Revolut vs Currencies Direct: Fees & Reviews Compared

Both Revolut and Currencies Direct are popular international money transfer services. But which one is better?

Below we compare them on their fees and reviews.

Fees

	Revolut	Currencies Direct
Homepage
Transfer Fee	No fee for transferring to other Revolut users Card transfers: 0.7% (if you’re in Europe), 2.3% (outside Europe) Bank transfers: fees can range between 0.35% and 1%	No fee
Average Exchange Rate Markup	0.5% – 2%	0.4% to 1.4%
Minimum Transfer Amount	$1	$1
Maximum Transfer Amount	Depends on the selected plan, the sending country, and the recipient country.	£25,000 through the mobile app £300,000 by placing a special request

Reviews

	Revolut	Currencies Direct
Trustpilot Rating	4.3	4.9
Number of Trustpilot Reviews	138,000	9,400
iOS App Rating	4.7	3.5
Number of iOS App Reviews	37,000	100
Android App Rating	4.5	3.5
Number of Android App Reviews	2,400,000	500

Features

	Revolut	Currencies Direct
App Transfers	Yes	Yes
Online Transfers	Yes	Yes
Phone Transfers	No	Yes
In-person Transfers	No	Yes
Available Countries	200	200
Number of Currencies	29	70
Payment Methods	Bank account Debit card Credit card	Bank account Debit card Credit card Check
Receiving Methods	Bank account Debit card	Bank account
Cash Pickup Option	No	No
Payments Flexibility	Web platform Mobile app	Web platform Mobile app Phone In person
Supported Languages	English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Croatian, Greek, Czech, Danish, Russian, Hungarian, Polish, Slovak, Romanian, Swedish, Bulgarian, Latvian, and Lithuanian	English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, German, Chinese, and Korean
Transfer Speed	Instant for Revolut users 1-2 days for the rest	1-2 hours within Europe 1-2 days for overseas transfers
Dedicated Dealer	No	Yes
Instant Custom Quote	Yes	N/A
Business Features	Forwards contracts Stop-loss orders Limit orders Analytics Payroll automation Spending management Digital multi-currency wallet Rate alerts API integration	Spot contracts Forwards contracts Limit orders Stop-loss orders Recurring transfers Digital multi-currency wallet Rate alerts API portal
Debit Card	Many including: Standard, Plus, Premium, Metal, Ultra, Business and Revolut <18	Currencies Direct multi-currency debit card
Cancellation Policy	Cancellation is available as long as the transfer hasn’t been completed. Refunds may take up to 10 days.	N/A
Suitability	Small money transfers	Large money transfers

Company Comparison

	Revolut	Currencies Direct
Year Founded	2015	1996
Headquarters	London, UK	London, UK
Other Office Locations	Berlin (Germany), Dublin (Ireland), Krakow and Silesia (Poland), Madrid (Spain), Mexico City (Mexico), Porto (Portugal), São Paulo (Brazil), Bangalore, Chennai, Gurgaon, Indore, and Mumbai (India), Singapore, Tokyo (Japan), and Vilnius (Lithuania)	Orlando (USA), Saint John (Canada), Mumbai (India), Albufeira (Portugal), 3 locations in South Africa, and 19 locations in Spain
Annual Trading Volume	$140 billion	£9.5 billion
Number of Employees	8000	550
Number of Clients	30 million personal users 500,000 business users	430000
Regulatory Institutions	FCA in the UK ASIC in Australia The Bank of Lithuania in the EU MAS in Singapore Kanto Local Finance Bureau in Japan	FinCEN in the USA FINTRAC in Canada FCA in the UK Bank of Spain in Spain and the EU ACPR in France FSB in South Africa
Awards	Top Startups (LinkedIn, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022) Fintech Company of the Year (City AM Awards, 2018) Europe’s Allstar Company (Investor Allstars Awards, 2018) Top 10 Fastest Growing Startups To Work For (Otta, 2019) Top 10 Companies Hiring Like Crazy (Glassdoor, 2019) Top Spot at Deloitte’s Tech Fast 50 (Deloitte, 2019, 2020) Top Spot at The Startups 100 (Startups, 2019) Top 10 in Tech Track 100 Companies (The Sunday Times, 2019) Featured in The Best London Startups to Work (Rocket List, 2020) Lithuania’s TOP Employers (CV Online, 2020) Innovation of The Year (British Bank Awards, 2020) Featured in Best Startups To Watch (Seedtable, 2020, 2023) Best Talent Acquisition Team (LinkedIn Talent Awards, 2021) Featured in 150 Fastest Growing Companies to Work for in America (Otta, 2021) Best FinTech Employer of the Year (SFF Global FinTech Awards, 2021) Featured in Employer Branding Stars (EBstars Awards, 2022, 2023)	Credit Rating of Level 1 (Dun & Bradstreet Corporation, 2010) National Business Awards Finalist (National Business Awards, 2016) Most Positive Client Reviews (Money Transfer Comparison, 2017) Consumer Champion of the Year (Money Age Magazine, 2017) Money Transfer Provider of the Year (Money Age Magazine, 2016, 2017,2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021) Best Rated Money Transfer (Money Transfer Comparison, 2019, 2020, 2021)

Revolut Pros & Cons

Revolut Pros

• Offers a full range of banking features
• Exceptional customer support
• User-friendly debit card services
• Zero transfer fees for smaller transfers
• Attractive foreign exchange rates
• Comprehensive suite of business-oriented features
• Option to trade in cryptocurrencies
• Virtual cards for secure online transactions
• Broad coverage of services globally
• Wide range of supported currencies for travelers
• Fast money transfers

Revolut Cons

• Not designed for large-scale money transfers
• Complex fee structure
• Limited scope of in-app currency support
• No cash pickup options
• A relative newcomer in the financial industry

Currencies Direct Pros & Cons

Currencies Direct Pros

• 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot based on over 8,000 reviews
• No transfer fees
• Free Amazon gift card for new paying customers
• Multiple payment options
• Amazing customer service
• Favourable exchange rates
• Extensive knowledge base
• Highly convenient
• Range of flexible solutions for everyone
• Global service coverage
• Solid currency coverage
• Local coverage
• Decades of experience
• Fast money transfers
• Exchange rate alerts option

Currencies Direct Cons

• Not focused on small money transfers
• Limited deposit options
• Limited smaller currency coverage
• No option for instant custom quotes
• Lack of cancellation policy
• Not available in some US states
• Mobile app has transfer limits

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