4 alternatives to send money to someone that aren't bank transfers

Need to pay back a friend, buy something from a local producer or send money to a family member? If the recipient doesn’t have a bank account in the UK, you won’t be able to send a bank transfer - so you’ll need to find alternative options.

In this guide, we’ll run through a few of the ways you can send money to someone without a bank account in the UK.

This includes money transfer services like Wise, which are handy for sending money internationally where the recipient doesn’t have a bank account in the currency you’re sending. While it’s not a bank, with Wise, your recipient can sign up and set up local account details in 8+ currencies to receive their funds.

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4 ways to send money to someone without a bank account in the UK

In the UK, there are four main ways you can send money to someone who doesn’t have a bank account, including:

1. Money transfer services and apps
2. Mobile wallets
3. Postal orders from the Post Office
4. Sending cash in the post (not recommended for security reasons).

We’ll look at each option in detail below.

Option 1: Money transfer services and apps

One of the easiest ways to send money to someone without a bank account is to use an online money transfer service.

These let you send money within the UK or internationally, setting up and tracking the payment online. The reason they’re so good for payments where either you or the recipient doesn’t have a bank account is that they usually offer a variety of payment and collection methods.

For example, with some providers you may be able to fund the payment with a credit card, and your recipient will collect it in cash at a local agent or pick-up point.

Popular providers of online money transfer services in the UK include:

• Wise
• Remitly
• Western Union
• WorldRemit
• MoneyGram
• Revolut
• PayPal.

Wise, for example, is a particularly useful option if your recipient has a bank account, but not in the currency you’re sending. While Wise is not a bank, your recipient can sign up with Wise to get local account details (in selected major currencies) and then receive money in the local currency. It’s all for low, transparent fees* and mid-market exchange rates.

Pros:

• Fast, secure and convenient
• Particularly good for international payments
• Choice of payment and collection methods

Cons:

• Cash pickup isn’t available with all providers or in all locations - only bank transfers in some cases
• There are often transfer fees to pay
• If you’re sending internationally, you need to check that the exchange rate doesn’t include a margin on the mid-market rate - this can make the transfer more expensive.

Option 2: Mobile wallets

While the option to send money isn’t available in the UK for all popular mobile wallets, some do offer this feature.

A couple of options are Skrilland Apple Cash.

With Skrill, you can fund payments with PaySafeCash in a participating shop or location, without the need for a bank account.¹ And payments can be sent and received directly between Skrill balances.

Apple Cash is a feature of the Apple Pay mobile wallet app for iPhones, which lets you send and receive money with people you know. You can top up your Apple Cash balance with some compatible prepaid cards,² this avoids the need for a debit card linked to a bank account.

Pros:

• Usually free to download and use (although some transfer fees may apply)
• Payments are very fast, if not instant
• Good security, as mobile wallets typically use encryption, biometric login and other security features.

Cons:

• Transfers between mobile wallets are usually only free if you both use the same one - otherwise, fees may apply
• Foreign exchange and currency conversion fees may apply to international transfers
• Your recipient will need access to a smartphone, and be tech-savvy enough to use a mobile wallet.
• Not all prepaid cards and credit cards can be used with all wallets.

Option 3: Postal orders from the Post Office

A rather old-fashioned but still perfectly viable way to send money to someone without a bank account in the UK is a postal order.

They look like cheques, but you don’t need a bank account to send or receive them. You simply need to include the recipient’s name and address, and pop it in the post.

Postal orders can be bought with cash at a UK Post Office, with fees ranging from 50p up to a maximum of £12.50. You can send up to £250 with a postal order.³

You can either buy a crossed postal order which can only be paid into a bank account (or used to pay bills), or an uncrossed order which can be used as cash. They can be used on sites like eBay or to buy mail order products without needing a bank account. Uncrossed postal orders are more insecure because of this, but they are still useful for people with no access to a bank account at all.³

Pros:

• Reliable and secure, as no bank account information is shared
• You can buy and cash postal orders at most Post Offices - with a huge network of branches throughout the UK
• Safer than sending cash by post.

Cons:

• There are fees to buy and send postal orders, and these can be expensive if you’re sending a larger sum
• Postal orders are limited to a maximum of £250, so can’t be used to send large amounts
• Can be slow, depending on which postal service you use to send it.

Option 4: Post cash directly

In the interests of giving you all the available options, there’s one more to mention - and that is posting the cash directly.

Sending money through the post isn’t recommended, as it’s all too easy for it to be lost, stolen or otherwise intercepted. So, it should only ever really be considered as a last resort.

If you do choose this option, proceed with caution. Try the following to improve the chances that the money reaches the recipient safely:

• Use a paid tracking service so that you can confirm that the delivery has arrived safely
• Use a discreet envelope or packaging, which disguises its contents
• Consider buying insurance for your package, covering the amount of money you’ll be sending.

Pros:

• Simple and direct - with no tech or third parties involved
• No fees, unless you decide to pay extra for tracking or buy insurance, just in case the envelope is lost or stolen.

Cons:

• Very insecure, as packages can easily be lost, intercepted or stolen in the post
• Can be slow, depending on which postal service you use to send it.

And that’s about it - our roundup of the ways to send money to someone without a bank account in the UK.

There are quite a few different routes you can take, from modern tech-based solutions to old-fashioned methods like postal orders.

As for which is the best, you’ll need to compare based on factors like speed, security and cost. It may depend on your attitude to risk, or to using tech-related services like mobile wallets or apps.

Mobile wallets are a great option, as they’re often fee-free and offer instant transfer. If you’re sending worldwide, a money transfer service is usually the best option - although it does come with fees. Postal orders are easily accessible and safer than sending cash through the post, but they’re slow and usually come with fees attached.

And remember that if you need to receive funds in a different currency to your bank account, or send money internationally for low, transparent fees*, Wiseis a convenient, money saving solution.

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Sources used for this article:

1. Skrill - Support - How do I deposit with PaysafeCash?
2. Apple - Support - Add money to Apple Cash
3. Post Office - Postal Orders

Sources checked on 17-Sep-2025