Ria is a money transfer service used by many people around the world. It’s primarily used for in-store transfers where customers send money with the help of a cashier at one of Ria’s agent locations.

Although very popular, Ria is just one of many money transfer services available, and each varies on speed, cost and convenience, and before you choose Ria you should do your research.

This blog will give you the information you need about the company, so you can choose whether you want to sign up with Ria, send money abroad with them, and use the service as your regular transfer platform. By the end of this blog you’ll hopefully know whether Ria is right for you!

How to send money abroad with Ria

With Ria, you can choose to either go to one of their physical agent locations to make an offline international transfer, or use their online service to transfer your money. When you send money using Ria, your recipient’s bank account will be debited, and you can arrange a cash pick-up.

If you choose to go in-store to one of Ria’s many locations, you'll need to fill out a money transfer form, and you’ll be guided through the process by the cashier. Alternatively, if you choose the online service, you can do it by yourself from the Ria smartphone app or web browser platform.

What are the pros and cons of sending money with Ria?

Ria is great for some people but not the ideal transfer service for others.

Here are some of the pros and cons of using Ria for your money transfers:

Pros:

• They have lots of agent locations - over 400,000 in 149 countries
• In some countries you can arrange home delivery of the cash - in Vietnam, the Philippines, Dominican Republic, and Peru
• Money is moved fast when you pay with cash or card - usually around 15 minutes to deliver

Cons:

• Transfers can take much longer when you pay using your bank account details - up to four working days
• Rates can be different online compared with at an agent location
• You can’t send money using just a recipient’s card number
• Fees vary and can be quite large - for example, sending £200 from the UK to Nigeria using a debit card for a cash pick-up will cost you £8

Is there another option to Ria?

When sending money internationally, Ria might be the best option if you need the cashier’s help to guide you through the transfer process. Alternatively, you may be able to find a cheaper and simpler option with a different online transfer company. You need to make sure you do enough research to make sure you’re getting the best possible deal!

Paysend is a fast and simple money transfer platform that lets users send money directly to bank accounts or straight to cards - all you need is the recipient’s name and card number! You can use Paysend via a smartphone app, or access it on your chosen web browser.

Money transfers to bank accounts with Paysend have zero transfer fees, and to cards it costs just £1, €1.5 or $2 (or equivalent amount) to send money. Paysend uses excellent, competitive exchange rates, so if you send money with Paysend you might save yourself some money when compared to Ria!

On the Paysend homepage you can find a useful tool to help you find out if your money transfers with Paysend are cheaper than with Ria. Click here to visit the homepage and get started.

Download Paysend App