Mid-market rate 1 USD = 3.6725 AED (ECB reference, 2026-04-28). Below: how much uae dirham the recipient actually receives at three common send sizes, after each provider's margin + fixed fee.
At a $5K-equivalent transfer, Wise delivers AED 388.85 more to the recipient than Western Union — a 2.13% end-to-end difference.
| Provider | Recipient gets | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
RevolutCheapest App-native; free within plan limits, then ~0.5–1% margin. | AED 3,654.14 | $5.00 0.5% |
Wise Mid-market FX with a small explicit fee. | AED 3,650.49 | $5.99 0.6% |
OFX No fixed fee; B2B-grade margins on $1K+ transfers. | AED 3,641.28 | $8.50 0.85% |
Xe Established broker; competitive on mid-size transfers. | AED 3,637.61 | $9.50 0.95% |
Western Union Largest cash-pickup network globally; pricier on FX. | AED 3,562.78 | $29.88 2.99% |
Remitly Remittance-focused; cash-pickup networks in receiving countries. | — | — |
| Provider | Recipient gets | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
WiseCheapest Mid-market FX with a small explicit fee. | AED 18,274.38 | $23.99 0.48% |
Revolut App-native; free within plan limits, then ~0.5–1% margin. | AED 18,270.69 | $25.00 0.5% |
OFX No fixed fee; B2B-grade margins on $1K+ transfers. | AED 18,206.42 | $42.50 0.85% |
Xe Established broker; competitive on mid-size transfers. | AED 18,188.06 | $47.50 0.95% |
Western Union Largest cash-pickup network globally; pricier on FX. | AED 17,885.53 | $129.88 2.6% |
Remitly Remittance-focused; cash-pickup networks in receiving countries. | — | — |
| Provider | Recipient gets | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
WiseCheapest Mid-market FX with a small explicit fee. | AED 36,554.25 | $46.49 0.46% |
Revolut App-native; free within plan limits, then ~0.5–1% margin. | AED 36,541.38 | $50.00 0.5% |
OFX No fixed fee; B2B-grade margins on $1K+ transfers. | AED 36,412.84 | $85.00 0.85% |
Xe Established broker; competitive on mid-size transfers. | AED 36,376.11 | $95.00 0.95% |
Western Union Largest cash-pickup network globally; pricier on FX. | AED 35,788.97 | $254.88 2.55% |
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.