In fact, 7.1 million Americans don’t have a bank account.
So if you find yourself needing to send money to someone who doesn’t have an account at a bank, check out the list below. I’ve covered ways and money transfer apps that you can use to send money to someone even if they don’t have a bank account.
Table of Contents
How to Send Money to Someone without a bank account
Here’s how to send money to someone without a bank account…
1. Money Order
Using a money order can be a good idea because a person doesn’t need a bank account to receive one.
Money orders are sort of like a check only they are better because they are a more trusted method of payment. This is because money orders are prepaid.
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I actually wrote a post all about money orders and where you can get a money order near you.
2. PayPal
I would recommend using PayPal because you can send money to people for free. And the money is usually transferred pretty fast as well. There are no fees to send money to family and friends within the US if you use your PayPal balance or bank account or a combination of the two to send the money. You will have to pay a fee though if you send the money via a credit card or debit card.
The recipient can then use their PayPal account to buy stuff at retailers that support this as a payment option, or they can request a check. It normally takes 1 to 2 weeks to get a check from PayPal.
Get the app:
3. Walmart
You can head into your local Walmart store where you can use Walmart2Walmart (Powered by RIA) or MoneyGram to send money across the US. Funds can arrive with the recipient in as little as 10 minutes. Fees start at $4 and vary depending on how much money you’re sending.
Get the app:
4. Xoom
Xoom is an app that is good if you want to send money abroad to someone who doesn’t have a bank account. And you can also send money within the US.
Xoom is a service from PayPal that you can use to send money in a few ways. This includes sending cash for pickup at thousands of partner locations around the world or having the cash delivered right to your recipient’s door. You can send money within the US and to more than 160 countries.
It does charge fees which vary depending on things like the country you are sending the money to and the amount you send. For most transfers, the money is available to the recipient within minutes, but some transfers can take up to a few days.
Get the app:
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5. Prepaid debit card
Prepaid debit cards work like a regular bank card, but you don’t need a bank account in order to use one. Instead, you load the money onto the card and then give the card to the recipient. The recipient can then use the card.
Banks and financial institutions offer prepaid debit cards, and you can pick them up online and at major retailers, gas stations, and convenience stores. You simply pay the amount that you want to put on the card online or at a retail location. You can reload the card and the recipient can too. You may have to pay a couple of dollars for the plastic card, but some sellers do provide the card for free.
6. Venmo
Next on the list we have Venmo. This is a great app for transferring money as it is so easy to use. It’s similar to PayPal. It’s a digital wallet that you can use to send money to people.
It doesn’t charge you a fee if you send money from a linked bank account, debit card, or your Venmo balance. But it does charge you a fee if you send money to someone from a credit card.
When the recipient gets the funds, they can access their money through a Venmo debit card. The recipient will need to request a debit card in the Venmo app. The recipient can then use the debit card like a regular debit card (anywhere that MasterCard is accepted), so they can get cashback with it and pay for things, or they can use it to withdraw the funds from an ATM.
Get the app:
7. WorldRemit
With WorldRemit, you can send money to mobile money accounts and locations for cash pickup. The good thing about WorldRemit is that you can send money to more than 130 countries with it. If you’re looking to send money internationally, then it’s a good option.
It does charge fees, but these vary depending on things like the country you’re sending the money to and how much money you’re sending. You can get zero fees on your first transfer with this offer.
According to WorldRemit, 90% of its transactions are completed within minutes. The time that it takes for the recipient to get the money depends on where you are sending the money.
For some countries, the recipient gets the cash instantly and for other countries, it can take 1 to 2 days. To see how long the international bank transfer will take, make sure that you select the country that you are sending money to.
Get the app:
8. Western Union
With Western Union, you can send money to people within and United States and abroad as well.
You can send money to more than 200 countries and territories.
It offers online and in-person money transfers from the United States. And you can actually send money to mobile wallets too. So, your recipient won’t need a bank account to receive the funds.
The time it takes for the recipient to receive the funds varies. For some options, like the Money in Minutes service for pick up at an Agent location and mobile money transfers, it takes just minutes for the recipient to receive the funds.
Fees vary depending on things like how much money you’re sending and the country that you are sending the money to. You can get an estimate of fees here.
Get the app:
9. Facebook Messenger
With Facebook Messenger, you can send money to people using a bank-issued debit card or PayPal account.
There are no fees to send money with Messenger, which is great. In most cases, the money is transferred right away but it can take up to 5 business days for the payment provider to post the money in the recipient’s account.
The recipient can then connect a PayPal account to their profile to receive the money you sent. They can then use the PayPal balance to pay at merchants that accept this as a payment method, or they can request a check from PayPal instead. It takes about 1 to 2 weeks to get a check from PayPal.
Get the app:
10. Google Pay
Google Pay is option for sending money to someone without a bank account. You can transfer the money and the recipient can then send the funds to their PayPal account.
So this works in a similar way to Messenger, where the recipient can either use the PayPal balance to pay for stuff (where that payment method is accepted) or they can request a check from PayPal.
When sending money through Google Pay, the time it takes for the recipient to receive the funds depends on the payment method you used to send the funds. Most payments are sent instantly or in a few hours unless you send a payment via your bank account – in that case it can take up to 3 to 5 business days for the recipient to get the funds. Google Pay doesn’t charge fees, which is good!
Get the app:
Send Money Safely
It’s not too difficult to send money to someone who doesn’t have a bank account. You just have to be careful and use only legitimate sites, apps and payment services.
Fortunately, as you can see, there are lots of apps and services that facilitate money transfers that don’t require the recipient to have an account at a bank.
This is so handy if you’re needing to send money for a service or to pay for something like your portion of the check at a restaurant for example.
If you’ve been wondering how to send money to someone without a bank account give these options a try. And if you have any tips of your own, please share them with us in the comments section below.
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