Savein Global — International money transfer: how | saveinglobal.com
The amount that lands is the amount sent minus the exchange-rate margin, minus intermediary deductions — and the route the sender chose decides how much survives.
On a SWIFT wire, intermediary banks that pass the payment along commonly deduct USD 10-30 en route. The sender's upfront fee of USD 15-50 does not cover these correspondent charges, so the credited amount arrives short — a shortfall that looks like a loss but is actually a toll.
How the money is credited matters. A payment delivered over local rails — UK Faster Payments, for instance, allows up to GBP 250,000 per payment — avoids the correspondent chain entirely, while a SWIFT credit to an IBAN passes through banks that each may take a deduction.
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If the payout arrives in a different currency, conversion happens at a rate set somewhere in the chain. Banks typically add 1-3% above the mid-market rate, so part of the difference between what was sent and what arrived may be margin rather than fee.
Timing tells you which route was used: cash pickup lands within minutes of approval, transfer apps in 1-3 business days, wires in 1-5 business days. Inside the quoted window, waiting is rational.
If nothing has landed after 5 business days, ask the sender for the transfer reference, the exact amount and currency sent, and the sending provider's name, then request a payment trace. If a recall becomes necessary, expect 1-3 months for resolution — with no guarantee the money returns. The fees page explains each deduction in detail, and the checklist page shows how senders prevent these failures.
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