Send Money to Fiji — What It Actually Costs, August 2026
An independent, Fiji-published comparison of what remittance services really charge to send money home — total cost, not headline fee — plus where your family can actually collect it.
Rates checked Wednesday 19 August 2026 | 04:59 FJT · refreshed through the day
Mid-market rate today
Tue, 18 Aug 2026
$1.56
per A$1 · Australia
$1.30
per NZ$1 · New Zealand
$2.20
per US$1 · United States
$2.98
per £1 · United Kingdom
$1.59
per C$1 · Canada
From
Canada
They receive in
Fiji dollars
Your family receives
F$789.30
Best of the 5 services checked — Remitly · fee C$1.99 · rate 1.5849
Sending C$500 from Canada — total cost compared
Checked 19 Aug 2026| Service | Fee | Their rate | Rate margin | Family receives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RemitlyMost receivedTransfer service | C$1.99 | 1.5849 | 0.80% | F$789.30 |
| Royal Bank of CanadaBank | C$0.00 | 1.5371 | 3.79% | F$768.54 |
| Western UnionTransfer service | C$19.99 | 1.5746 | 1.44% | F$755.82 |
| WiseTransfer service | C$31.27 | 1.5975 | 0.00% | F$748.81 |
| OFXTransfer service | C$15.00 | 1.5254 | 4.52% | F$739.84 |
Four ways to get money to Fiji
How each one worksTransfer service to a bank account
1–3 working days
- Often among the cheapest routes, but not always — compare it in the table above.
- You need the account name, number and bank exactly as they appear on the account.
- The receiving bank may deduct an inward transfer fee before the money lands.
Cash pickup at an agent
Minutes
- Fastest option and the easiest for family without a bank account.
- Cost varies widely between operators — some of the largest cash networks price sharply, so check the table rather than assuming cash is dearer.
- Your family collects with photo ID and the reference number you give them.
Mobile wallet
Minutes
- Money arrives on the phone number, so there is no counter to travel to.
- The wallet must already be registered in your family member's own name.
- Wallets carry balance and cash-out caps, so large amounts may need splitting or another method.
Your own bank's international wire
2–5 working days
- Familiar and traceable, with a clear record at both ends.
- Correspondent banks in between can each take a cut before the money arrives, and the bank's exchange-rate margin is where its real charge usually sits.
- Rates differ a lot between banks, so compare yours against the table rather than assuming it is the dearest option.
Before you send
Checklist- Compare on what arrives in Fiji dollars, not on the advertised fee — the exchange-rate margin is usually the bigger cost.
- Spell your family member's name exactly as it appears on their ID; a mismatch stops a cash payout at the counter.
- Check the payout point is one they can actually reach, especially in maritime and rural areas.
- Send a small first transfer when you are trying a service for the first time.
- Allow for the time difference and for weekends — bank deposits settle on working days only.
- "Zero fee" usually means the cost has moved into the exchange rate.
- Nobody legitimate needs the reference number to release money — share it only with the person collecting.
- A rate quoted without the fee, or a fee quoted without the rate, tells you nothing on its own.
- Use a licensed operator: remittance businesses are regulated where you send from — AUSTRAC in Australia, the Financial Service Providers Register in New Zealand — and the Reserve Bank of Fiji licenses the dealers and money changers paying out here. Informal courier arrangements carry no recourse.
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest way to send money to Fiji?
Work out what your family actually receives: take the amount you send, subtract the fee, then multiply by the rate the service gives you. The advertised fee alone is not a reliable guide, because the gap between the service's rate and the mid-market rate is often the larger cost — a no-fee transfer with a poor rate can arrive smaller than one that charged a fee.
How long does a transfer to Fiji take?
Cash pickup and mobile wallet payouts are commonly available within minutes. Bank deposits usually take one to three working days, and a wire through your own bank can take longer. Weekends and public holidays in either country pause bank settlement, so a Friday transfer often lands on the Monday or Tuesday.
Does the person receiving it in Fiji pay anything?
Cash pickup and mobile wallet payouts are normally free to collect. Some banks deduct an inward transfer fee before the money reaches the account, so if you are sending to a bank it is worth asking the receiving bank what it charges.
What does my family need to collect a cash transfer?
Photo identification in exactly the name the transfer was sent to, plus the reference number from the sender. Payout agents will refuse a collection when the name on the ID does not match the transfer, so send the name as it is spelled on the ID rather than a shortened or married name.
Is there a limit on how much I can send to Fiji?
In practice the limits you meet are the sending service's own caps and the anti-money-laundering checks in the country you are sending from — larger amounts usually require proof of where the funds came from. Mobile wallets also have their own balance and cash-out caps.
Does my family pay tax on money I send them?
Support sent to family is generally not treated as income in their hands. The Fiji Revenue and Customs Service is the authority, so check with FRCS if the transfer is really payment for work, rent or a business arrangement rather than support. Note the FRCS clearance rules people often hear about run the other way — they apply to money being sent out of Fiji to non-residents, not to money arriving.
What should I do if the money does not arrive?
Contact the service you sent it through first — it owns the transaction and can trace it — and keep your receipt and reference number. If the funds were sent to a bank account and the transfer shows as completed, the receiving bank is the next step. Never send a second transfer to 'release' the first one; no legitimate service works that way.
Collecting in Fiji
What your family takes to the counter:
- Photo ID in the same name as the transfer
- The reference number from the sender
- The exact amount and sending country
- A phone number the payout agent can reach
Sign up to News Weekly
A round-up of Fiji’s top stories and key headlines delivered to your inbox every week.
