Mid-market rate 1 GBP = 1.328758 USD (ECB reference, 2026-10-28). 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 $139.58 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. | $1,322.11 | £5.00 0.5% |
Wise Mid-market FX with a small explicit fee. | $1,321.29 | £5.62 0.56% |
OFX No fixed fee; B2B-grade margins on $1K+ transfers. | $1,317.46 | £8.50 0.85% |
Xe Established broker; competitive on mid-size transfers. | $1,316.13 | £9.50 0.95% |
Western Union Largest cash-pickup network globally; pricier on FX. | $1,290.66 | £28.67 2.87% |
Remitly Remittance-focused; cash-pickup networks in receiving countries. | — | — |
| Provider | Recipient gets | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
WiseCheapest Mid-market FX with a small explicit fee. | $6,612.40 | £23.62 0.47% |
Revolut App-native; free within plan limits, then ~0.5–1% margin. | $6,610.57 | £25.00 0.5% |
OFX No fixed fee; B2B-grade margins on $1K+ transfers. | $6,587.32 | £42.50 0.85% |
Xe Established broker; competitive on mid-size transfers. | $6,580.67 | £47.50 0.95% |
Western Union Largest cash-pickup network globally; pricier on FX. | $6,472.82 | £128.67 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. | $13,226.29 | £46.12 0.46% |
Revolut App-native; free within plan limits, then ~0.5–1% margin. | $13,221.14 | £50.00 0.5% |
OFX No fixed fee; B2B-grade margins on $1K+ transfers. | $13,174.64 | £85.00 0.85% |
Xe Established broker; competitive on mid-size transfers. | $13,161.35 | £95.00 0.95% |
Western Union Largest cash-pickup network globally; pricier on FX. | $12,950.52 | £253.67 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.
Last reviewed
April 29, 2026
Reviewed by
infoz Editorial Team — Editor, ZMedia Global Corp
Provider margins reviewed quarterly across major corridors. Mid-market reference rates from ECB 2026-10-28.
Numbers, schedules, and source citations on this page are checked against primary sources during each review cycle. Spot something outdated or wrong? Report an inaccuracy — we triage every report within 7 days.
Provider links are nofollow + sponsored. Not financial advice. See disclaimer.