MoneyGram Fees in 2026: What a Transfer Really Costs, Limits and Alternatives

MoneyGram does not publish one fee. On the pages I could load, MoneyGram says the cost depends on where you send, how much you send, how you pay and how your receiver gets the money, and that paying with a credit card makes the fee slightly higher. What I could see for myself, in MoneyGram’s public send-money calculator on November 12, 2026, was a standard transfer fee of $3.00 on $100 to Mexico, $6.99 on $500 and on $1,000 to Mexico, and $1.99 on $100 to the Philippines. Each of those was struck through and replaced by $0.00 because of a “$0 fees for new customers” offer, and MoneyGram also earns money on the exchange rate, which is the cost most people miss.

This guide is for store owners and everyday senders who want to know what a MoneyGram transfer really costs before they hand over a card or cash. I run Ecommerce Paradise, and I care about transfer costs because every dollar lost between your bank and a supplier, freelancer or family member is a dollar that does not do its job. If you are paying overseas suppliers for a high-ticket dropshipping store, the percentage lost on a transfer matters even more because the orders are large. Everything below is as of November 2026 and comes from MoneyGram’s own US pages, the CFPB, the FTC and the providers I compare. Where a page did not show a number, I say “not shown on the pages I could load” and tell you where to look.

Disclosure: some links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The Wise and XE links are the affiliate links. The MoneyGram and government links go straight to the official pages. This is general information, not financial advice. Terms change, so check the provider before you send money.

MoneyGram Fees at a Glance (November 2026)

This table is built only from what MoneyGram’s US pages displayed to me. MoneyGram’s help page points to a logged-in estimator for the full list of send and receive options, and I did not create an account or sign in, so I have no logged-in fee schedule to show you.

How MoneyGram Fees Are Structured

The MoneyGram online terms split the cost of a transfer into pieces. There is a transfer fee charged by MoneyGram, taxes that MoneyGram collects, and other third-party fees that must be disclosed to you. All of these are supposed to appear on the disclosure generated with your transfer. For international transfers there is also the exchange rate, and that one is easy to overlook because it never shows up as a fee line.

MoneyGram’s fees help page says fees vary based on where you are sending, how much, and the payment and receive method you choose. That matches how most money transfer companies price. The practical takeaway is that you cannot read a rate card and know your cost. You have to run your own quote with your amount and country and look at the total.

The Transfer Fee

This is the visible fee. In the public calculator on MoneyGram’s Mexico page, the standard fee on a $100 send was $3.00. On $500 and on $1,000 it was $6.99, which tells me the fee does not climb in a straight line with the amount. As a percentage of the send amount, that is 3.00 percent at $100, about 1.40 percent at $500 and about 0.70 percent at $1,000 (6.99 divided by 500, and by 1,000). On the Philippines page the $100 standard fee was $1.99, or 1.99 percent.

These are my own calculations on four data points from a public calculator. They are not a published MoneyGram fee schedule, the page did not say which payment or receive method sat behind them, and I would not assume your transfer will match. MoneyGram’s page footnote says fees and exchange rates vary with transaction details such as the transfer amount, payment type, delivery method and pickup location, and are subject to eligibility limits.

The Exchange Rate Margin

MoneyGram’s own footer says it makes money from currency exchange, and it tells you to compare both the transfer fee and the exchange rate when choosing a provider. The terms go further. They say the rate for certain currencies is set by MoneyGram, and that any difference between the rate disclosed to you and the rate MoneyGram actually gets is kept by MoneyGram, or in some cases its agents, on top of the transfer fee.

In plain English, the rate you are quoted is not the mid-market rate you see on a currency chart. It includes a margin. The only way to see the full cost of a transfer is to compare how much the receiver gets in their currency, because that number reflects both the fee and the rate. I use the same approach in my guide to Western Union fees and exchange rate margin.

Taxes, Card Fees and the Receiving Bank

MoneyGram’s terms warn that the company providing your payment method may charge its own fees for using that method. They also say that fees from the receiver’s financial institution, and certain taxes or costs not imposed by MoneyGram, may not be reflected on the pre-payment disclosure or the receipt. Some destinations can also impose taxes, fees or tariffs on the receiver when they collect or access the money.

The CFPB says the same thing from the consumer side: the recipient’s bank may charge fees and the recipient’s country may impose taxes, so the recipient could get less than the amount shown. If your receiver is a supplier who needs a fixed invoice amount, build in a buffer or confirm how much actually lands.

What MoneyGram’s Public Calculator Showed on November 12, 2026

MoneyGram’s logged-in estimator was not available to me, but its public country pages include a small calculator. I opened the Mexico page and the Philippines page in a browser without signing in. Both pages carried a “$0 fees for new customers” banner, a “special rate on your first transfer” box and a fee line that showed a struck-through standard fee next to $0.00. Here is what I saw.

The page did not say which payment method or receive method these numbers assume, and the calculator’s own fee pop-up only explained that fees vary by amount and by the payment and receive methods chosen. Exchange rates move through the day, so treat these as one-day snapshots, not a price list. The Mexico rate also differed by amount (18.56 on the $100 run, 18.50 on the $500 and $1,000 runs), and the page did not explain why.

What the Rate Gap Is Worth

The struck-through rate and the special rate are not labeled further on the page, so I will not claim to know exactly what the struck-through figure represents. It does look like a regular rate that was replaced by a better first-transfer rate. The arithmetic is still worth doing, because it shows how a rate can matter as much as a fee. On the $100 Mexico run, 100 x 19.04 is 1,904 MXN and 100 x 18.56 is 1,856 MXN, a gap of 48 MXN, or about 2.6 percent. On the $1,000 run, the receiver gets 19,035 MXN at the special rate versus 18,500 MXN at the struck-through rate (1,000 x 18.50), a gap of 535 MXN, or about 2.9 percent.

The lesson is not that MoneyGram’s rate is good or bad. The lesson is that a 3 percent swing in the rate can wipe out a fee entirely, so a $0 fee headline tells you little without the rate next to it. That is also why I compare the total the receiver gets, not the fee.

The New Customer Offer: What Is and Is Not Shown

MoneyGram’s fee pop-up on the corridor page says that, as a new customer, your first transfer is fee-free. A footnote at the bottom of the page adds that the pricing is effective for the first online transfer only and excludes credit card payments, and that some receive countries are not eligible for the $0 fee and exchange rate promotions. I did not see an end date or a maximum amount. I also did not see a promo code, and I am not going to make one up. Mexico and the Philippines both showed the banner, but I did not check every country.

If you are a first-time sender, the offer is worth knowing about. But it applies once, so it says nothing about what your second and third transfers will cost. If you plan to send regularly, price the standard fee and the standard rate, because that is what you will pay after the first one.

Paying for a MoneyGram Transfer: Card, Bank Account or Cash

MoneyGram’s online terms list three payment methods for online transfers: an ACH debit from your bank account, a debit card and a credit card. They add that not every method is allowed for every type of transfer, and that the available ones are shown when you start. The help pages also describe paying cash at a MoneyGram location after starting a transfer online, and sending in the app, online or in person.

Credit Card

MoneyGram’s help page says that if you pay with a credit card the fees are slightly higher. It does not say by how much. It also warns that your credit card company may charge a cash advance fee and interest, which are your issuer’s charges, not MoneyGram’s. If you can use a debit card or a bank account instead, the quote is worth comparing.

Debit Card and Bank Account

For speed, MoneyGram’s app help page says that depending on the payment option and receive method, transfers can take from a few minutes to a few days, and that selecting a debit card as the payment option gives faster transfers. The terms add a cut-off for bank debits: if you start a transfer with an ACH debit on or before 5:00 p.m. Central Time on a business day, MoneyGram tries to debit that day, and later or non-business-day requests are debited the next business day. Card payments are not subject to that cut-off.

Cash at a Location

If you would rather pay cash, MoneyGram’s online help describes the steps. You start the transfer on your profile, pick “Cash at a location,” choose a store, and then visit with your payment and a valid photo ID within the time limit MoneyGram shows you. Pressure to pay quickly is a classic scam signal, which I cover below.

How the Receiver Gets the Money

MoneyGram’s pages say you can send to a bank account, a debit card, a mobile phone or mobile wallet, or a MoneyGram location, depending on the country. The Mexico page says MoneyGram serves 200+ countries and territories and has nearly 500,000 agent locations worldwide. The Mexico page lists cash pickup partners such as Elektra, Walmart, OXXO and Soriana, plus a list of bank names, and says transfers to Mexico can be available in as fast as seconds, though a footnote says transfers in seconds may not be available for all transactions.

Speed is not the same everywhere. MoneyGram’s terms say that timing depends on the destination, the payment and receive methods, and agent or bank operating hours, and that transfers over applicable limits, sent to certain destinations or sent with delayed delivery options can take longer. For payments to a bank account, MoneyGram says funds are credited under the receiving bank’s own policies and that it has no control over that timing. If a supplier is waiting on a payment before shipping, build in time.

Receiver ID and Reference Numbers

For cash pickup, the receiver needs the reference number you get after you pay, and in some locations a test question answer can replace ID. MoneyGram’s help page also says many agent locations will not pay out if the name on the receiver’s ID does not match the name you entered exactly. Confirm the spelling with your receiver before you send. The terms say never to share the reference number or test answer with anyone other than your receiver.

If cash is not collected, the terms say a cash transfer not collected within 90 days is treated as expired and MoneyGram has no obligation to execute it, so you should ask for a refund. Do not leave an uncollected transfer sitting.

MoneyGram Send Limits

The limit question is where I have to say “not shown.” MoneyGram’s help page says limits vary based on the payment method, send country, receive country and receive method, and that limits may also come from your bank, card issuer or debit card provider. It also says the number of transfers you can complete daily, weekly, monthly and yearly is set for your protection and may change with market trends, security needs and regulations. No dollar figure appears on that page.

MoneyGram also has a blog post on transfer limits. As I read it, it says online transfers have a per-transfer limit and a daily limit, that completing additional identity verification may unlock higher limits, that bank-funded sends can have different limits than debit card sends, and that the checkout screen shows the limit that applies to your transfer. It gives no dollar amounts either. So the answer is that the limit depends on your account and your transfer, and the number appears when you start sending.

ID Requirements

MoneyGram’s help page says it requires a valid ID to complete all money transfer transactions, and lists accepted forms of government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or a passport. The terms say MoneyGram must obtain, verify and record information that identifies people who open an account or start a transfer, and may ask for a copy of a driver’s license or other documents at any time. First-time senders verify their identity once, according to the Mexico page.

If You Need to Send More Than the Limit

The blog post says you may be able to split the amount over several transfers within the daily or rolling limits, and that higher limits may be available after more verification. It also warns that larger transfers may trigger extra reporting or documentation requirements and that MoneyGram cannot give tax or legal advice. For a large supplier payment, I would ask MoneyGram support what applies before sending and compare against an alternative, because splitting a large payment into pieces adds a fee to each one.

Cancellations and Refunds

MoneyGram’s cancellation help page says that if you are the sender, you can cancel from your Transaction History if you sent online or from the app, or through its self-service portal using your reference number, last name and date of birth and the receiver’s last name. For a transfer sent at a location, you can use the portal or return to the same agent. Transfers cannot be canceled once the receiver has collected the funds or the money has been deposited.

The refund rules are the part worth memorizing. MoneyGram says a cancellation within 1 hour of payment gets a full refund. A cancellation made more than 1 hour and up to 180 days after payment gets a refund of the send amount only, excluding fees. If you cancel online, MoneyGram’s refund page says the credit goes to your card issuer within 10 business days and may take longer to appear, and your card company may charge a cash advance fee and interest. A cash payment at an agent is refunded in cash.

The CFPB’s sending money guide lists what you should be shown before and after you pay: the total cost including fees and taxes, the exchange rate if one applies, and the total expected to reach the recipient. After you pay, the receipt should also say when the money will be available, what to do if there is an error and how to cancel. The pages I read do not say whether these protections apply to payments made for business purposes, so ask the provider and check the CFPB before relying on them for a supplier payment.

MoneyGram’s terms also state that, unless the law says otherwise, your maximum remedy against MoneyGram for a problem is a refund of the transfer amount plus refundable transfer fees. That is the reason to read the receipt on the spot and report mistakes right away. If you need help with a cancellation or an error, MoneyGram’s own disclosure lists 1-800-926-9400, but contact details change, so confirm them on MoneyGram’s site.

Scam Safety: Where Money Transfers Go Wrong

Money transfers are a favorite tool of scammers because the money is hard to get back. The FTC’s guide to wiring money advises against wiring money through companies such as MoneyGram, Ria or Western Union to anyone you have not met in person. It says that once you send the money you usually cannot get it back, that scammers can collect cash at locations worldwide and that you should contact the wire service right away if you sent money to a scammer. It also says to report fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

MoneyGram’s own terms add another layer that surprises many store owners. They say the online service may not be used to pay for internet purchases, to send a transfer on behalf of a third party, or to send money to anyone you do not know. They also say MoneyGram can refuse, stop or reverse a transfer, or suspend an account, if it has reasonable cause. Those terms are the December 2024 version of the online agreement as shown on MoneyGram’s US help page, so check the current text before you rely on them.

Is MoneyGram a Good Way to Pay Suppliers?

That depends on who you are paying, how much and how often, and I cannot tell you what is right for your situation. What I can do is list the points from MoneyGram’s own pages that matter for a store owner. First, the terms say the service is not for internet purchases and not for sending money to people you do not know, which describes many new supplier relationships. Second, MoneyGram’s help pages say you must show a valid ID for every transfer and that limits vary and show up at checkout. Third, if you pay the same supplier regularly, check whether MoneyGram currently offers scheduled sends for your transfer type, because I could not confirm that from the pages I could load.

A new supplier is exactly where you should slow down. My guide on how to find suppliers for high-ticket dropshipping shows how I vet a supplier before a dollar moves, and that process matters more than the payment method. Once you have a real supplier relationship, set up the business side properly. My guide to business formation for high-ticket dropshipping explains why a business entity and a business bank account make payments easier to document.

MoneyGram vs Wise vs XE

I did not run matching quotes across providers, so I will not tell you which is cheaper. Prices differ by corridor, amount and day. What I can show is how each provider describes its pricing on its official US page, so you know what to compare. For a broader roundup, see my international money transfer app guide.

Wise says on its pricing page that it uses the live mid-market rate and charges a small upfront fee, so what you pay and what the recipient gets are visible before you confirm. You can get a quote through Wise.

XE’s US page describes fees that start at $0 and says bank account transfers carry no additional fees while card payments carry a small extra fee, though it shows no schedule. You can get a quote through XE. For another option used by sellers who get paid from marketplaces, I break down Payoneer fees.

MoneyGram can still make sense when your receiver needs to collect cash or has no bank account, because that is where its agent network matters. Wise and XE are online-first and need you to fund the transfer by card or bank, and the right pick depends on how your receiver wants the money. My guide to sending money without a bank account goes through the cash-based routes. If you are weighing Wise against PayPal for store payments, my Wise vs PayPal guide covers it.

How to Run a Fair Comparison

Use the same inputs everywhere: the same send amount, destination, funding method and payout method, all on the same day within a few minutes. Write down the transfer fee, the exchange rate, the total you pay and the amount the receiver gets in their currency. Compare the last two numbers, because only the receiver amount includes the rate margin. Then check the speed and whether the provider accepts the account type you will use. My cheapest way to transfer money guide shows how I think about this for sellers.

A Worked Example With Made-Up Numbers

This example is hypothetical. The numbers are invented to show the math and are not quotes from MoneyGram, Wise, XE or anyone else. Assume the mid-market reference rate is 1 USD = 10.00 units of a foreign currency, and you want to send $1,000. The fee is added on top of the $1,000.

Provider B advertises a $0 fee and is the most expensive in this invented case, because its weak rate costs more than the fees on the other two. Provider C has the highest fee and the lowest total cost. That is the reason a “$0 fee” headline, including a new customer offer, needs the rate next to it. Run the same math on real quotes with a spreadsheet and redo it at the amount you really send.

How to See Your MoneyGram Total Before You Pay

MoneyGram’s Mexico page says that before you confirm a transfer you will see the exchange rate, your fee and the exact amount your recipient gets. Here is the process I would follow.

1. Start from the US MoneyGram site or app and confirm you are sending from the United States in US dollars.
2. Pick the destination country and enter the exact amount you plan to send.
3. Choose how the receiver gets the money: cash pickup, bank account, debit card or wallet.
4. Check each payment method you can use and note the fee, since credit cards cost more.
5. Read the rate, fee, total and receiver amount, and screenshot the screen.
6. Run the same quote on Wise and XE with the same inputs and compare the receiver amount.
7. After you pay, keep the receipt and reference number and check them against your screenshot.

MoneyGram Fees FAQ

How much does MoneyGram charge to send money?
There is no single number. As of November 2026, MoneyGram says the fee varies by where you send, how much, and your payment and receive method, and that credit cards cost slightly more. In its public calculator I saw standard fees of $3.00 on $100 and $6.99 on $500 and $1,000 to Mexico, and $1.99 on $100 to the Philippines, but those were struck through for a new customer offer. Run the quote at your amount for a real figure.

Does MoneyGram charge for the exchange rate?
In effect, yes. MoneyGram’s footer says it makes money from currency exchange, and its terms say the rate is set by MoneyGram and that any difference between the disclosed rate and the rate it receives is kept by MoneyGram or its agents on top of the fee. The amount your receiver gets is the best single number to compare across providers.

Is the MoneyGram $0 fee for new customers real?
It was displayed on MoneyGram’s Mexico and Philippines pages on November 12, 2026, and a pop-up said a new customer’s first transfer is fee-free. A footnote says it applies to the first online transfer only, excludes credit card payments and is not available for every receive country. I did not see an end date, and the exchange rate still applies, so treat it as a one-time promotion and check the quote before you pay.

Can I cancel a MoneyGram transfer and get my fee back?
MoneyGram says a cancellation within 1 hour of payment gets a full refund, and a cancellation after that and up to 180 days gets the send amount without fees, as long as the money has not been collected or deposited. The CFPB also describes a free 30-minute cancel window for covered international transfers. Check your receipt for the terms that apply to your transfer.

Is MoneyGram a good way to pay overseas suppliers?
It depends on your situation, and this is not financial advice. MoneyGram’s terms say the online service is not for internet purchases or for sending money to people you do not know, and the FTC warns against wiring money to anyone you have not met in person. Compare live quotes from MoneyGram, Wise and XE at your real amount, and vet the supplier before you send anything.

Bottom Line on MoneyGram Fees

The practical way to price MoneyGram is to treat it as three costs: the transfer fee, the exchange rate margin and any fees from your card issuer or the receiving bank. In my November 12, 2026 look at its public calculator, the standard fees ran from $1.99 to $6.99 on four sample amounts before a new customer offer brought them to $0.00, and the page showed no end date for that offer, though a footnote limited it to the first online transfer and excluded credit card payments. The limits, the exact fee for your payment method and your first-transfer terms are only shown once you start a transfer, so I cannot quote them.

Run the quote, compare the amount the receiver gets against Wise and XE using the method above, keep your screenshots and act within the first hour if you spot a problem. If you want a store where payments, suppliers and margins are already thought through, start with the free mini course or let me build it with you. Remember this is not financial advice, terms change and you should always check the provider before you send.

One more habit that pays off: record every international payment with the quote you saw, the fee, the rate and the amount the receiver got. After a few payments you will know which method gives you the most value, and the high-ticket niches I recommend work best when the margin has room to absorb payment costs. For a store setup that handles this from day one, my team can help.

Related Articles

If you are comparing ways to move money for your store or your family, these guides go deeper on the alternatives.

• Western Union Fees (November 2026): Transfer Fees, Exchange Rate Margin and Total Cost
• How to Send Money Without a Bank Account in 2026: Options, Fees and Limits
• Wise Alternatives (2026): 7 Money Transfer Options Compared by Fees and Payout Method
• Cheapest Way to Transfer Money Internationally in 2026
• How to Send Money to Mexico From the US in 2026: Options, Fees and Speed

Trevor Fenner

Trevor Fenner is an ecommerce entrepreneur and world traveler from Seattle, Washington, and the founder of Ecommerce Paradise, a platform focused on helping entrepreneurs build and scale profitable high-ticket ecommerce and dropshipping businesses. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Trevor specializes in high-ticket dropshipping strategy, niche and product selection, supplier recruiting and onboarding, Google & Bing Shopping ads, ecommerce SEO, and systems-driven automation and scaling. Through Ecommerce Paradise, he provides free education via in-depth guides like How to Start High-Ticket Dropshipping, advanced training through the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass, and fully done-for-you turnkey ecommerce services for entrepreneurs who want a faster, more hands-off path to growth. Trevor is known for emphasizing sustainable, real-world ecommerce models over hype-driven tactics, helping store owners build scalable, sellable, and location-independent brands.

He maintains homes in Seattle and Bali, spends most of the year overseas, and usually returns to Seattle for about a month each summer.

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