Here are a few ways to send money to India. Note that this information was collected from messages on the internet and is reproduced here for your convenience, and may need to be verified. If any of this information is inaccurate or invalid please inform us or send us email to info@miindia.com. 

Online

Personal Check 

A lot of netters wrote that though there is a delay involved (from deposit to en-cashability), Indian Banks do NOT charge a service fee. Write a personal check on your U.S. Bank, and mail it to your relative. This is by far the most convenient method for the sender, and most inexpensive too. But for the receiver, it is the worst. Personal checks drawn on a U.S. bank are treated as a collection item in India, and they normally take 45-90 days for realization , and would cost a few dollars, depending on how many banks were involved in the collection process.

Draft in Rupees

State Bank of India and other banks offer a convenient service for sending money to India. Call them up and tell them you want to send a rupee draft to India. They will collect the dollars from you (only in the form of either a check or a certified check...but not in cash) and send you (or to the address given by you) a rupee draft for that amount. Service charge varies. You can mail the draft to India - and it can be cashed immediately in India. Note: Remember not to go through a non-Indian bank for the money draft. India needs dollars...hence go through only Indian banks. Do not go through foreign banks such as Citibank, Bank Of America, etc... 

Chase Manhattan Drafts from Bank of Baroda. Service charge present.

• SBI Exchange Rates

• Indian Banks in United States

Non-resident Indians worldwide can send money home in minutes over the Internet through www.xoom.com. Xoom makes sending money home fast, safe and convenient.

Xoom Corporation is an online-to-offline international money transfer service. It offers consumers a secure, fast, and inexpensive way to send money online to anyone in India for non-commercial use. With an extensive distribution of cash pick-up locations throughout India, recipients do not require a bank account or Internet connection to receive funds. 

Xoom has teamed with PayPal, one of the leading transaction processors in the world, to allow customers to send from $50 to $1000 instantly and securely over the Internet. 

Xoom.com is definitely the smarter way to send money to India. Here’s why:

- No lines. You can send funds from any computer with an Internet connection.
- Instant service. Your remittance will be sent and received in a matter of minutes.
- Low fees. Xoom.com can save you up to 50% off of competitors’ fees.
- Fast, Secure and Honest Service

Xoom.com provides low fees, RBI exchange rates and 100% guarantee on all transactions. There are no hidden fees and you get better service, more value for money and more rupees for your dollars with each money transfer.

So next time when you need to send money to family and friends back home, try out Xoom.com, and see the difference for yourself!

SEND MONEY NOW: WWW.XOOM.COM 

How does Xoom work?

All you need to send money with Xoom.com is Internet access and a bank account or credit/debit card. At the Xoom.com website, enter your information and the recipient’s information. All your information is PRIVATE, secure, and will not be shared. Xoom guides you to PayPal, a leading online payment service, who will process the transaction and send the money to Xoom’s local distribution partner in India. Xoom offers low fees and very competitive exchange rates. Compare our rates with banks and Western Union using our convenient fee calculator on our website. Recipients do not require a bank account or Internet connection to receive their funds. They can pick up their money in cash from one of hundreds of distribution points. And, in the coming months be sure to look for Xoom.com to offer home delivery service in India. 

Wiring Money

Speediest (3-5 working days). However, $25 service charge is normally involved. Cable transfer is a bank to bank transfer whereby money is remitted by the bank directly to the beneficiary's account maintained in India. Cable transfer is the speediest way of transferring and in most cases gets credited to the beneficiary's account normally in 3-5 working days depending on the location. (Communication with the non-metro centers in India, is generally done through cable/Telegram and therefore takes extra time). For this you have to find out what the "routing number" is for the bank in India in which you want to deposit the money. Cable Transfer through SBI Chicago ($16 charge). Takes about 3 days.

Credit Card

Get a VISA card. Get an extra card for your relative in India. They can take cash advance and you can cover the charges from here in the USA. In this you can give a credit card to your folks back home and ask them to go to any bank which deals with cash advances using credit cards and withdraw cash as much as they want. Just check the date when they are about to withdraw the money and send a check to your credit card bank here so that the payment reaches before or on the same date your folks are withdrawing the money. In this fashion you do not even have to pay the finance charges even for a day, but you will be charged the cash advance fee which varies with different cards.

Amex Money Gram

A quick way to send money to India is by American Express Money Gram. They claim that the recipient will have the money within a few minutes of initiating the process here in U.S.A. The recipient needs to show some photocopy to get the money at the other end. The number for the American Express Money-gram is (800) 543-4080. Since this is very fast the charges are bit higher. But it is very safe.

Amex Money Orders

Another best and cheap way to send money is to use American Express Money Orders. You can get these from many stores, including 7-11s, for a service charge of 50 to 99 cents (depending where you are in the US). Most banks in India will pay you Rupees in minutes. Also, if it gets lost, full money ($5) is absolutely recoverable. Extremely safe, inexpensive, and fast method. However, maximum for each check can be $1000.00 only.

Amex Travelers Checks

Just purchase Amex travelers checks and make it in favor of the person to whom you want to give. It is always a very good idea to specify the address of the recipient along with his name to avoid any misuse of checks. After this just send the checks to you folks through whatever means you think is appropriate (mail, through friend, etc...)

Cashier's Checks

Obtain a cashier's check, certified check or money order from a local bank. These instruments also suffer from the same defect as personal check, and cannot be automatically paid immediately in India, as the local U.S. banks may not have any drawing arrangements on the Indian banks. Morgan's or Hanover's Trust Cashiers Check/Demand Draft. You can get these in most US banks.

Western Union 

In India, inbound Western Union Money Transfer service is available in minutes through Sita World Travel (India) Pvt. Ltd., an international provider of travel services. In addition to Bombay and New Delhi, Western Union Money Transfer service is now available at Sita offices.

• To transfer the money you don't need to have a bank account;
• Simply bring your money to any Western Union Agent and fill out a short form;
• To pay a Service Fee;
• Get a Receipt with money transfer control number. Inform your Receiver of the transfer and advise him to collect money at any of the SITA branch offices listed hereinafter.
• The Receiver will be required to present a proper photo identification and will be paid immediately. Western Union is much more convenient than any Bank. They have over 28,000 agents throughout United States of America and Canada and there must be one in your neighborhood. For transferring money, the charges are as follows:
• Western Union Money Transfer^® service -  Send your money transfer ONLINE withpayout at over 101,000 Western Union^® agent locations worldwide.
• World wide toll free numbers of western union

US TO INDIA

Western Union Money Transfers to India are paid out in Indian rupees. 

Frequently Asked Questions

• Credit Union or Bank?

• What is the cheapest way to send money to my parents in India?

• How can I ensure that I earn the maximum possible interest on my deposit while ensuring that I can make withdrawals when I want?

• For how long can I continue my NRE account after I return to India?

Banks & Resources

• Western Union

• Citibank Rupee Checking Account

• International currency deposits

• Sending Money Overseas

• Sita Travels - Branches for Western Union