The United States of America is the largest source of international remittances in the world, and Nigeria ranks among the top beneficiaries of such remittances. In 2021, an estimated $18 billion was the value of remittances coming from the USA into Nigeria, and over $106 billion in the last five years. These remittances account for an immense contribution to the household income of Nigerians. This article explains several avenues to send money from the United States of America to Nigeria.
These are the various ways to send money from the USA to Nigeria:
-
MoneyGram
Money can be sent to Nigeria from Nigeria using MoneyGram, either online or in person. To send money online using the MoneyGram website or mobile app is easy to do. Before any transaction can be made, the sender in the USA must create an account with money, which is free and takes a couple of minutes. After successful account creation, using the mobile app or MoneyGram website, the sender should log in to the MoneyGram portal and select a receiver, of which the full details and description of the recipient are required to be provided and also the amount to be sent, and method of receiving payment. The next step entails the sender selecting the desired option to make the payment from, that is, debit card, prepaid card, credit card, or bank account. The confirmation process allows for a review of the information provided and shows the transaction fee to be charged. Then the final step is to send money by clicking the send button. The transaction is completed as fast as possible as the recipient in Nigeria would receive the money in a matter of minutes.
-
WorldRemit
WorldRemit is one way to send money from the United States to Nigeria with several options that include Cash pickup, International Bank Transfer, Mobile Wallet, and Airtime Top Up. With thousands of WorldRemit local partner networks around the globe that serve as a hub of payment between the customer and WorldRemit, one can send money to Nigeria from the USA using the Cash pickup option. What is required of the sender to perform the Cash pickup is a means of identification, that is, a Government issued document that is in-date, clear, and readable, and personal details of the sender, the recipient’s full name matching his/her means of identification, the recipient’s account details, that is, account name and account number, as well as the amount to be sent. Through the review process, then payment is the next step to finalize the transaction, of which the accompanying transaction fee, exchange rate and the amount to be collected in Naira, are made known to the sender. Normally, it takes an average of 3 minutes for the recipient to be able to receive the money at a supported location within WorldRemit local partner network. The recipient in Nigeria would be sent a transaction reference via SMS once the payment is made available, which would be used to collect the money, alongside a valid means of identification showing the recipient’s full name supplied in the transaction and photo. Express Union, WafaCash, Credit Populaire, United Bank for Africa (UBA), and Express Exchange have supported Cash pickup partners in Nigeria.
Then there is the international bank transfer option that can be done from the convenience of any smartphone, tablet, or computer. To do this, a WorldRemit account has to be created on the website or the application platform. Upon successful account creation with WorldRemit, the process of sending money across the globe using this option is quite a stroll in the park. To send money, log in to the WorldRemit account created, then select Nigeria as the country to send money and input the amount to be sent in the required space. The next phase would be to provide the details of the recipient in Nigeria, such as full name, address, phone number, account number, and BIC/SWIFT code. The Bank Identification Number (BIC) or SWIFT code is to confirm the exact bank the money should go to. It can be gotten using an online BIC/SWIFT code finder. To complete the transaction, the sender can make payment using any of the following; checking account, debit, prepaid or credit card, Apple Pay, Trusty, Mobile Money, Klarna, and iDEAL. Before confirmation of the payment, the fee charged by WorldRemit would be displayed, as well as the exchange rate and the money to be received in Naira. The speed of transactions is instant. The following Nigerian banks are eligible to receive funds from WorldRemit; Zenith Bank, Union Bank (now Titan Trust Bank), Polaris Bank, Access Bank, First Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), and Guarantee Trust Company (GTCO).
-
Xoom
Xoom offers the opportunity to send money from the United States to anywhere across the globe using a mobile phone, tablet or, computer. The steps involved in sending money from the USA to Nigeria are hereby described. The first thing to do is to sign up for a free account with Xoom. With the account set up, the next step is to log into the Xoom portal, either through the Xoom app or the website, and select money transfer options where the recipient’s name and country would be required, in this case, select Nigeria, then the amount to be sent, and delivery method. The delivery methods employed by Xoom include Cash Pick-Up, Bank Deposit, and Door-to-Door delivery. The third step is the provision of the recipient’s information such as the full name of recipient, address, bank name of recipient, and account number. Then, enter payment information either a checking account, debit, or credit card. The next step before completion of the transaction is the review of provided details and subsequent confirmation of the transfer. The processing fee charged by Xoom for each transaction varies, $4.99 for using a bank account, while $15.49 for making use of a Credit or Debit Card.
It takes between a day to four working days for the transaction to be effected depending on the funding source, that is, four working days when using a checking account, and a day or less when using a debit or credit card. The money is disbursed to the recipient in Nigeria in Naira. The integrity of Xoom’s platform is secured by a 128-bit data security encryption that protects all information exchanged between customers and the Xoom website. Xoom, which is owned by Paypal, is certified by third-party privacy organizations and regulated by State and Federal United States Government agencies.
Conclusion
There exist other avenues for sending money from the United States of America to Nigeria, notable mentions being Western Union, Wise, Remitly, Currencyfair, among others.