Routes

How to pay abroad: the options compared

Four working routes — and what can go wrong with each of them.

There is no universally best option — there is one that suits the amount, the deadline and the recipient’s country.

Where we pay. More than 60 countries: China, Turkey, the UAE, Europe, the USA, Georgia, Thailand and others. The operator confirms a particular route is available before any work starts.

The comparison

Through usThe exchange takes minutes, the payment follows its route. The exchange fee is visible in the calculator; the payment fee is quoted by the operator. Risk: a mistake in the address or the network, coins with a bad history.

SWIFT from a Russian bankFrom several days to two weeks. The bank’s percentage plus charges from every bank in the chain. Risk: large banks are cut off, a correspondent bank may reject the payment without explanation.

A foreign bank cardUsually instant. The bank fee and the conversion rate apply. Risk: you need an account abroad, there are limits, and some operation types are refused.

CashBy arrangement; the operator quotes the terms. Risk: a declaration when crossing the border, a ceiling on the amount.

Each option in detail

Through us. The exchange rate is visible before you confirm and is fixed on the order. No third party decides the payment’s fate: there is no correspondent bank on this route. The downside — you need to set up a wallet once, which takes about ten minutes.

SWIFT. The familiar path, but slow and unpredictable: the transfer goes through a chain of banks, and an extra check is possible at any hop. The bank may ask for source-of-funds documents after the transfer is sent — and hold it until they arrive.

A foreign bank card. Works if you already have an account abroad. Some payments are refused by operation type — paying a developer or a company invoice, for example.

Cash. Works when the recipient needs money in hand rather than in an account. Such a deal cannot be placed through the calculator — the operator handles it by hand and quotes the terms.

How to choose

If fixing the rate and not depending on a correspondent bank matters more, it is worth spending ten minutes on a wallet. If the amount is small and you already have an account abroad, paying by card is sometimes simpler.

Not sure — message the operator on Telegram: they will say plainly if your case is cheaper to handle somewhere other than with us.

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What can go wrong