Since the end of 2014, the dollar (USD) has more than doubled against the ruble. If you are getting paid in dollars, I think you are happy with the situation. If not, then there is reason to think about how to start earning money in dollars. Now there is a big incentive to focus on clients abroad.
In addition to rising exchange rates, the pockets of local clients were emptied. Everyone depended in one way or another on the well-being of the oil sector. Oil workers are no longer ready to waste money as they used to, which means that the enterprises serving their business receive less money. They, in turn, pay less to those who serve them. And so along the chain the whole country felt the decline business activity, demand for goods and services.
So, you have found a buyer for your goods and/or services in the distant United States. I'm talking about small businesses, private transfers up to 1000 USD. The question is how the client can transfer money to you. There are few “normal” paths.
Bank transfer
If you are interested in a transfer through a bank legally associated with commercial activities— . It is important what will be indicated in the purpose of payment. A typical transfer fee will be from $35 (paid by the sending party). When sending $100, it’s no good.
Previously, there were banks with branches in the states and it was possible to receive money as if through an operation within the bank, i.e. no commission at all. When I was still doing science, I had to open an account in one of these banks in case of grants. Now, due to sanctions, I don’t know whether such channels remain. Both parties must open an account in such a bank and that’s it.
Americans conveniently pay in two ways: PayPal and Visa/Mastercard.
PAYPAL
PayPal for Russian citizens works in a truncated version. You can pay for services, but you cannot receive money (at least) from the USA. A transfer from the USA via PayPal will remain in the “pending” status indefinitely until it is eventually cancelled. You will not be provided with any explanation when attempting to transfer money.
Visa/Mastercard
Yandex-Money and other Russian payment systems that accept plastic refuse to accept cards issued in the USA. If you need a permanent transmission channel Money, then the ideal option is to get a card issued in the USA in your hands. Then the client will be able to top up the account associated with the card in their home states, and you will cash out money through an ATM in Russia. The card can be sent by mail.
WebMoney
WM seemed like the ideal option to me. But this option only works with Europe and, probably, Canada. The US senders had some problems. The client was able to create an account, but was unable to top up the account with a card issued in the USA. For mini transfers this would be an ideal channel due to the low commission of 0.8%. It would be worth some money Banking services, but not 35 USD. :)
Western Union
This option is fail-safe, but the ripping off is severe. Use if you couldn't find another option.
The cost of a transfer greatly depends on the amount and speed. Instant transfers are very expensive. Here is the price grid for transferring money from the USA to Russia via Western Union:
| Amount sent from the USA, USD | Commission for instant transfer,USD | Commission for WUpay transfer (3-4 banking days), USD | actual %, instant transfer |
| 50 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 100 | 14 | 11 | 14 |
| 150 | 18 | 12 | 12 |
| 200 | 18 | 12 | 9 |
| 250 | 32 | 23 | 12,8 |
| 300 | 32 | 23 | 10,6 |
| 400 | 40 | 24 | 10 |
| 500 | 50 | 25 | 10 |
| 750 | 76 | 33 | 10,13 |
| 1000 | 96 | 35 | 9,6 |
The optimal transfer amount is up to 1000 bucks, judging by the table - $200. When filling out a form at the bank, indicate the purpose of the payment as financial assistance. The sending party must indicate your first and last name and, preferably, patronymic in accordance with the transliteration rules accepted in the system. These rules do not correspond to those adopted by the Federal Migration Service (when transliterating Cyrillic names for documents, for example, foreign passports).
Correspondence table of the Russian and Latin alphabet according to WesternUnion
How to transfer money from the USA to Russia? Do sanctions limit transfers? Which one of available ways the most profitable?
There are more than 10 ways to transfer money from America to Russia. Already introduced and planned sanctions and anti-sanctions restrictions on transfers individuals there is no overlap between the two countries.
How to transfer money from America to Russia using the SWIFT system
This is the easiest way to transfer money, available anywhere in the world. But to deposit funds you will need an open bank account. And if money is transferred from your account to your account, then the bank in Russia will also require a certificate from tax office, since a citizen of the Russian Federation is obliged to notify the Federal Tax Service about the opening of accounts outside the country. Just a few years ago this procedure was not difficult. But now, in addition to submitting information about opening an account, it is required to provide a quarterly statement, certified by the bank’s seal, about the movement of funds in a foreign account. Previously, such a document was required only from legal entities. Now individuals must do this too.
To make a SWIFT transfer, you need to contact any American bank. The amount of the transfer fee depends on: the sender's bank (each institution sets the commission at its own discretion), the amount, the recipient (for example, when paying for tuition, the commission may not be charged), the location of the recipient (a specific city, village, etc.).
Typically, the fee for transferring funds using the SWIFT interbank communication channel is 1-2%, but not less than a certain amount, which is usually $30-60. Therefore, very small translations will be quite expensive. It usually takes several days for money to travel from America to Russia. If funds are needed urgently, and untimely enrollment may lead to complications, it is recommended to deposit at least 7 days.
The commission can also be set by the bank to which the money is received. Therefore, you need to clarify in advance whether the institution in which the account is opened with the Russian recipient charges a fee for depositing funds from abroad. If yes, then the smartest thing to do is open an account with another bank.
Sberbank, which has the largest branch network, has not taken such a commission until now. But immediately before making a transfer, it is recommended to double-check the conditions for crediting funds, as they may change.
Transfers from America to Russia without opening an account
If the recipient does not have a bank account and it is not possible to open one, for example, the money is transferred to himself, you can resort to the services of one of the payment systems. The most famous of them are Western Union and Money Gram.
How to transfer money from America to Russia using Western Union
Payment system Western Union- this is one of the most accessible and popular methods of transferring from the USA to the Russian Federation, but not the most profitable.
Advantages:
- Democratic conditions. You do not need to open an account to send/receive money. It is enough to come to one of the company’s branches with your passport to receive money.
- Safety. The payment system has been operating since 1851. During this time, the company has acquired a reputation as a reliable and responsible partner.
- Large number of branches. According to information posted on Western Union's official website, the payment company has more than half a million customer service points.
Flaws payment system:
- High commission. It can reach 5 or even 10%. The company has a flexible tariff system, so interest rate for the direction USA - RF no. The size of the commission is affected by: the transfer amount (the smaller it is, the higher the percentage); currency; specific city where/from where the transfer is made.
- Small communities may lack representation.
When filling out a transfer application, it is important to correctly indicate the recipient's name. It must correspond to the entry in the passport. At first glance, this is obvious and simple, but when transcribing (translating a name from Cyrillic to Latin), errors often occur. To be sure of the correct spelling, it is recommended to use alphabet correspondence tables from Western Urion.
Money Gram transfers
The operating conditions of this payment system are similar to the conditions of Western Union. The average size the commission is approximately the same or slightly less. Which one to choose depends on the location of the recipient and the sender. Money Gram is not very common in Russia. Fewer banks work with it than with Western Union. But it has a more developed network in New York.
Other ways to transfer money from America to Russia
Available and reliable payment systems also include: Ria, TransferWise. They are less common than those listed above, and therefore have fewer customer service points.
The PayPal system, with which Russians can pay for purchases, is not available for transfers from America to Russia. Not all users know about this, so excesses often occur when the money sent “hangs” between the sender and the recipient. The reason is simple: PayPal operates in a limited mode in the Russian Federation. Therefore, not all functions of the payment system are available to Russians.
As you can see, making a transfer from the USA to Russia is not at all difficult. But translate regularly small amounts unprofitable. Therefore, if you have the opportunity and desire to help Russian relatives, it is recommended to make rare transfers in the amount of 3-6 thousand dollars or more. Then the costs for the services of banks and payment systems will be minimal.
. . Date: April 14, 2015. Reading time 6 min.
Cashless transfer via Western Union - 1.5% of the amount, transfer via CONTACT - 3%. Find out what documents are needed and the procedure for making the translation and alternative options from the article.
Case: Make a transfer to the USA – 50,000 rubles. to determine the profitable way.
Western Union
This is the most famous and widespread method around the world money transfers, which has proven itself to be a safe and responsible partner, however, the commissions here are not the smallest (this should be taken into account). The official website of the system is http://www.westernunion.ru! All possibilities and tariffs are listed there. It is noteworthy that even within Western Union there are several opportunities for sending our abstract amount of 50,000 rubles (of course, your amount can be any other).
In our case we're talking about about transfers to non-CIS countries (USA), therefore, first of all, the tariffs are interesting - what will be the commission for sending:
Based on the amount in rubles, we see that for sending 50,000 rubles we will have to pay the system 2,528 rubles, which is a little more than 5%.
Within the same system, you can make a transfer to a recipient’s account outside Russia, without opening your own account.
Indeed, here the tariffs, as we can see, are significantly lower - only 1.5% (750 rubles, plus, to our amount), except for China and Vietnam. To send, you will need very little information:
- Name of the bank
- Recipient details (full name)
System "Contact"
Another more than popular system is Contact. It also offers a lot of translation opportunities.
It is attractive that you can make an online calculation of how much money you will lose when sending by entering the minimum required data and the amount itself.
If you start this procedure, you will see that it is carried out in US dollars:
At the exchange rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation as of March 21, 2015, 50,000 is 832.86USD! We change the data and enter the table again, and as a result we get:
24.96 US dollars is 1498.45 rubles. Simply put – 3% of the total transfer amount. Not the best small percentage. Sending funds is possible in several ways, as is the case with WesternUnion:
- Transfer from any service point
- Mobile transfer
- Via terminal
- From card to card
- Via Internet Banking
- With insurance
Let's consider an option with a minimum of restrictions - a visit to a service point. The scheme is as follows:
- Come directly to the box office.
- Tell the operator the country and, accordingly, the city of destination, as well as the exact amount of the transfer (for us it is 50,000 rubles) and the recipient’s details (full name - as in the passport).
- Present your own identification document for verification and control.
- Provide the transfer amount along with the commission.
- Receive a transfer control number from the operator.
- Tell the recipient the exact amount, control number, sometimes you need to tell the address where you can receive the payment.
Transfer from card to card from Tinkoff
IN modern world Almost everyone uses international cards (Visa, MasterCard), and this can and should be used.
Tinkoff Bank offers the possibility of transferring from card to card, that is, regardless of where the recipient is now, the money will be on his card, which is very convenient, but what about the tariffs?
Of course, there is a system for promoting cards from the bank itself, but at the same time, if the recipient has a card issued by Tinkoff, the benefit is obvious:
That is, we see that our 50,000 rubles, if they are transferred to a card of the same bank, will be credited without any commission. Otherwise, it will be 1.5% (750 rubles).
All actions are carried out online, just enter the card details, yours and the recipient’s.
Bank transfer (Avangard bank)
Finally, I would like to consider the possibility of a bank transfer, but without opening an account by the sender (using the example of Avangard Bank).
There are a number of nuances here:
- Sending is not possible in rubles - only in US dollars (for convenience, we will carry out conversion when making calculations).
- The commission is 1% of the total transfer amount, but it cannot be lower than 25 US dollars. Based on our amount, 1% of 50,000 (832.86USD) is 500 rubles (8.3286 USD). That is, the interest rate, which is profitable at first glance, does not reach 25 USD, and we will have to pay it in any case. This is 1500.85 rubles .
The departure procedure is similar to the point about Western Union:
- Name of the bank
- Bank code BIC as well as IBAN (account number)
- Recipient details (full name)
All data relates, of course, to the recipient.
Let's sum it up
As part of summing up, it is important to conclude which method is more relevant for our case with an amount of 50,000 rubles. For an objective assessment, let's create a table:
Thus, the following conclusions can be drawn:
- Optimal start Tinkoff map so as not to pay any commission at all.
- If this option is not suitable, then Western Union, transfer to a bank account and the same Tinkoff (non-residents of the bank) are equally good methods.
- And finally, if the amount is more than 50,000, then it makes sense to consider the last option, where the commission percentage is only 1%, but there is a minimum limit.
It is worth focusing on the current circumstances and the possibilities of translation, and you already have the main options for the development of events.
To another. Bank commission is usually 1%. To do this, you and the recipient need to have the same payment system (for example, Visa). Translation can be done in bank branch your card issuing bank or through an online payment system, if supported by your bank. If the recipient is entity For example, you pay for a purchase online, then the money is transferred directly on the store’s website. Although not all American stores work with foreign credit cards.
The most common method of transferring between individuals is using a system fast transfers Moneygram and Western Union. These companies have a wide network of dealers around the world, thanks to which the recipient can pick up his money within 10 minutes after sending, even if the distance between you is huge. You will have to pay a fee for transferring funds. Usually it is about 5-10%. You can also send a free message of up to 10 words with translation.
In order to make a transfer through WU or MG, you need to do the following. Go to the office of one of the transfer systems or to a bank authorized to receive and send money on behalf of these systems. Provide the cashier with information about the recipient (name, surname, patronymic, city and country where he will collect the money) and provide information about himself in the form of an identification document. Give the cashier the money you want to transfer and pay the transfer fee. Receive a special payment number with which you can track the transfer (in the WU system it is called Money Transfer Control Number, in Moneygram - Reference Number).
Next, you need to notify the recipient that money has been sent to his name through a certain payment system. You can tell him the payment number, but this is not prerequisite to receive money. After 10-15 minutes, the recipient can pick up the transferred funds at the company branch by presenting an identification document.
You can also transfer money using a regular bank transfer, which takes longer but is cheaper. To do this, you need to inform the bank:
- last name and first name of the recipient;
- the amount of your transfer and the currency in which you will transfer funds;
- details of the account from which money will be transferred;
- beneficiary's account details (number, bank details);
- type of transfer (urgent – 1 day, regular – 3 banking days).
Discuss in advance with the recipient who will pay for the transfer. You can take it entirely upon yourself, that is, pay the commission of your bank and the recipient’s bank (if it takes money for this service), or pay only your part. Typically, banks in the Russian Federation take 1% of the transfer amount.
For lovers electronic money There is a PayPal option. This system is very common in America. Payment is made via online wallet With credit card or bank account. Transfer of funds between PayPal members is possible. You can read more about her work here: https://www.paypal.com/ru/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_display-approved-signup-co...
We suggest that you do without lengthy introductions about who benefits from the service of transferring money from the USA to Russia.
There are a lot of options - if someone has such a need, then it’s necessary. Will they be able to simple people, bypassing all sanctions and bans, in 2016, transfer money from abroad to Russian regions, and if they can, then how.
As always, there are two options: cash and transfer to an account. You can transfer cash in different ways. On the Internet, many advise transporting banknotes in special belts, hiding them away from the watchful eyes of customs authorities. This option is not interesting to everyone, because it requires the participation of a third party - firstly, it takes a lot of time - secondly, and it cannot be called legal, and thirdly.
Better to use operational services international systems money transfers. The main ones: Western Union and MoneyGrem. You can try Contact, but there are very few payment operator locations in America. PS Contact is not focused on the USA, so we will not consider this option as one of the best.
If you intend to constantly transfer money abroad (to Russia), it is better to establish a chain “from account to account.” It may seem difficult at first glance, but you only have to figure it out once, and we will help you with this.
Transfer to a bank account
The bottom line is this: you need to transfer a certain amount of money to the Russian Federation. You contact the bank where you have a bank (card) account and submit an application for the transfer. The same thing can be done via the bank office online - the difficulty lies in something else. In the details. More precisely, clients have difficulties with not knowing the bank details, but more on that later.
After filling out the application, you must pay a fee:
- Bank where the transfer is sent from: usually % of the amount, but there is a limit minimum limit. For example, 2%, but not less than $60;
- Correspondent bank (BC): not always assigned, amounts vary - from 20 to 50 dollars for an amount of up to 3 thousand USD;
- Recipient: often charged for cashing out (up to 2%). If the money remains in the account, there is no commission. Conditions vary, please check in advance.
In the column “purpose (or purpose) of the transfer” they usually indicate financial assistance or running costs. Some banks do not charge a fee if the payment is a tuition fee and is directed to an account educational institution. Everything is individual, so you better familiarize yourself with the conditions of your financial institution in advance.
We calculated possible expenses, taking 3 thousand dollars as the amount to be transferred. At best (with minimum percentage and there is no commission from the bookmaker), the overpayment will be $60. At worst (it is assumed that you will be charged the maximum) – 170 USD. The terms for crediting an account in the Russian Federation are different for all banks - count on about 5-7 days.
Conclusion: the method of transferring from account to account is best considered for large sums. If you need to transfer up to 3-5 thousand dollars, the benefit is approximately the same as taking a taxi to the other side of the road.
What risks does the sender face? An error in the details: as a result, the money cannot be found either in the sending bank or on the receiving side. Particularly unlucky are those who sent dollars to themselves, to their own account in the Russian Federation, and upon arrival, for example, in Moscow, did not find a replenishment of their balance. This often happens - money has been received, but it is impossible to receive it because there is a mistake in the name.
Assistance in sending a transfer to a bank account
Feature international transfers With open account is the mandatory presence of not two, but three parties: between the sender and the recipient there is a bookmaker. Without it, it is impossible to carry out a transaction. The difficulty is that people usually do not know the details of their own bank, and they have never heard of any correspondents there.
Take, for example, Sberbank - the bulk of transfers from abroad ends up in the accounts of the largest state bank of the Russian Federation, but before that the money goes through a rather thorny path:
- Bank in the USA from where the currency was sent
- Intermediary bank (correspondent)
- Sberbank in Moscow
- Regional office Sber
- Office in your locality(personal account, which we often confuse with the number indicated on a bank card)
In addition to the sending bank details, you will have to provide the following information (be prepared to provide them in advance to save time):
| Intermediary, BC | Deutsche Bank Trust-Company Americas, New York, NY |
| Intermediary’s Bank SWIFT, (i.e., SWIFT bookmaker) | BKTRUS33 |
| Beneficiary’s Bank Account, (account in bookmaker) | 04403077 |
| Beneficiary Bank | Sberbank of Russia |
| Beneficiary’s Bank Address (address of the bank where the transfer is sent) | Find out from employees, on the website, by calling the hotline |
| Beneficiary's Bank-SWIFT (i.e., recipient's SWIFT) | — |
| Beneficiary (recipient details) | Last name/First name/Patronymic name (indicate in transliteration). For each Russian letter there is a special Latin designation; check this point with the bank employees. |
| Beneficiary’s Account, beneficiary client account | Account number (not the same numbers as on the obverse bank card. It is usually written in the agreement that is issued along with the card. If the document is not saved, check with the operators for information). |
| Payment Details, purpose of payment | For example, personal needs (Own/fundstransfer) |
Transfers without opening an account
You can transfer money without opening a bank account. Cash is accepted and sent to the bearer of the control number by well-known payment systems Western Union, MoneyGram. Both have many operational points in America and Russia. The first has more of them, but the second cooperates with Sberbank. Although Western Union signed an agreement with the country’s largest lender back in 2011, it was never introduced into its processing.
The execution time for an intercontinental transfer is a maximum of 10 minutes. As for the commissions, they are really big. This is the main reason that this transfer route is usually kept in reserve and used in extreme cases, for example, when urgency is a priority.
Accepting international transfers without opening an account works in the following banks:
If you transfer dollars, they will be converted in the Russian Federation and rubles will be issued, but the exchange is made at the internal rate of Western Union (this is additional source payment system income). To send, they traditionally provide an ID card and a completed form. The control number issued to the sender must be communicated in any way to the person who will receive the money. This is also easy to do - using your passport and the same code.