In 2006, India was the biggest recipient of cash being remitted overseas, with over $23 billion being transferred overseas to India through International Cash Transfer firms alone. There are many alternative options available today that have perks over the large cash transfer firms. The fund transfer business is expanding at a rate of over 10% a year, and India is a territory where a big portion of this cash is being transferred.

Like any country, the cost of sending funds to India depends on the system you use and how swiftly you necessitate money to arrive. Generally speaking, you will pay more to get the money there faster with most firms. For example, the cost of sending $500 from the United States to India can be as a small as $5 or as much as $14.99 with other firms. Many firms have options that enable the customer sending funds to pay less if they are willing to have the cash available in 3-4 days instead of the same day.

The internet has given rise to a number of wonderful companies for sending monies, all with their own fees, rules and conditions. Some people have turned to online money services, for instance, as way to send cash. Although the cash will be retrieved almost instantaneously by the recipient, it is not necessarily easy to turn that money into cash, as it can take up to five days for monies to be deposited into a bank account. This is a terrific example of how an instant money transfer that is not really instant.

One fast cash transfer method that truly does make money available to the recipient is the prepaid ATM card. This system takes a couple days the first time you use it, as the debit card has to be sent to the recipient.

Once the card is in the hands of the person accepting the funds and you have revealed the access number with them, the money can be retrieved instantly at any network ATM machine, of which there are thousands worldwide. Once the person receiving the funds has the ATM or debit card in their possession, funds can be reloaded onto the card via the internet and be available very quickly, all for a lower rate than most rival options.

Internet fund transfers are a viable option for transferring money to India because there are several firms competing for their share of this quickly growing business. Consumers benefit from this competition as companies try to make their services more user-friendly, more secure, and more affordable than their competitors.