MoneyGram review: when the cash counter is worth paying for

In the app, MoneyGram is cheaper than its old name suggests. On a bank deposit to Nigeria, Vietnam, Sri Lanka or the Philippines, it delivered about the same as the cheap apps on the prices checked for this review in October 2026. To Jamaica it delivered much more than Wise. The extra cost is in cash pickup, and at the counter. On £200 to Nigeria, Sri Lanka or Vietnam, cash pickup cost about £7 to £8 more than a bank deposit in the same app. The counter price is not published at all.

So use MoneyGram when the family needs cash in a hand, near them, the same day, and has no bank account or wallet. That is worth paying for. If the family has an account or a wallet, use the bank deposit or the wallet. It is the same app and it costs less.

What MoneyGram charges, and where the cost sits

Every MoneyGram send has two parts: a fee, and the exchange rate. MoneyGram says it plainly on its own pages: "MoneyGram makes money from currency exchange." The rate is where most of the cost is.

The price changes with three choices you make in the app: how you pay, how the family receives, and how much you send. The fee is added on top of the amount you type, so the whole amount is changed into the family's currency.

On the first online send, MoneyGram gives new customers a better rate and usually no fee. On most routes checked, that rate was better than the real exchange rate, the one you see if you search it on Google. It does not apply to credit card payments. From the second send you get the normal price. Every number below is the normal price, because that is what you will pay every month.

Nigeria: bank deposit is cheap, cash pickup is not

On £200 to a Nigerian bank account, paid by debit card, MoneyGram's normal price delivered ₦364,400 for £200.99. That is almost exactly the real rate. Even with the 99p fee, it was more than Wise delivered on £200. Paid by "Pay by Bank", the same send delivered ₦362,371.

Cash pickup on the same £200 cost more. The fee is £4.99, and the rate is lower. Paid by "Pay by Bank", the family would collect ₦356,795, and you pay £204.99. That is about £9 less than the money was worth at the real rate. Paid by debit card, they would collect ₦360,406.

There is a bigger problem with cash in Nigeria. A transfer worth more than $200 must be paid into an account, not in cash. That is the Central Bank of Nigeria's rule for money transfer companies, in force since 31 January 2024. All payouts are in naira. $200 is about £150. MoneyGram's price check still offered cash pickup on £200, but the counter in Nigeria works under that rule. For more than about £150, send to a bank account or a wallet. For a relative with no account at all, see how to send money without a bank account.

More on the route in the Nigeria guide.

Jamaica: MoneyGram is a good choice, also for cash

Jamaica is where MoneyGram earns its place. Wise sends Jamaican dollars the slow way, through the international banking system. On £200 its fee was £15.40, and its own arrival estimate was about five days. The family got J$39,084.

MoneyGram's normal price on the same £200, into a bank account or for cash, delivered between about J$41,770 and J$42,230, depending on how you pay and where the family collects. The fee is £2.49 to £4.99 on top. Into a bank account (NCB, Scotiabank, JN, Sagicor or CIBC FirstCaribbean), paid by debit card, the family got J$42,121. For cash at a Lasco, Alliance or Victoria Mutual counter, paid by debit card, they got J$42,230 for a £3.99 fee. That is about £4.50 more than the money was worth at the real rate. It was the best cash option on this route, and only about 50p more than the bank deposit.

• Cash at Lasco, Alliance or Victoria Mutual: J$42,230 on £200, fee £3.99, paid by debit card. Within minutes.
• Jamaican bank account: J$42,121 on £200, fee £2.99, paid by debit card.
• Wise: J$39,084 on £200, fee £15.40. About five days.

On £1,000, the same cash pickup at Lasco, Alliance or Victoria Mutual, paid by debit card, delivered J$211,148 for a £3.99 fee. Cash at "any location", paid by "Pay by Bank", delivered J$208,860 for £4.99. The choice of payment and counter was worth about £12 on that send.

Remitly is the other app to check on Jamaica. Its normal price on £200 was close to MoneyGram's. More in the Jamaica guide.

Sri Lanka, Vietnam, the Philippines and Ghana

The pattern is the same on other routes. A bank deposit through MoneyGram is close to the cheap apps. Cash pickup costs more, and it costs most when you pay by "Pay by Bank".

On £200 to Sri Lanka, a bank deposit delivered Rs 88,711 for a £1.99 fee. That was more than Wise. Cash pickup paid by "Pay by Bank" delivered Rs 86,517 for a £4.99 fee, about £10 below what the money was worth. Paid by debit card, the same cash pickup delivered Rs 88,039.

On £200 to Vietnam, a bank deposit delivered ₫6,841,964 with no fee, a little more than Wise. Cash pickup costs £4.99, also on the first send, and delivered ₫6,784,168 paid by "Pay by Bank". MoneyGram also offers home delivery in Vietnam through Donga Bank and HD Bank, for the same £4.99. That takes up to three working days.

On £200 to the Philippines, a bank deposit delivered ₱16,849 with no fee. Wise delivered a little more, ₱16,882. Cash at Palawan, Cebuana or USSC cost £1.49 on top and delivered about the same pesos. That is a small price for a counter.

On £200 to Ghana, MoneyGram delivered GH₵3,121 into a wallet or bank account with no fee, and GH₵3,109 for cash at an ADB counter with no fee when paid by "Pay by Bank". Both were more than Wise delivered on the same day. Ghana's cedi rates are unusual (the Ghana guide explains why), so check both apps on the day you send.

Syria: card only, cash only

MoneyGram is one of the few names that sends from the UK to Syria. On the price check for this review, it offered cash pickup only, paid by debit or credit card only. The fee is £4.99 on every send, also the first. On £200 the family could collect SYP 31,820, or $258 in US dollars. At the real rate between the pound and the dollar, $258 is about £193. You pay £204.99. So the dollar payout cost about £12.

MoneyGram's partners in Syria include National Islamic Bank and alBaraka Bank. Check MoneyGram's Syria page on the day you send. The Syria guide has the other routes.

The counter price

At a MoneyGram counter in the UK, you pay in cash with a photo ID. You need the amount plus the fee, and the full name and country of the person receiving. You do not need a bank account.

MoneyGram does not publish what the counter charges. Its own page says only: "The fee depends on the amount and destination, and you'll see it before you confirm." That is the moment to check.

1. Before you go, open the MoneyGram app or website. Type the same amount and choose cash pickup. Note what the family would receive, in their currency.
2. At the counter, ask for the same number: how much will the family receive, in naira, Jamaican dollars or rupees. Not the fee. The amount that arrives.
3. If you want to pay in cash but see the price first, set up the send online and choose "cash at a location". Then pay at a MoneyGram location within 24 hours.

Whatever the counter says, the amount that arrives is the number to compare.

When MoneyGram earns the fee

The extra cost of cash is worth paying in some cases, and not in others.

• The family has no bank account and no wallet, and needs cash today. MoneyGram cash pickup is a fair choice. Pay by debit card and compare the amount, not the fee.
• You send to Jamaica. MoneyGram delivered much more than Wise. For cash, Lasco, Alliance and Victoria Mutual were the best counters on this check.
• You have no bank account in the UK. The counter is the way to send. Ask what arrives before you pay.
• The family has a bank account or a wallet. Use MoneyGram's bank deposit or wallet, or another app. Do not pay for cash pickup they do not need.
• You send more than about £150 to Nigeria. Not cash pickup. Send to a bank account or wallet.

Is MoneyGram safe?

Yes. In the UK, MoneyGram International Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, register number 502639. It is a payment company, not a bank. The FCA says money held with a payment company is not covered by the UK compensation scheme for bank accounts. Instead, the company must keep customer money separate and protected. For a send that passes through in minutes, this matters very little.

MoneyGram has more than 470,000 locations worldwide. Customer reviews praise the speed. The complaints are about fees, transfers that took days instead of minutes, and accounts closed without a clear reason. If MoneyGram asks for a document, send it quickly. The money waits until the check is done.

The verdict

MoneyGram is not only an old cash name. Its app is close to the cheap apps for bank deposits, and on Jamaica it is one of the best choices. You pay for the brand only at the counter and for cash pickup, and even there the cost depends on what you choose. When the family needs cash in a hand by tonight, the extra few pounds buy something real. When they have an account or a wallet, choose that, pay by debit card, and the same app costs less.

Questions people ask

Is MoneyGram cheaper than Wise?

On some routes. On the prices checked in October 2026, a MoneyGram bank deposit delivered more than Wise to Nigeria (paid by debit card), Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Ghana, and much more to Jamaica. Wise delivered a little more to the Philippines. Cash pickup through MoneyGram costs more than either.

How much does MoneyGram charge for cash pickup?

From the UK on £200, the cash pickup fee was £4.99 to Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Syria, £2.99 to £4.99 to Jamaica, £1.49 to £3.99 to the Philippines, and up to £1.99 to Ghana. The rate is also lower than for a bank deposit. Compare the amount the family receives.

Why is the counter price different from the app?

MoneyGram does not publish its counter prices. Fees and rates change with how you pay, how the family receives, and the location. Ask at the counter how much will arrive, and compare it with the app on the same amount.

Can my family in Nigeria collect cash from MoneyGram?

Yes, in naira, for a transfer worth up to about $200 (about £150). Above that, Nigerian rules say the money must go to an account. The person collecting needs an accepted photo ID, and the name on the transfer must match it.

Who regulates MoneyGram in the UK?

The Financial Conduct Authority. MoneyGram International Limited is register number 502639.

Corrections

• 2026-10-25: An earlier version of this page said MoneyGram's UK Syria page showed a notice that the service was unavailable. We could not confirm that readers saw this notice, and on 24 October MoneyGram's price check quoted Syria normally. The sentence has been removed.