How Do I Transfer Money to the Philippines?

1. Look for a Western Union office, or call the service on the phone. Western Union is one of the oldest wire transfer services in America, and has expanded services to include money transfer to the Philippines. With more than 350,000 offices worldwide, the company is the option of choice for those making in-person cash transfers, or for those who prefer to deal face-to-face with a representative. However, in addition to visiting a local office, you can also call the company on the telephone or perform your transaction online. This large presence and brand name tends to make Western Union a more expensive option for sending money to the Philippines. For example, in early 2010 sending $200 to the Philippines would incur a service charge of $12 for using an agent or the Internet, or $14 for using the telephone.
2. Create a PayPal account. PayPal is one of the most popular ways to send money on the internet, as anyone with an email address can receive a payment from you instantaneously. PayPal also offers international money transfer services to the Philippines. Open a PayPal account online with your email address, and link it to your bank account following the online instructions. PayPal will perform some tests to validate your bank information, and this may take a few business days. Once you are set up, you can send payments to anyone with an email address, even in the Philippines. PayPal will charge you about $1 to send $200 to the Philippines using your PayPal balance or your bank account, and about $9 to send $200 using your credit card.
3. Open a Xoom account online. Xoom offered money transfer services to the Philippines before PayPal arrived, and actively advertiseas a much more affordable option than Western Union. Once you open a Xoom account online, you are offered a number of choices as to how you wish to send your money, and how you wish the recipient to receive it. For example, you can send money in U.S. dollars or Philippine pesos, and you can use your bank account, credit card, debit card, or PayPal account. The recipient can pick up the money at designated local outlets such as malls, or the person can have it delivered to his bank account or even to their front door. Sending $200 to the Philippines costs $4.99 using your bank account, or $11.99 using all other options.