How our site works

TheCurrencyShop is a transparent international money transfer comparison website and blog. Our money transfer comparison tables are organized by default from the lowest to the highest cost to you, taking into account transfer fees and exchange rates. It’s necessary to compare like this as often providers advertise ‘low’ or ‘zero’ transfer fees, but in reality they may add a markup to the exchange rate, making transactions more expensive than most people realize. By looking at the total cost (fees + exchange rates) it makes it easy for you to decide which service may be right for you.

In 2021 TheCurrencyShop was acquired by Wise, a company that provides international money transfer services. Wise was founded, in part, to bring transparency to the industry, with a pricing model that clearly shows users the total costs of their transfers. Wise remains committed to keeping TheCurrencyShop transparent, and Wise’s offer goes through the same process as other providers on the comparison tables. That means when Wise are the cheapest, they’re top of the table, and when they’re not, they’re not. It’s that simple.

There are a few more important things to know about TheCurrencyShop, so keep reading.

Comparison disclaimer

  • The comparison table shows how much it costs to send money internationally, between the currencies specified, using each of the providers we’ve listed. It also shows the amount the recipient gets.
  • Our comparison results are sorted by default from the lowest cost for you in your chosen currency to the highest cost for you.
  • We base our price comparison on data we've collected from providers. Data is collected in one of two ways:
  • 1) Partners share their data with us as part of certain contractual agreements. This data is typically close to real-time.
  • 2) Sample data is taken from providers’ websites on specific dates. This means that it may be inaccurate as we are estimating their fees based on sample data we’ve gathered in the past. We do this because it may be the only way we can display some of the providers in our table as there isn’t a real-time alternative. We only estimate data for large brands we don’t have partnerships with because we understand that users want to compare brands who they know and trust.
  • We only compare bank-to-bank transfers and in cases where a provider has a paid plan, we use the free plan.
  • We do not compare all available money transfer providers. There are simply too many, and to add them to our website and maintain their presence incurs a cost. Therefore we have certain indicative criteria when deciding which providers we include that helps make sure the providers are relevant to you and are a fit for the type of comparison we do at TheCurrencyShop. You can check those criteria below.
  • We have no hesitation in listing a provider on the comparison table who might provide a cheaper option than Wise for a given international transfer.

Indicative criteria for listing partners

  • The ability for the partner to share pricing so that we can display the results in the price comparison table transparently.
  • Partners need to be able to offer us commercial terms in line with the thresholds that we set. TheCurrencyShop is free for users, but there are costs associated with running the website. TheCurrencyShop makes its money from commissions we receive from partners.
  • Partners need to be established and relevant to customers. That means: being in business for at least 4 years, having a monthly search volume of a minimum 15,000, and having over 2,000 reviews on Trustpilot.

We may list providers who we don’t have a partnership with because we understand that users want to compare against big brands they know. These providers may not have a partnership program, or they aren’t willing to work with us. Listing them is done on a more ad hoc basis as collecting the data is time and resource intensive. Typically a provider like this would have at least 1,000,000 in monthly search volume.

General Information

  • No currency trading. TheCurrencyShop is a comparison website only and is not a currency trading platform.
  • We do not provide financial advice. All information on TheCurrencyShop does not constitute financial advice. It is based on research rather than tailored advice aimed at individuals. You must always consult with a qualified financial advisor before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on TheCurrencyShop.
  • No warranties. Please be aware that when you use TheCurrencyShop website, you use the information provided at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong. Although we make reasonable efforts to update the information on TheCurrencyShop, we make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content of the Website is accurate, complete or up to date, and WE DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. While we make reasonable effort to give you accurate product and provider information at the point of publication, price and terms of products and deals can be changed by the provider shortly afterwards, so always verify the information on the provider’s official website. We also disclaim any warranties that the Website will operate in an uninterrupted or error-free manner or is free of viruses or other harmful components.

Third Party Content

  • We sometimes include links to other websites, however we are not responsible for their content.
  • Some of the content posted on the website has been commissioned by us, but is the work of independent contractors. These contractors are not employees, workers, agents or partners of Wise and they do not hold themselves out as one. The information and content posted by these independent contractors have not been verified or approved by us, and do not represent our views.

Other Provisions

  • No Contractual or Fiduciary relationship. We expressly disclaim any contractual or fiduciary relationship with you on the basis of the content of TheCurrencyShop Website, any you may not rely thereon for any purpose.
  • We do not investigate the solvency of companies the providers mentioned on the Website.

Affiliate disclaimer

  • Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that we may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase. However, please note that this does not affect our evaluations and comes at no cost to you.
Ileana Ionescu
Content manager
With a background in business journalism, Ileana is an experienced content manager, creating content for Exiap that helps its audience make informed decisions about their finances.
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Last updated
July 7th, 2023