A Guide on the Cheapest Way to Send Money to China in 2026

How to get the greatest amount of CNY in your Chinese bank account.

Whenever you send money from overseas into China, you want to be sure you’re using a money transfer service that’s going to get you the most CNY for your money.

We’ve put this guide together to help you make that decision based on actual transfer amounts from some of the leading money transfer options available today.

Note that the estimates below are based on the exchange rate from June 2026, currently around US$1 = CNY6.76. The CNY amounts move with the rate, so always check a live quote before you send.

Moreover, this guide will show you what to watch out for, what services charge the least amount of fees, and which services to avoid altogether. A good idea is to always check out Wise before making an online money transfer, as they consistently offer some of the lowest fees and best exchange rates for sending money abroad.

What to Watch Out for When Sending Money to China

Before sending money to China, there are three crucial things that you should consider: transfer fees, exchange rates, and transfer speeds.

Let’s look at each one more closely.

Transfer Fees

Generally speaking, when sending money from your home bank account into a bank account in China, you will pay one of three types of fees.

• fixed fee
• percentage fee
• combination fee

Fixed Fees

One of the first fees you will encounter when sending money to China is a fixed fee, which is the same no matter how much money you send.

For example, Wells Fargo Bank charges US$8 (plus exchange rate fees) regardless of whether you send US$1,000 or US$10,000 to China.

This makes bank transfers one of the cheapest options for sending large amounts of cash to China.

Percentage Fees

In contrast to fixed fees, percentage fees increase with the amount of money you send to China.

For a US$1,000 transfer using Wise, for example, you’d pay 1.26 percent, or US$12.60, in fees.

Because you’re charged based on the total amount you send, percentage fees can be costly when sending large amounts of money into the country.

Combination Fees

Lastly, combination fees are a mixture of both fixed fees and percentage fees.

PayPal’s Xoom uses this kind of fee structure, which is why it remains one of the more expensive money transfer service providers on our list.

Remember, though, that high fees aren’t the only thing you need to check for to get the most CNY on the receiving end. You also have to consider exchange rates.

Exchange Rates

With the exception of Wise, it’s uncommon for banks and providers of online money transfer services to give you mid-market rates, so double-check that the rate is close to the mid-market rate on XE Currency Exchange Tool.

Along with transfer fees and exchange rates, it’s also important to consider transfer speeds, which is next on our list.

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Transfer Speeds

Knowing how long transfers will take is helpful if you need to make monthly payments or maintain your financial stability throughout the transfer process.

On average, it usually takes one to three business days to transfer money into China from abroad using banks, Remitly, or Wise.

If you use Western Union, though, you could receive your money in minutes, but you’ll have to pay much higher costs as a result of the faster delivery.

To help you better understand the various ways you can send money to China, let’s look at your choices.

Money Transfer Service Options

When transferring money into your Chinese bank account, you have quite a few options. Let’s look at each one closely.

Remitly

Remitly is one of the cheapest options for sending money to China. Bear in mind that you can only transfer money to Alipay or WeChat Pay, not directly to a Chinese bank account. Remitly offers both Express and Economy delivery to China, with Express funded by debit card arriving in minutes for amounts up to US$2,999.

One thing expats report: when money lands in Alipay or WeChat Pay, the recipient is sometimes asked to link a bank card or finish an identity check on their phone within a short window, often 48 to 72 hours, before the transfer clears. Tell your recipient to expect this so the money does not get held up. Note too that foreign nationals in China generally cannot send money abroad through Alipay, so Wise tends to be the better tool for sending in the other direction.

For first-time transfers, Remitly doesn’t charge any fees and offers a fair mid-market exchange rate. After the first transfer, they will charge roughly US$3 for US$1,000 transfers.

Alipay and WeChat will charge fees on their end. Alipay charges US$7.71, and WeChat will only charge when you withdraw money from your WeChat account into your bank account.

Banks in China will charge a US$10 fee as well.

On a US$1,000 transfer to China, you’d get about CNY6,711 in your Chinese bank account.

Instarem

The Instarem service has a clear, transparent website which makes it easy to get a quick quote.

Instarem has special rates and zero fees for new customers on their first transfer up to US$500. They also have no limit on the amount you can send.

Transfers usually take 1 to 2 days to land in the receiver’s bank account.

As a new user sending US$1,000 to China from the USA, you will get about CNY6,741.

If you become a regular user of Instarem, you will pay a percentage transfer fee of 0.25% to 1.00% depending on the countries you’re sending to and from and your method of payment.

Wise

Wise provides mid-market exchange rates, which makes them appealing to expats in China who are looking to save money on transfer fees. Wise also supports Alipay as a payment method for transfers up to CNY50,000, with no minimum limit and Alipay available around the clock.

If you want to use the service, you will be charged a percentage fee comparable to fees charged by other providers.

When sending US$1,000 to China, for example, Wise charges a percentage fee of US$13.28. You’ll also have to pay another fee depending on how much you send.

• Bank debit (ACH) – US$2.59 fee
• Wire transfer – US$5.64 fee
• Debit card – US$11.27 fee
• Credit card – US$37.44 fee

Today you will get about CNY6,657 for US$1,000 using the cheapest possible option, which is a bank debit (ACH) transfer.

If you transfer money from Monday to Thursday, Wise will get you your money within 24 hours.

When it comes to security, Wise has a fraud team that provides you with real-time warnings, data protection, and other services.

Aside from having a user-friendly website, Wise is also available on Android and iOS.

Check out our in-depth review of Wise.

MoneyGram

MoneyGram now has hundreds of branches all over the USA and around the world. They have an easy-to-use website, but they don’t have the best rates. They are still a convenient option for many people.

They offer a fixed fee of US$1.99 on debit card transactions. But that fee jumps to US$32.99 if you need to use your credit card. You can send up to US$10,000 to China.

A big benefit is that the money will be ready for your receiver within a couple of hours of sending it.

If you send US$1,000 today with MoneyGram, your friend in China will receive about CNY6,742.

Western Union

When it comes to transferring money, Western Union is not typically your cheapest option, but to China it actually yields a decent amount of CNY.

Western Union takes about 2 percent of the exchange rate of international transfers to China, and the company doesn’t charge any fees if you opt for a bank transfer.

Going this route, you’d get CNY6,562 for a US$1,000 transfer into the country, minus a US$10 Chinese bank fee.

Unfortunately, you can only send a maximum of US$7,396 (CNY50,000) to China with Western Union.

Using a bank transfer, it would take up to four days to get your cash. For quicker options, you’d have to pay a bit more in fees.

• Credit card: US$29.99 fee
• Debit card: US$2.99 fee

PayPal (Xoom)

You can also transfer money to a bank account in China using PayPal’s service, Xoom.

Xoom charges 2.25 percent in exchange rate fees and doesn’t charge for bank transfers.

This means that if you send US$1,000 to China, you’d get CNY6,488 into your Chinese bank account, minus the US$10 Chinese bank fee.

You could use your debit or credit card to transfer money into China as well, but then you’d pay US$30 in fees in both instances.

The drawback to using Xoom is that you can only send a maximum of US$7,396 (CNY50,000) to China.

On the other hand, Xoom offers one distinct advantage over competing services: speed. In China, you may expect to get your money in three hours or less.

Since all Xoom transfers are encrypted and subject to fraud monitoring, you can rest assured your money will be safe.

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Moreover, the website’s navigation is straightforward, and it is capable of connecting to your PayPal account. It is also accessible on Android and iOS.

Bank Wire Transfers

You need to report if you send more than CNY50,000 to China. Even if you send less than the regulated amount, your transfer may be reported, as the government is always on the lookout for fraud and money laundering. If you aren’t doing either, you are good to go.

Note that from January 2026, Chinese banks must apply stricter identity verification on transfers exceeding RMB5,000 or the equivalent of US$1,000, as part of tightened foreign exchange controls. Banks are expected to upgrade their systems to require facial recognition for these transactions. Keep your passport and account documentation handy when sending larger amounts. If you are an expat receiving your salary or reimbursements, have your employment contract, visa, and tax certificates ready, as banks can and do request them.

When sending money to China through a bank transfer, you’d have to pay more fees than if you use an online money transfer service provider.

Most banks will have a wire transfer fee of anything from US$0 to US$50, a currency exchange fee of usually about 1 to 5 percent of the amount you are sending, and often a Chinese bank fee of around US$10.

All banks and financial institutions will charge their own fixed fee and their own exchange rates.

Below is a list of a few US banks as examples of the wire transfer fee to China. See our guide on opening a bank account in China if you need a local account to receive funds.

• Bank of America: US$0 if sent in foreign currency; US$45 if sent in U.S. dollars.
• Chase: US$5 if sent in foreign currency up to US$5,000; US$40 if sent in U.S. dollars.
• Wells Fargo: Varies branch to branch between US$8 and US$18.

Due to the fact that your bank may not have a specialized app for international money transfers, using a bank is significantly more time-consuming than using Remitly or Wise.

ATM Withdrawals

ATM fees are charged by the majority of banks in China.

They may charge as much as CNY20 (US$2.96) to CNY30 (US$4.44), not including the fee your home bank will charge, usually around US$5, when using your home country’s debit card.

Also, ATMs in China have daily and per-transaction withdrawal limits. These can vary from bank to bank.

As a general rule, you can withdraw CNY2,500 (US$369.82) per transaction and a maximum of CNY20,000 (US$2,958.58) per day.

A tip to remember is that all ATMs in China use six-digit PINs, whereas most countries use four-digit PINs.

Because of this, the bank may not accept your home country’s debit card. If this is the case, you have to add two 0s before your PIN number. Before you do this, check with the bank, as you don’t want your card swallowed.

The next tip is to try and use an HSBC, Citibank, or Scotiabank ATM in China if you have one of those bank accounts in your home country, as the fees may be reduced.

Cryptocurrency

For people wishing to use Bitcoin ATMs in China, there are none in the country.

Cryptocurrencies in general are banned in China, as the government wants people to use the digital yuan instead. Attempting to use unofficial money exchange agents or crypto channels to circumvent China’s foreign exchange rules is illegal and exposes you to scams and serious legal risk.

The Best Method to Send Money To China

As you can see from the table below, Remitly is your best choice when sending US$1,000 to China. And as you get closer to US$10,000, it remains the best overall option.

Method	Speed	Send US$1,000	Send US$10,000
Remitly	1 to 3 days	CNY6,745	CNY67,452
Instarem	1 to 2 days	CNY6,730	CNY67,374
Wise	1 to 3 days	CNY6,659	CNY66,590
MoneyGram	Several Hours to 1 day	CNY6,616	CNY65,626
Bank Transfers	2 to 3 days	Too many variables	Too many variables
Western Union	Several Hours	CNY6,562	NA
Paypal Xoom	Several Hours to 1 day	CNY6,488	NA

Now that we have some basic figures from the table above, let’s look at some specific countries.

Country-Specific Recommendation

If you’re sending money to China from the U.S., the U.K., or Canada, here are your cheapest choices.

United States

Remitly is the cheapest way to send US$1,000 from the U.S. to China, giving you slightly more than Western Union and brick-and-mortar banks.

Additionally, should you have to send large sums of money into the country, your best bet is to stick with Remitly, as they beat banks with transfers of US$10,000.

United Kingdom

With Remitly‘s “pay what you want” feature for international transfers of up to GBP2,000, it makes sense for U.K. expats in China to use this service over the others.

Even when sending up to GBP10,000, Remitly still comes in as the cheaper option when compared to banks.

Canada

When transferring money from Canada to China, Remitly is your cheapest choice for large and small amounts of CAD.

A CAD1,000 transfer through Remitly would get you about CNY5,010 as opposed to roughly CNY4,924 from Wise.

Now, on to You

Remitly is currently the cheapest option when sending money to China from any of the major Western countries listed above.

But to be certain you’re getting the cheapest transfer possible and the most CNY in your Chinese bank account, check out Wise for the most recent rates and low fees.