Send and Receive Money In Mexico
City in Mexico
Need an emergency money transfer to Mexico? Want to send money to Mexico for a friend or relative with a liquidity problem? Here are ways to transfer money to Mexico. Is there a limit to how many dollars you can change to pesos? Sometimes. This changes all the time. The amount you can convert TO pesos in Mexico generally has little to do with the amount of money you can have sent to you in Mexico. Before you ask someone to send you money, find out if there are limits that day by going to a bank, Western Union office, Wal-Mart, or an Elecktra department store and asking.
Don’t forget the obvious – you can get money (if you have any in your account) from your own bank via an ATM. I’ve had friends deposit money in a branch at home and retrieve it via an ATM in Mexico. Easy-peasy.
Although Western Union, Elektra, and Wal-Mart are the most well-known and reliable ways to send money to Mexico, that are other choices for sending money, especially in emergencies.
Wells Fargo, Citibank, Bank of America, Scotiabank, Compass Bank, and others have branches in Mexico. This could change anytime, but you can probably still pick up money at the US consulate or embassy. This link will take you to a list of all consulates, embassies, and consular offices in the world. Search for Mexico. You’ll see each office and a Google map. There’s a link to each office’s page. See their website.
First of all, do not panic. It will work out. Stuff happens to people traveling anywhere in the world and the USA, and there are solutions. I used to personally help people in trouble, but after getting my feelings hurt by some ungrateful people who burned me, I no longer get involved. So please don’t write to me asking me to help. The US consulates can help you, and it is their job.
Send Money to Mexico: The Cheapest Way
This is the area of sending money that is most likely to change the moment I write about it. Many companies offer cash cards or debit cards that you can send to your friends or relatives in Mexico. There seems to be a new one every month, so I have given up recommending new ones. Just read the fine print and see that you don’t pay a fortune in fees.
I used Xoom a couple of times, and it worked fine. Its fees are also low.
Western Union and other established companies
The old standbys like Western Union, Wal-Mart and the US Postal Service, and others are still a popular way to get money to people in Mexico, though they do take a literal mordida out of the total. But they have come down in price, so they are reasonable now. See this list for a list of agencies and banks and costs from some US cities. (They keep changing the page, so if this does not get you where you want to go, click on the Profeco site and type in type “Enviar Dinero” in the search box (Buscar).
Travelers Express (now merged with Moneygram) has relationships with Banorte banks in many cities and smaller agencies in small towns (www.moneygram.com). However, compare their fees. These things change, so I am not putting them here, just telling you to compare.
You can get money sent to you by Western Union, and it can be picked up in a matter of minutes at 2,700 telegraph offices or 400 Elektra department stores, which are open from 9 a.m. to 9 PM or Wal-Marts. Western Union now charges the sender either $10 to send $300 or a flat fee of about $30 for up to $1,000. However, your recipient is charged a fee at the other end that can amount to about 10 percent. Its fast but expensive.
Wal-Mart is a very convenient way to send money to Mexico. Their fees are low, and they are dependable. The money can be picked up at a local Wal-Mart or any MoneyGram location. While there are not as many as there are Elektra stores, there are plenty. Check out the receiving locations before you ask a friend to send you money.
Bank of America and Wells Fargo have relationships with Mexican banks and transfer billions of dollars to Mexico annually.
Receive Money in Mexico: Emergency
In emergency situations only, if you wish, money may be sent through the consulate. The most secure way is by establishing a Department of State trust fund. This service is available only to U.S. citizens on an emergency basis. Through this, depositors establish a trust account in a recipient’s name in order to send funds overseas. Upon receipt of these funds, the department authorizes disbursement to the recipient from the appropriate U.S. embassy or consulate. Overseas Citizens Services Trust (OCS) takes approximately one working day, and funds are disbursed in local currency. The State Department has a $20 processing fee for this service. The forwarding of funds will be delayed if the sender fails to provide the recipient’s overseas location. There are several options to make these arrangements.
Sending money in Mexico by Western Union: If the sender has a major credit card, he or she may telephone Western Union at 800-325-6000 (or 4176). Likewise, they may tell the local Western Union office that they wish to purchase a money order for the desired amount, plus $20 (State Department’s fee), made payable to the Department of State. A message with the sender’s name, address, and telephone number, as well as the name and overseas location of the recipient, must accompany the money order. Western Union charges a fee based on the amount sent. The money order and message are sent to Overseas Citizens Services, Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20520. Funds are normally received electronically at OCS within several hours. The Department of State has a Western Union check writer in their office, and an officer is available to receive funds during business hours.
Sending money in Mexico by bank wire transfer: It may take one to three days to process a bank wire transaction. If the sender chooses this option, they must tell the bank that they want to wire the desired amount, plus $32, to NationsBank, Department of State Branch, 2201 C St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20520, at 202-624-4750, via ABA number: 114000653; account number: 7476363838; account name: Pupid State Department; Special Instructions: OCS/Trust for Benefit of (Recipient’s Name), U.S. Embassy/Consulate (City, Country); and include the sender’s name and telephone number. The wire instructions must include the recipient’s full name and overseas location. NationsBank notifies the State Department when funds are received. The $32 fee includes the $20 Department of State fee and NationsBank’s $12 wire fee.
Sending money in Mexico by overnight or regular mail: The sender obtains a cashier’s check or money order for the desired amount, plus the $20, made payable to the Department of State. A letter must be attached with the sender’s name, address, and telephone number, as well as the name and location of the overseas recipient. Mail to: Overseas Citizens Services, CA/OCS, Rm. 4811, Department of State, 2201 C St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20520. Regular mail can take seven to ten workdays before it is received, and even overnight mail may not reach the department for several days.
Important notice to those who receive funds at the consulate: To request funds from a trust account, office hours are between 8 and 11 a.m. The person collecting the money must present a government-issued form of identification. If the person collecting the money is other than the recipient, a written request specifying the name of the person authorized to receive the funds from the recipient to disburse the funds will be required. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to call the American Citizen Services Section of the U.S. consulate in Ciudad, Juarez, at 011-521-613-1655.
Bancomer BBVA and Wells Fargo
Bancomer (BBVA) has a deal so that you can transfer money from U.S. post offices in California and Texas to their 2,400 branches in Mexico.
Wells Fargo has a deal with Banamex whereby someone in the United States opens an account for an annual $10 fee and then pays $10 for each wire transfer. Banamex automatically opens an account for the recipient. The transfer can take from a day, which is unlikely, to five days at outside.
A simple bank-to-bank transfer can vary in cost from $25 to $45 and take between one and three days. My personal advice while you are just traveling around, looking for your spot to land, is to take about $1,500 in cash and use the ATM card for anything else you need. Traveler’s checks are no longer a great deal as they are hard to cash, but you may feel comfortable having an emergency stash of them. I don’t.
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