Getting money to Mum from U.S.

FarFromHome_3

I live in the United States, and would like to send my Mum, who lives in England, some money to help with her recurring expenses. I'm open to either setting up a regular monthly payment or paying an annual lump sum. I'm going to be in the U.K. in November. I have a U.S. checking account and U.S. credit cards (Visa, Amex). I don't have any accounts/funds in England. I'm looking for the most cost-effective way of getting money to my Mum, avoiding costly wire or currency conversion fees if possible. I'm open to sending the money from here, or withdrawing cash when I'm in England in Nov. All suggestions welcome. Thank you!!

thriftymanc

Paypal is probably your best bet. You can send personal payments which don't attract the same fees as regular Paypal payments. Then she can withdraw the money from her Paypal account to her bank account.

petersoftware

I know that you say you are looking to avoid costly wire transfers, but the safest way to transfer money would be directly from your account to her account. Although wire transfer is not risk free, all other methods increase the risk through possible confusion or third-party fraud.

You could try Western Union which should be pretty safe as you know and trust the person receiving the money. I have used a couple of times without any problem but there are scare stories on the Internet when it has been used to pay for goods from strangers.

Mojisola

First get her to make sure she is claiming all the benefits she is entitled to.

Be aware that if she is receiving regular payments from you, it could reduce her entitlement to benefits.

Voyager2002

Check out currency broking firms: discussion in the Travel section. I have good experiences with Custom House (owned by Western Union; https://www.xe.com) but there are many others.

Gifts from family members do not normally count as income and so do not affect entitlement to means-tested benefits, although if her total capital rises to above six thousand pounds then her benefits would be reduced.