Mid-market rate 1 GBP = 1.346941 USD (ECB reference, 2026-04-28). Below: how much us dollar the recipient actually receives at three common send sizes, after each provider's margin + fixed fee.
At a $5K-equivalent transfer, Wise delivers $141.44 more to the recipient than Western Union — a 2.11% end-to-end difference.
| Provider | Recipient gets | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
RevolutCheapest App-native; free within plan limits, then ~0.5–1% margin. | $1,340.21 | £5.00 0.5% |
Wise Mid-market FX with a small explicit fee. | $1,339.39 | £5.61 0.56% |
OFX No fixed fee; B2B-grade margins on $1K+ transfers. | $1,335.49 | £8.50 0.85% |
Xe Established broker; competitive on mid-size transfers. | $1,334.15 | £9.50 0.95% |
Western Union Largest cash-pickup network globally; pricier on FX. | $1,308.39 | £28.62 2.86% |
Remitly Remittance-focused; cash-pickup networks in receiving countries. | — | — |
| Provider | Recipient gets | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
WiseCheapest Mid-market FX with a small explicit fee. | $6,702.91 | £23.61 0.47% |
Revolut App-native; free within plan limits, then ~0.5–1% margin. | $6,701.03 | £25.00 0.5% |
OFX No fixed fee; B2B-grade margins on $1K+ transfers. | $6,677.46 | £42.50 0.85% |
Xe Established broker; competitive on mid-size transfers. | $6,670.73 | £47.50 0.95% |
Western Union Largest cash-pickup network globally; pricier on FX. | $6,561.46 | £128.62 2.57% |
Remitly Remittance-focused; cash-pickup networks in receiving countries. | — | — |
| Provider | Recipient gets | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
WiseCheapest Mid-market FX with a small explicit fee. | $13,407.31 | £46.11 0.46% |
Revolut App-native; free within plan limits, then ~0.5–1% margin. | $13,402.06 | £50.00 0.5% |
OFX No fixed fee; B2B-grade margins on $1K+ transfers. | $13,354.92 | £85.00 0.85% |
Xe Established broker; competitive on mid-size transfers. | $13,341.45 | £95.00 0.95% |
Western Union Largest cash-pickup network globally; pricier on FX. | $13,127.80 | £253.62 2.54% |
Remitly Remittance-focused; cash-pickup networks in receiving countries. | — | — |
For each provider:
Provider margins are typical retail-customer figures observed on each provider's own price calculator across major corridors (last reviewed 2026-04-29). They vary by corridor, time of day, payment method, and account tier — get a real-time quote at the “Quote” link in the table for your exact transfer.
We assume bank-funded online transfers, which is the cheapest path everywhere we sampled. Debit / credit-card funding adds 1–3% on top across providers. Western Union's walk-in cash price is meaningfully worse than online; we model online.
Provider links are nofollow + sponsored. Not financial advice. See disclaimer.