A five-minute checklist before you send money home

Most transfer problems aren't dramatic. They're a mistyped account number, a rate nobody checked, or a send timed badly. Five minutes up front saves the frantic call later.

Check the details twice

Names, account or wallet numbers, and the pickup reference. A single wrong digit can bounce a transfer or, worse, send it somewhere you can't easily get it back from. Read it back out loud once. It feels silly and it works.

Check the real cost

Look at the rate you're being given against the mid-market rate, then add the upfront fee. If you're not sure how, our guide to hidden fees shows the quick math. The goal is one honest number: what your family receives.

Check the timing and the method

Sending late on a Friday to a bank account often means a Monday arrival. If it's urgent, cash or a wallet usually moves faster. Confirm the person on the other end can actually collect the way you've chosen, which is the point of cash versus bank.

Run this list a few times and it becomes muscle memory. That's the whole idea: fewer surprises, less money lost to small mistakes.