pesa account — useful if your relative already has a Western Union-linked sender account in the UK or US. Once the money lands, check our M-Pesa charges calculator before you move or withdraw it, since M-Pesa's own tariffs apply from that point on, separate from whatever the sender paid.

Freelancers getting paid by overseas clients, rather than family sending remittances, have different options worth comparing — see our guide to receiving payments via Payoneer and M-Pesa. For more on managing money day to day once it's in Kenya, visit our Kenya section.

How much does it cost to send money to Nigeria from the UK or US?

For Nigeria, Wise and WorldRemit are close, and WorldRemit edged ahead on the exchange rate on the day we checked. Wise's own pricing page quotes $12.18 (1.22%) to send USD 1,000 by bank transfer, or $7.78 (0.78%) by direct debit, at 1,352.08 NGN per dollar, with most transfers arriving within a day. On a smaller GBP 150 transfer on 5 October 2026, WorldRemit's bank payout showed no stated fee at a rate of 1,782.02 NGN per pound (₦267,303 received) against Wise's £1.43 fee at 1,787.61 (₦265,585) — a rare case where Wise's better headline rate didn't beat WorldRemit's fee-free quote once you do the maths on the full amount.

WorldRemit says 90% of its transfers to Nigeria reach its local partners within minutes, and bank transfers specifically land within about an hour. Mobile-money payout to Nigeria wasn't available through WorldRemit's calculator on the corridors we tested that day, so a bank account is currently the practical option for an instant digital transfer. If your reason for receiving money from abroad is freelance or business income rather than a family transfer, our guide on withdrawing PayPal money in Nigeria covers that separately. More Nigeria-specific guides are in our Nigeria section.

How much does it cost to send money to Ghana from the UK or US?

Ghana has a genuine direct-to-mobile-money option: both Wise and WorldRemit let you send into MTN MoMo as well as a bank account. On Wise's pricing page, sending USD 1,000 to Ghana costs $17.39 (1.74%) by bank transfer or $13.01 (1.3%) by direct debit, at 11.7450 GHS per dollar. WorldRemit quoted the same rate — 15.5676 GHS per pound — for both its bank and MTN MoMo payout on a GBP 150 transfer on 5 October 2026, with no separate fee shown, against Wise's £2.82 fee at 15.5328 for the same amount. WorldRemit's Ghana page says 90% of transfers reach its local partners within minutes, and both delivery methods count as "instant" once the money is with the local partner.

Browse more for this market in our Ghana section.

How much does it cost to send money to South Africa from the UK or US?

South Africa is the one corridor among these four with no mobile-money payout option on either Wise or WorldRemit, since South Africa doesn't have a dominant mobile-wallet network the way Kenya or Ghana do — you're sending to a bank account either way. Wise's pricing page quotes $13.83 (1.38%) by bank transfer or $9.43 (0.94%) by direct debit to send USD 1,000, at 16.6371 ZAR per dollar; paying by debit card costs more ($23.02, 2.3%) and credit card a lot more ($68.67, 6.9%) — avoid paying by card here if you can help it. On a GBP 150 transfer on 5 October 2026, WorldRemit charged a stated £1.99 fee at 21.7551 ZAR per pound (R3,263 received), slightly ahead of Wise's £3.09 fee at 21.9921 (R3,231). WorldRemit also said cash pickup wasn't available for that amount on the day we checked, since it fell under its minimum payout threshold for that method.

More guides for this market are in our South Africa section.

What about Western Union and Mukuru?

Western Union and Mukuru are worth knowing about mainly because of reach: Western Union has agent locations and bank-deposit options in nearly every African country, and Mukuru is especially strong for cash pickup and bank or mobile top-ups into Southern Africa and Zimbabwe specifically. Neither site shows you a real fee or rate until you type in your amount, destination and payout method on their own calculator — the figures move by corridor and by the day — so there's no honest single number to quote here. What you can rely on: cash-pickup networks generally cost more than app-to-mobile-money transfers for the same amount, because someone has to staff and stock cash at thousands of physical locations. Use them when your recipient genuinely has no bank account or mobile wallet, or needs cash in hand immediately; otherwise, check their calculator against Wise or WorldRemit's quote for the same amount before you commit. In Zimbabwe, remittances paid into an EcoCash wallet can be cashed out free up to US$5,000; see EcoCash charges in Zimbabwe. For live quotes to Sierra Leone, including what arrives in new leones, see how to send money to Sierra Leone.

What to watch out for

• "No fee" doesn't mean cheapest. WorldRemit and similar apps often show £0 or $0 as the fee, then take their margin inside the exchange rate instead. Always compare the final amount the recipient gets, not the fee line by itself.
• Welcome rates don't repeat. A noticeably better rate on your first transfer with a new app is usually a one-off promotion. Check the rate again on your second transfer before assuming it'll match.
• Card payments cost more than bank transfers. On Wise's South Africa pricing, a credit card payment cost roughly 6.9% against 0.94% for a direct debit, on the same $1,000. The same pattern holds on most apps and most corridors — pay from your bank account where you can.
• Mobile money isn't available everywhere. It works well into M-Pesa in Kenya and MTN MoMo in Ghana, but Nigeria and South Africa payouts through these apps are mostly bank-account only right now — don't assume every country has it.
• Double-check the phone number or account details. A wrong digit on a mobile-money payout usually means the receiver simply never gets a deposit alert, and getting it reversed takes longer than most senders expect. Confirm the number with your recipient the same day you send, not from an old message.

Frequently asked questions

What's the cheapest way to send money to Kenya from the UK?

On the corridors we checked on 5 October 2026, sending straight into M-Pesa through an app like WorldRemit worked out cheaper than a bank transfer through Wise, even though Wise advertises a zero-markup exchange rate. Always compare the actual amount received on the day, since rates move.

Can I send money from the UK directly into someone's M-Pesa account?

Yes. Apps such as WorldRemit pay out directly to M-Pesa, and Safaricom's own M-Pesa Global service also lets registered M-Pesa users receive funds from abroad through partners including Western Union. Check which option your sender already has an account with before picking one.

Is Wise or WorldRemit cheaper for sending money to Nigeria?

On a GBP 150 transfer checked on 5 October 2026, WorldRemit's bank payout delivered slightly more naira than Wise once its exchange rate and zero stated fee were weighed against Wise's lower fee but better headline rate. For larger transfers, Wise's own pricing page is worth checking directly, since its fee is a smaller percentage on bigger amounts.

How much does Western Union charge to send money to Africa?

Western Union doesn't publish a fixed fee for Africa; its calculator works out the fee and exchange rate per corridor, amount and payout method once you enter your details on westernunion.com. Check it against an app quote for the same amount before sending, since cash-pickup networks are usually pricier than app-to-mobile-money transfers.

Is it cheaper to send USD or GBP when sending money to South Africa?

Neither currency has a built-in advantage — what matters is the provider and the rate on the day, not whether you're sending dollars or pounds. South Africa has no major mobile-money network, so you're sending to a bank account either way with both Wise and WorldRemit.

How long does a mobile money transfer from abroad take to arrive?

WorldRemit says 90% of its mobile-money transfers reach its local African partners within minutes, and M-Pesa and MTN MoMo payouts typically count as instant once that happens. Bank-account payouts usually take longer — Wise's own estimates run from a few hours to about a day, depending on the country and payment method.