A guide for families
Four ways to send money home, and how to choose.
Cash pickup, bank deposit, mobile wallet or a card in their name. What each one asks of your family, how fast it gets there, and where they can use it.
The four ways, side by side.
| Cash pickup You send through a provider, and your family collects cash at an agent location with a reference number. | Bank deposit The money goes straight into their bank account. | Mobile wallet The money lands in a wallet app on their phone, tied to their phone number. | A card in their nameHow Casa works With Casa, it lands in their own Casa account, in US dollars, on a Visa card in their name. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How fast | Often ready within minutes, once they can get to a pickup location. | From minutes to a few business days, depending on the banks and the country. | Usually within minutes. | In seconds, and you both see the moment it lands. |
| What they need | Photo ID, the reference number, and a trip during opening hours. | A bank account in their name, and the exact details to send to. | A phone and a wallet account that works with the provider you send through. | Their own Casa account, an identity check and the card issuer’s approval. |
| Where they can use it | Anywhere, as cash. Then it has to be carried and kept safe. | Wherever their bank card or account works, and as cash from an ATM. | With shops and services that take that wallet, or as cash from its agents. | Anywhere Visa works: the pharmacy, the market, the bus. With Apple Pay or Google Pay where available. |
| Good when | Everyday life runs on cash, or they have no bank account or smartphone. | They already bank and want the money where their bills are paid. | Mobile money is how their town pays for things. | You want it there in seconds, ready to spend, with no pickup line. |
| Watch for | The trip, the line and the hours, and carrying cash home. | Weekends and bank holidays can hold a deposit, and a typo in the details can send it back. | Each wallet works only where it is accepted, and moving money out of it can cost extra. | Casa is in early access and opens country by country. Shops that take only cash won’t take a card. |
- Cash pickup
- How it arrives
- You send through a provider, and your family collects cash at an agent location with a reference number.
- How fast
- Often ready within minutes, once they can get to a pickup location.
- What they need
- Photo ID, the reference number, and a trip during opening hours.
- Where they can use it
- Anywhere, as cash. Then it has to be carried and kept safe.
- Good when
- Everyday life runs on cash, or they have no bank account or smartphone.
- Watch for
- The trip, the line and the hours, and carrying cash home.
- Bank deposit
- How it arrives
- The money goes straight into their bank account.
- How fast
- From minutes to a few business days, depending on the banks and the country.
- What they need
- A bank account in their name, and the exact details to send to.
- Where they can use it
- Wherever their bank card or account works, and as cash from an ATM.
- Good when
- They already bank and want the money where their bills are paid.
- Watch for
- Weekends and bank holidays can hold a deposit, and a typo in the details can send it back.
- Mobile wallet
- How it arrives
- The money lands in a wallet app on their phone, tied to their phone number.
- How fast
- Usually within minutes.
- What they need
- A phone and a wallet account that works with the provider you send through.
- Where they can use it
- With shops and services that take that wallet, or as cash from its agents.
- Good when
- Mobile money is how their town pays for things.
- Watch for
- Each wallet works only where it is accepted, and moving money out of it can cost extra.
- A card in their name
- How it arrives
- With Casa, it lands in their own Casa account, in US dollars, on a Visa card in their name.
- How fast
- In seconds, and you both see the moment it lands.
- What they need
- Their own Casa account, an identity check and the card issuer’s approval.
- Where they can use it
- Anywhere Visa works: the pharmacy, the market, the bus. With Apple Pay or Google Pay where available.
- Good when
- You want it there in seconds, ready to spend, with no pickup line.
- Watch for
- Casa is in early access and opens country by country. Shops that take only cash won’t take a card.
Which one fits your family?
They live somewhere that runs on cash
Cash pickup gets cash into their hands. A card helps only where shops take cards.
They already have a bank account they use
A bank deposit puts it where their bills are paid. Check how long their bank takes, especially before a weekend.
Everyone in town pays by phone
A mobile wallet fits how they already pay. Make sure the wallet they use works with the way you send.
You want it there now, ready to spend
A card in their name lands in seconds and works anywhere Visa does, with no pickup line.
Five things to check before you send.
Whatever way you choose, these decide what your family actually gets.
The total cost
Look at the fee and at the exchange rate you’re given. Both decide what arrives, so compare the amount that lands, not the fee alone.
What they need on their side
An ID, a bank account, a phone, a trip. The best method is the one your family can use easily.
How fast it really is
Ask when the money is ready to use, not just when it’s sent. Opening hours, weekends and bank holidays matter.
Where they can spend it
Cash spends anywhere but has to be carried. A wallet spends where it’s accepted. A card spends wherever its network is.
Who you’re sending to
Send only to people you know. A relative asking urgently from a new number is the most common scam: call the number you already have first.
Questions people ask
Written for families in October 2026. Methods and availability vary by country and provider.
What is the fastest way to send money to family abroad?
Methods that land in an account the person already has are the fastest: a mobile wallet usually takes minutes, and Casa lands in seconds on a Visa card in their name. Cash pickup can be ready quickly too, but your family still has to travel to collect it.
What is the cheapest way to send money home?
It depends on the amount, the country and the exchange rate, so compare what lands, not just the fee. With Casa you see the full amount and the fee before you confirm, and nothing sends until you do.
Can I send money to family who don’t have a bank account?
Yes. Cash pickup and mobile wallets don’t need one. Casa doesn’t either: your family gets their own Casa account and a Visa card in their name after an identity check.
Can my family use Apple Pay or Google Pay with money I send?
With a card in their name, often yes. Casa cards can be added to Apple Pay or Google Pay where available.
Should I send dollars or local currency?
With most methods your family receives local currency at the rate you’re given when you send. With Casa they keep US dollars, and Visa converts only when they pay in another currency.
How do I send money home safely?
Use a provider you can identify, send only to people you know, and never share passwords or verification codes. Casa will never ask for them, or ask you to send money to “unlock” an account.
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