Quick answers to the things people ask us most. Can't find what you need? Talk to us.
Depends on the corridor and the delivery method. Mobile money (Kenya M-Pesa, Philippines GCash, India UPI) usually arrives within minutes — often before the sender closes the app. Bank deposits in Nigeria, Brazil, and Ethiopia run 1-2 hours during local banking hours. Cash pickup is generally ready within 30 minutes of clearance.
Minimum is $1 (mostly so we can test the rails). Daily maximum starts at $2,999 for new accounts and increases to $9,999 once you complete identity verification. Higher limits available on request — annual aggregate limits depend on your verification tier.
Yes, until the recipient picks up the money or the payout settles in their account. Most transfers leave a small window — a few minutes for mobile money, longer for bank deposits and cash pickups. Cancellation refunds the full amount including the fee.
ACH from a U.S. bank account (cheapest, takes 1-3 business days to clear), debit card (instant, no surcharge), and credit card (instant, small surcharge passed through from card networks). Wire transfers are accepted for larger amounts.
The flat fee. We charge $4.99 per transfer, which covers banking rails, compliance screening, payout partner fees, and a small margin. We don't make money on the exchange rate — we publish the mid-market rate you'd see on Google or Reuters. Simple business, intentionally.
The rate you see on the quote screen is locked for 30 seconds while you confirm. Once you confirm and pay, that's the rate that applies — even if the market moves before payout settles. If you walk away and come back, you get a fresh quote.
No. The amount we show as "recipient receives" is what they get — no surprise deductions. Some destination banks may charge their own deposit fee (rare and small), and we'll surface that in the quote if it applies to your selected payout method.
No. They just need a way to receive money locally — a bank account, mobile money number (M-Pesa, GCash, etc.), or a valid ID to pick up cash at a partner location.
Contact support immediately. If the money hasn't been picked up or settled yet, we can cancel and refund. If it's already landed, we'll work with the payout partner on a recovery — recoveries depend on the partner and country, and aren't guaranteed.
SMS notification at the recipient's phone number, in local language where supported. For cash pickup, we also send a reference code they'll show along with an ID at the pickup location.
To sign up: your name, address, date of birth, and SSN (last 4 digits initially — full SSN may be needed for larger transfers). To verify and unlock higher limits: a government-issued photo ID (driver's license, passport, or state ID). The whole flow takes under five minutes for most people.
Yes. Customer funds sit in segregated trust accounts at U.S. partner banks — they never mix with GlobeWire's operating capital. The platform is a FinCEN-registered Money Services Business and meets BSA/AML compliance standards. Sessions use 256-bit TLS, and data at rest is encrypted.
Federal anti-money-laundering law (USA PATRIOT Act § 326) requires money services businesses to verify customer identity. SSN is the identifier U.S. regulators specify for adults. We store it encrypted and only access it for verification and required reporting.
Click "Forgot password" on the sign-in page. We'll send a reset link to the email on file. If you've also lost access to that email, contact support and we'll walk through identity re-verification.