Personal Finance Money transfer

Remitly fees and transfer costs to the Philippines: full guide [2025]

Alexis Konovodoff

30.10.25

Read time 4 minutes

Remitly® is a popular money transfer app for quick, easy transfers in the US and further afield. However, the provider’s fee structure can be a little confusing.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at Remitly’s costs for US dollar to Philippine peso (PHP) transfers, including Remitly’s USD to PHP exchange rates.

We'll also introduce Wise — your international money transfer alternative. Use Wise to send stress-free transfers to over 140 countries - all at the standard mid-market exchange rate.

Learn more 🔎

Table of contents
How much does Remitly charge to send money to the Philippines? Understanding exchange rates and hidden fees Remitly exchange rate: USD to PHP Remitly vs. Wise Make fast, secure, and low-cost transfers to the Philippines with Wise What is Remitly’s transfer limit to the Philippines?

How much does Remitly charge to send money to the Philippines?

Remitly’s fees for USD to PHP transfers will depend on when and how you send your money. Your costs will differ if you’re a first-time customer or if you want to transfer a large sum abroad.

Remitly advertises zero transfer fees and a special exchange rate for USD to PHP remittances, but this only applies to your first payment.

After that, you’ll likely pay a hidden cost of inflated exchange rates for any transfers to the Philippines.¹

Remitly also claims to offer no fees for first transfers. However, for future transfers, you’ll pay 4.99 USD for cash pickup or home delivery.¹

So, it might seem like it’s free to send money from the US to the Philippines via Remitly, but that isn’t always the case.

Understanding exchange rates and hidden fees

It’s important to look into any exchange rate charges and hidden transaction fees for transfers to the Philippines through Remitly.

Remitly uses a promotional exchange rate for first-time customers. This rate is typically equal to or even slightly above the standard interbank mid-market exchange rate.

It is this favorable rate that is featured most prominently on the Remitly website and in ads. However, it actually only applies to your first USD to PHP transfer.

You can also only send 1,500 USD at this rate.¹ Any surplus amounts will be charged at the applicable Remitly economy or express exchange rate.

Remitly’s economy transfers use a lower exchange rate for your conversion, but your transfer may take 1 to 3 business days, whereas Remitly’s express transfers use higher exchange rate fees for instant money transfers.²

Ultimately, Remitly’s exchange rate for USD to PHP depends on new vs. returning transactions, delivery speed, and product selection. It will fluctuate in line with bank inflation rates and economic change.¹

Because of this, Remitly’s exchange rate can be a little misleading. It penalizes repeat customers and advertises a promotional exchange rate that doesn’t apply to large transactions.

Remitly exchange rate: USD to PHP

For regular transfers to the Philippines, you’ll pay Remitly’s applicable express or economy exchange rate. This is different from the one-time promotional rate advertised on the Remitly homepage.

As of October 2, 2025, Remitly’s special rate is 1 USD to 59.08 PHP. However, you’ll pay 1 USD to 56.43 PHP for Remitly’s everyday exchange rate.

So, if you send 1,000 USD to the Philippines at Remitly’s first-time promotional rate, your recipient will receive 59,080 PHP.

This compares to Remitly’s regular USD to PHP exchange rate, where your recipient will receive just 56,430 PHP.¹ That’s a decrease of 2,650 PHP — quite the difference!

🚨These figures don’t include any additional fees for Remitly transfers, so make sure to look into all your options before initiating your first global payment.


If you need to send a larger payment, such as 5,000 USD, your recipient will receive 282,150 PHP at the regular rate, whereas they’ll receive 286,125 PHP at Remitly’s promotional exchange rate. This is only applied to your first 1,500 USD.¹ When you send your transfer via Wise with the mid-market rate, your recipient will receive 291,475 PHP. That’s an additional 5,350+ PHP by sending with Wise.

If you need to send a larger payment, such as 5,000 USD, your recipient will receive 282,150 PHP at the regular rate, whereas they’ll receive 286,125 PHP at Remitly’s promotional exchange rate. This is only applied to your first 1,500 USD.¹

When you send your transfer via Wise with the mid-market rate, your recipient will receive 291,475 PHP.

That’s an additional 5,350+ PHP by sending with Wise.

💡 Want to get more PHP out of your USD? See below how you can save with Wise:

Remitly vs. Wise

Let’s take a look at Remitly vs. Wise for USD to PHP transfers, including transaction speed, exchange rate fees, and transfer limits.

Feature	Remitly	Wise
Fees	Free for mobile wallet transfers, bank deposits, and debit card deposits 4.99 USD for cash pickup or home delivery¹	From 0.48% per transfer*
Exchange rate	Promotional exchange rate for your first transfer up to 1500 USD For future transfers or funds over 1500 USD, you may pay an inflated exchange rate charge, depending on which service you use¹	Wise uses the mid-market exchange rate — this is the standard rate you might see online
Speed	Express transfers may be instant, but you’ll pay higher exchange rate markups Economy transfers may take 1 to 3 business days²	Over 60% of Wise transfers are instant, and 95% are under 24 hours**
Limits	You can send up to 100,000 USD per transfer from the US For large transfers, you may be asked for additional verification information³	You can send up to 1,000,000 USD per wire transfer — eligible large transfers will automatically receive a discount***

** Transaction speed claimed depends on funds availability, approval by Wise’s proprietary verification system and systems availability of our partners’ banking system, and may not be available for all transactions

*** For more information, please visit https://payout-surge.live/us/large-amounts/%3C/a%3E.%3C/p%3E%3C/small%3E%3Cp%3E%3C/p%3E

Make fast, secure, and low-cost transfers to the Philippines with Wise

A smart option if you’re sending money overseas: meet Wise.

Register a Wise account online or in the Wise app, and send money to 140+ countries, with the mid-market exchange rate and low, transparent fees.

Wise always shows you the amount you’re paying and how much your recipient will get — and you can even compare against other providers on the Wise app or desktop site.

If another service is cheaper for your particular payment, you’ll be shown — so you can’t lose.

Get started with Wise

See how Wise compares with international bank transfers in our full guide

Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information

What is Remitly’s transfer limit to the Philippines?

You can send up to 100,000 USD per transfer from the US to the Philippines. However, you’ll need to double-check if your recipient’s bank has any specific receiving limits.

Remitly’s transfer limits should be clear when you come to make your payment via the provider’s website or mobile app. You may also need to follow Remitly’s security verification steps to make a large payment.³

There are a few ways to send money to the Philippines through Remitly, including mobile wallet transfers, cash pickup, home delivery, bank deposits, and debit card deposits.

Need to send a large amount? With Wise, you can send up to 1,000,000 USD per wire transfer to 140+ countries — and we automatically apply a discount when you send over 25,000 USD (or equivalent)*.

🚀Send high-amount transfers with Wise

*For more information, please visit https://payout-surge.live/us/large-amounts/%3C/a%3E.%3C/small%3E%3C/p%3E

Remitly is a convenient option for transfers to the Philippines. However, you’ll need to consider Remitly’s hidden exchange rates for USD to PHP transfers.

You’ll also need to look out for Remitly’s USD to PHP remittance costs for cash pickup or home delivery.

Compare Remitly’s exchange rate to Wise, for example, where you can access the same fair mid-market exchange rate for all international transactions.

Whether you’re a first-time customer or you’ve been using Wise for years, everyone pays the same rate for currency conversion.

To explore your low-cost global spending options, check out Wise today.

Sources

Remitly - USD to PHP exchange rate
Highline This - How Remitly transfers really work
Remitly - How much can I send?

Sources checked 10/09/2025

*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.