# Cheap way to transfer funds from the US to the UK? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 10, 2005, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-transfer-funds-from-the-us-to-the-uk/325607 "2005-10-10T18:19:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-transfer-funds-from-the-us-to-the-uk/325607/1 "2005-10-10T18:19:31Z")
I need to transfer a couple thousand dollars from my bank account in the US (BoA) to another bank account in the UK. What are my options? Are there any 3rd party options (other than Western Union)? What are the costs involved? Which is the cheapest option? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-transfer-funds-from-the-us-to-the-uk/325607/2 "2005-10-10T21:44:44Z")
Your bank should be able to do an electronic transfer for you. My bank charges around $15 for this. Going the other way (US to UK) I’ve even turned up to my US back with a cheque and they treated it just like a check. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-transfer-funds-from-the-us-to-the-uk/325607/3 "2005-10-11T00:31:38Z")
The only option my bank offers is a Wire Transfer, which costs $45 for the sender ($15 if I’m the receiver). I was hoping for something cheaper. I can transfer from the US to India for free, using a 3rd party solution. I was wondering if there was something similar for US to UK. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-transfer-funds-from-the-us-to-the-uk/325607/4 "2005-10-11T02:12:16Z")
About 3 years ago I had to transfer money to Australia. I found Western Union to be most satisfactory. You do have to watch the exchange rate, and be sure that the recipient gets the right amount regardless of what it equates to on your side. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-transfer-funds-from-the-us-to-the-uk/325607/5 "2005-10-11T03:23:11Z")
Will a check from my US bank account be accepted at a bank in the UK? If so, will there be any additional cost involved, apart from the exchange rate thing? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-transfer-funds-from-the-us-to-the-uk/325607/6 "2005-10-11T06:01:16Z")
They’ll accept a cheque, but make a hefty charge and take forever to process it. How about using Paypal? ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-transfer-funds-from-the-us-to-the-uk/325607/7 "2005-10-11T21:02:49Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > How about using Paypal? I don’t trust PayPal. They froze my account for “suspicious activities” when indeed no activity ever occurred on the account, incoming or outgoing. Attempts to resolve the issue with them have been futile. Western Union charges a US$114.00 fee on a US$2000 transfer. I guess if I don’t learn of a better way by this weekend, I’ll just have to do a Wire Transfer. Thanks for your answers.