International money transfer is not a foreign idea. Different money transfer companies provide services to transfer money from local bank accounts to international accounts.
Zelle is a peer-to-peer money transfer service that allows users to send money directly from their bank accounts to another person’s bank account. The service works like any other payment method, except it’s faster and easier than traditional methods.
It also has lower fees because it uses prepaid debit cards rather than having your bank take a percentage of each transaction.
However, it does not work for international money transfers. You need other money transfer providers to send money internationally. Let’s find out more about Zelle.
What Is Zelle?
Zelle is a service that allows you to send money to anyone with a U.S. bank account and owned by Early Warning Services, a subsidiary of Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and JPMorgan Chase, owns Zelle.
It’s not a bank or other financial institution, but it’s a way for you to send and receive money with friends and family overseas. In many cases, at lower fees than traditional wire transfers can charge.
However, they have a limitation of having a bank account in the U.S. Therefore, the sender’s and recipient’s bank accounts should be in the U.S. to transfer money.
It means that you cannot use Zelle to transfer money internationally. Therefore, you need other wire transfer sources such as a PayPal account, Cash App, etc. Zelle works for local money transfers in the U.S.
How Does Zelle Work?
Zelle offers several features that make it an attractive alternative to traditional wire transfers:
- It’s free—no fee! You don’t have to pay fees when sending money through Zelle. There are no costs associated with using this service at all. It’s free.
- There is no need for even a physical address if someone has already provided their information for them to receive payments from others and send them funds through this platform.
- It means that anyone using Zelle doesn’t need personal information aside from what may already be known about them, such as name, address, etcetera.
- You will face less hassle when trying out new ways and more privacy options since there aren’t any real risks involved, especially since most users won’t ever want anyone else to know exactly where they live.
- However, you must look for other alternatives for international money transfers.
Advantages of Using Zelle
The basic requirement to use Zelle is the availability of a US-based bank account and the Zelle App for online funds transfer. Multiple bank accounts and credit unions allow Zelle App for funds transfer. You can find 10,000 banks and credit unions listed in the App.
The other person receiving money should provide the correct email address for cash transfers. The recipient can receive the funds within minutes through Zelle. Moreover, it doesn’t cost you anything to send or receive money. However, you should confirm through your bank or credit union accounts for any extra charges.
Other platforms can take several days to transfer funds and may ask for charges to send or receive money through their platforms. Therefore, Zelle is better than platforms like Venmo and Cash App when used locally as it doesn’t cost you any fee and sends money instantly.
The only drawback to using Zelle is that it does not work for international transfers, and you have to use other money transfer companies.
How Much Time Does Zelle Take for a Money Transfer?
Zelle transfers money immediately, but you should recheck your information if it has been more than three days. Moreover, you can also contact the customer support team of Zelle through their official website.
Zelle works with existing U.S. bank accounts or union credits. Therefore, the delay might reflect an issue with your U.S. bank account instead of Zelle.
Does Zelle Work Internationally?
Zelle is a U.S.- only service and can only be used by those within the country. It means you cannot send or receive money with Zelle internationally, even if you have an account in another country and reside there at least part-time.
If you want to send money internationally, we recommend using services like Cash App, PayPal, or Venmo instead because they offer access to a broader range of products and services than just cash transfers (like Apple Pay) and work internationally.
How Can I Send Money by Using Zelle?
You need to have a U.S. bank account. Moreover, you should have a U.S. debit card. Having the Zelle App installed on your phone or computer is a must for both the sender and the recipient.
The recipient’s email address and mobile number are also required for this process, so make sure you’ve got those before sending money through Zelle.
International Money Transfer Services
Therefore, instead of Zelle, consider an international money transfer service like OFX or TransferWise.
These services are available worldwide and let you send money internationally without dealing with the hassle of wiring money yourself.
If your bank is based in the United States and you’d like to send cash from there, try one of these options:
- Western Union (which works only with U.S.-based banks) is an easy way to send money internationally. You can make international payments through this platform. Moreover, they provide reasonable exchange rates for sending money internationally.
- Skrill (available globally): It is a platform for international transfers and allows you to send cash to your destination countries easily. Moreover, you can also do online shopping and pay through this platform.
What Information Do You Need for International Money Transfers?
You cannot send money abroad by using Zelle. However, you can use a wire transfer to send your money abroad. Zelle only works when both the sender and the recipient have U.S. bank accounts.
However, you should have the following information to send money overseas through a wire transfer.
- Receiver’s bank account information, such as Name, Account Number, and Address
- Sender bank account information, including SWIFT code, name, and address
FAQs
1. What do I need to transfer cash through Zelle?
You’ll need the recipient’s email address and phone number. If you’re sending money through Zelle, they’ll need a U.S.-based mobile number to receive your payment (if they don’t have one, they can create one).
2. What can I use for an international wire transfer?
Use OFX or TransferWise. These are two of the most popular international money transfer services, and they’re available globally. The money will be transferred immediately through these services once you’ve authorized it (if you choose this option).
Conclusion
Zelle is a service that allows you to send money to other people using their email addresses or phone number. It’s not a bank, so it doesn’t have the same options for international transfers.
However, if you need to send money locally without hidden fees and don’t have access to other transfer services like OFX or TransferWise, this one may be for you.
You can use Zelle for free when sending less than $2,000 per transaction and $20 million daily. So if you live in an area where Zelle works well, try it out.
Paul Martinez is the founder of EcomSidekick.com. He is an expert in the areas of finance, real estate, eCommerce, traffic and conversion.
Join him on EcomSidekick.com to learn how to improve your financial life and excel in these areas. Before starting this media site, Paul built from scratch and managed two multi-million dollar companies. One in the real estate sector and one in the eCommerce sector.