Ria Money Transfer Review
Exchange rates, Payment methods, How to, Transfer fees and much more
Sending money reliably online can be a hassle. You either trade in the convenience of an easy, accessible transfer for high fees and costs, or you pay less but have to go out of your way to transfer funds. With companies such as Ria, you can have both lower-cost transfers and easy access to sending and receiving funds.
One of the largest international money transfer companies, Ria has a worldwide network covering more than 140 countries. That allows travellers and expatriates easier access to send and receive money from home, even in smaller dollar amounts.
Ria offers both in-person money transfers and online transfers. With more than 350,000 international locations, sending and receiving money can be quick and painless. However, online transfers are limited to customers in the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, and Australia.
If you refer your friends to Ria, you may receive a bonus such as an Amazon gift card when your friends make their first transfers.
The company also offers multiple options for funding transfers, including bank transfer, credit card, debit card, or cash.
Their exchange rates are not as competitive as many other money transfer services. However, many users like the speed of transfers with Ria, as well as the easy access to transfers.
- Set up your free account with Ria. You will need to provide your name, address, contact information, banking details, and proof of identification.
- Book your rate by selecting where you want to send money to. You can do this online or at an agent location.
- Provide details about the person you’re sending money to.
- Select how your recipient will get the money. Delivery is available by bank deposit or pickup at an agent location. Some areas also offer home delivery of cash.
Ria offers a few options for funding your online money transfers:
- Bank account
- Credit card
- Debit card
- Cash (when transferring from an agent location)
Your recipient can receive their money in one of three ways:
- Bank deposit
- Cash pickup at an agent location
- Home delivery (in select locations only)
Ria’s transfer fees depend on where you’re sending money, how much money you’re sending, and how you’re funding the transfer.
The “Check Prices” tool on the Ria website allows you to see both your anticipated exchange rate and any fees associated with your transfer. If you determine the fees you are quoted are too high, you can adjust the amount you’re sending or the method you’re using to fund the transfer to bring the fee down.
For example, if you are sending $1,000 USD to the Philippines, there is no fee for paying with a bank account or with cash. Paying with a debit card will cost you $5 USD, and paying with a credit card will cost you $12 USD.
Most methods of receiving money don’t incur any fees, but there is usually a charge for home delivery in the areas where that service is available. This fee is pretty nominal, $3 on the above $1,000 transfer to the Philippines, for example.
The fees and exchange rates Ria quotes may differ depending on whether you’re using the website or sending money at a physical agent location, so compare quotes before you initiate a transfer.
In the money transfer industry, Ria’s exchange rates are less competitive than some other options. However, they do not charge you as much as some other companies do to send money internationally.
Many services charge a markup on the mid-market exchange rate as a way to make more money. Generally, this rate hovers around 1%. Ria’s exchange rate markup is typically between 1.5% and 2.5%, making them more expensive than many options.
However, some money transfer companies charge a markup on exchange rates more in the 3% to 5% range, so Ria falls right in the middle.
Pros and Cons of Ria
Pros
Presence in a wide range of countries, with more than 350,000 locations in over 140 countries.
Easy to send and receive money.
Money is often sent quickly.
No minimum amount you can send.
Pay with a bank account, credit card, debit card, or cash.
Home delivery available in certain areas.
Low or no fees if sending with a bank account or using cash.
Cons
Online sending is only available in the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, and Australia.
Home delivery is only available in certain areas.
You must verify your bank account with microdeposits, meaning it can take a few days before you’re able to send money.
Lower transaction limits than other services, $2,999 in one transaction or $7,999 over 30 days.
Higher exchange rate markup than some other providers.
Rates may be different when sending online versus in an agent location.
Fees can add up quickly, depending on how you fund the transfer.
Banks
However, individuals also must use a specific branch of a bank to transfer and receive money. This makes banks a less convenient option for travellers or those only temporarily living in a country. Banks also charge higher fees than online money transfer services.
Money transfer companies such as Ria are more accessible and available to customers all over the globe. With their wide array of physical locations, as well as the ability to send money online, people in a large part of the world have access to send and receive money with Ria.
Traditional Money Transfer Providers
However, many of these companies restrict how users can send and receive money. They limit these options for their own convenience and make it more difficult for individuals to get money where it needs to be.
Additionally, because of the larger network of agent locations, money transfer companies can be very expensive to run. This may mean that the fees that come with traditional money transfer companies can be higher than a bank. This can put transfers out of reach for many people.
Ria has both physical locations and an online service, so their fees tend to fall somewhere between services such as Western Union and online-only transfer companies.
Other Online Money Transfer Companies
Because these online-only services, including Remitly, Transferwise, WorldRemit, and others, don’t operate physical locations, their fees tend to be lower than other options. They do not have to pay as many employees or maintain physical buildings, so they can pass those savings to their customers. This leads many consumers to choose online money transfer companies because they offer lower fees and better exchange rates.
Ria is a blend of both traditional money transfer services and online options. This means they include both the positives and negatives of both options. For example, Ria offers better access than banks as well as convenient online transfers in select countries. However, because they operate physical locations, their fees and exchange rates often are higher than other all-online options.
Other Money Transfer Providers
Ria makes money two ways:
- By charging fees to send money to other countries.
- By marking up their exchange rates
How much you are charged in fees depends on where you’re sending money to, how much you’re sending, and how you are funding the transfer. If you are paying with a credit card or debit card, you will be charged more in fees than if you’re sending with a bank account or paying in cash.
The person receiving the funds can opt to have their money delivered direct to their door. However, this option costs more and, because of this, you will pay additional fees for this method of delivery.
Ria charges between 1.5% and 2.5% markup on the mid-market exchange rate. This is higher than some other online money transfer platforms but lower than other options such as banks.
This exchange rate markup, plus their fees for sending funds, puts Ria somewhere in the middle of money transfer options in terms of the overall cost.
Ria is available for online transfers in the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, and Australia via its website. There also is an app available for download on Apple and Android devices.
In all other countries, sending money by visiting an agent location is your only option. Ria has more than 350,000 individual agent locations worldwide, and you can walk into any one of them to transfer money.
Ria is considered a very secure way to send money, as the platform is well-regulated around the world.
The company uses sophisticated security measures to protect individual financial information and payment data. They also comply with all government and other regulations regarding data security, financial management, and international currency transfers in the countries where they operate.
Some of the ways Ria protects users’ money and information include:
- Sophisticated security and modelling to identify suspicious login attempts and transactions.
- Industrial-strength online and offline security designed to protect data and personal information.
- A team of security experts who regularly review suspicious transactions.
- Not storing debit or credit card information on their servers.
Over the last 30 years, Ria has transferred billions of dollars internationally for millions of customers.
Ria offers secure international money transfers between individuals in the same country or in different countries.
Additionally, Ria offers Xe.com, which provides exchange rate information, as well as HiFX, a dedicated online currency exchange service.
What Countries Does BMO Allow You To Send Money To?
Ria has more than 4,000 customer reviews on consumer rating site Trustpilot, with an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Customers who rated Ria high, point to the service’s speed in transferring money, as well as how easy it is to complete a transaction.
User Abu said he previously used Western Union for money transfers for more than 18 years, but recently switched to Ria. He has been pleased with the service and claims they are the “best” money transfer service.
Customer Dylan V. uses Ria to send money to his mother in Jamaica, and he wanted a secure way to send money to her account. He has been happy with the service, saying the money reaches his mother’s bank account quickly.
However, not everyone is pleased with the service provided by Ria. Many users who leave negative reviews say their transfers took longer than anticipated and that the company held their money. Additionally, users say customer service is difficult to reach and has long hold times.
User Dawa said his sister sent him $1,000, but Ria has not yet released his funds. Despite calling them several times and waiting on hold for two hours, he was never able to talk with a representative.
Customer John said his friend sent him $1,000 and the transaction was cancelled by Ria. However, his friend was never refunded the money for the canceled transaction, and he gets hung up on whenever he tries to contact customer service.
You cannot completely avoid paying Ria’s fees if they are required for your transaction.
However, because Ria charges fees depending on where you send money, how much you send, and how you fund the transfer, you may be able to decrease the fees you are charged. Ria tends to charge lower fees if you pay with a bank account or cash, so changing your funding method may decrease the amount you have to pay.
How much you pay in fees with Ria depends on a few factors:
- Where you’re sending money to.
- How much money you’re sending.
- How you’re funding the transfer.
If your recipient selects home delivery of their funds (in select areas only), there is an additional fee for this service.
There is a “Check Fees” section on Ria’s website which allows users to see how much they can expect to pay for their transfer. Use this tool to estimate the total cost of your money transfer and adjust any items necessary to decrease your overall cost.
If you need to cancel a transfer, log in to your account and view your recent orders. Click “Cancel” next to the order you want to cancel, and fill out the details.
Ria says they make every effort to cancel transactions but cannot guarantee a cancellation until their local payout partner confirms that the funds have not yet been paid out to your recipient. If the funds haven’t been paid out, you will be refunded. If the funds were paid out, the transfer cannot be cancelled and you cannot receive a refund.
Here are the following methods available:
Customer Service Phone:(877) 443-1399
Address:6565 Knott Ave., Buena Park, CA 90620
You also can contact Ria using the form on their website.
Founded in 1987, Ria began as a way to transfer money easily from one country to another. The company expanded in 1993 by becoming licensed in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and opening offices in Spain.
The country rapidly expanded from there, including France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Switzerland, Belgium, and Greece. In 2014, Ria began working with Walmart to provide the Walmart-2-Walmart money transfer service. This allows people to easily exchange money between Walmart’s network of more than 5,000 stores.
The company has continued to expand its global partnerships, and now operates more than 350,000 agent locations in more than 140 countries.
Ria is one of the largest money transfer companies in the world, offering service to a broad network of countries. Since they were founded more than 30 years ago, they have sent billions of dollars for millions of customers, protecting their transfers with strict security measures.
While Ria may be more expensive than some online money transfer options, they do have positives that make them a great choice. They offer wide availability and multiple options for sending and receiving money, giving users lots of choices in sending money internationally.