Best Ways to Send Money to Tanzania

International money transfer has become cheaper, easier and faster. We have selected best ways that allow you to conveniently send money to family members, friends, business partners, or freelancers in Tanzania.

How to send money to Tanzania

  • There are many options available to send money to Tanzania. Choose a method that is cheaper and convenient to you and the recipient, one that is faster, and one that is efficient. However, you should also ask the Tanzanian recipient on the method they mostly prefer.
  • Of all the methods, we recommend using Transferwise or World Remit.
  • These days, it is even possible to send money with bitcoin at a cheaper cost or even free. Your recipient doesn’t necessarily to be a bitcoin user. They can either receive the money in Tanzanian shilling or bitcoin.

WorldRemit Tanzania

worldremit tanzania

WorldRemit is an online money transfer service that provides international money transfer service to Tanzania. From our experience, this is one of the easiest ways to send money to someone in Tanzania. As a special bonus you can also get up to 3 transfers without any fees, if you use the coupon code 3FREE.

When you use WorldRemit to send money to Tanzania, your recipient can receive money in a number of ways. They are bank account, mobile money or cash pick up from WorldRemit agents in Tanzania. You should note that is possible to send WorldRemit to Mpesa, Tigo Pesa, and Ezy Pesa, Banks you can send money to via WorldRemit to Tanzania are Equity Bank and The People’s Bank of Zanzibar. Over 90% of money sent via WorldRemit arrives in a few minutes.

How to Send Money to Tanzania Using WorldRemit

  1. Simply use the blue box on the right hand side of the website.
  2. Select Tanzania.
  3. Select how you want to send the money.
  4. Enter the amount you want to send. Fees and exchange rate will be shown,
  5. You will be directed to another page to create an account (you will be asked for your address, email, phone number).
  6. Enter your recipient’s details such as bank details and full name, phone number, address, and email (optional).
  7. Choose how you want to pay (bank account, debit/credit card, SOFORT, INTERAC, POLI or iDEAL), then confirm the amount.
  8. Your recipient will be alerted by SMS and email when the money is available.

Go to WorldRemit.com

 

Send money for free to Tanzania with WorldRemit

Special offer. Transfer money to Tanzania for free with WorldRemit using the code 3FREE and pay no fees on your first three money transfers. If you send money to a mobile money account in Tanzania from the UK, US, and German with WordRemit, you will not pay any fees regardless of the number of transfers you make!

Transferwise Tanzania

Transferwise, rebranded to Wise, is a cheap, fair, and simple money transfer method to Tanzania. What makes Transferwise different from other money transfer services is that it bypasses international transfer system by using local banks for transfers. This makes the process of sending money to Tanzania cheaper, faster, and efficient because the money for your recipient will come from a local bank account in Tanzania (not from the country you are sending the money from). One important thing to note is that sending money with Wise to Tanzania, your recipient must have a bank account. The money will reflect in the account in the same day and in some cases the following day.

How to Send Money to Tanzania Using Transferwise

  1. Create a free account. All you need is an email address, or a Google or Facebook account.
  2. Use the calculator on the website to know your fees depending on how much money you want to send. You will know immediately when the money should get to Tanzania.
  3. You will be asked if you’re sending money as an individual or business. You will also fill in your full name, birthday, phone number, and address.
  4. You will be asked who you are sending the money to and basic information about your recipient, including their bank details. They need a bank account, but they don’t need a TransferWise account.
  5. You will see the summary of your transfer details.
  6. You will then make your transfer using bank transfer, debit or credit card.

Go to TransferWise.com

 

TransferGo Tanzania

transfergo tanzania

TransferGo is one of the best ways to send money to Tanzania. You can send as an individual but also you can send money as a business as it accepts business accounts. Your first 2 transfers are completely free.

How to Send Money to Tanzania Via TransferGo

  • You can send money using TransferGo website or TransferGo app.
  • You need to have a mobile number to confirm your account. A message will be sent to the number you provide during registration.
  • Options for paying for your transfer include bank transfer, credit/debit card, Google Pay or Apple Pay.
  • At the moment, you can only send money to a debit card or credit card in Tanzania. You need your recipient’s card details.

Send money to Tanzania for free: Your first 2 transfers to Tanzania using TransferGo are completely free. Note that you can only send to a debit or credit card.

Go to TransferGo website

 

Azimo Tanzania

Azimo stopped supporting money transfers via Azimo or Azimo Business on August 31, 2022, following its acquisition by Papaya Global. The company is now focusing on providing salary payments to business customers.

Azimo allowed people to send money to Tanzania from 25 countries including the the UK, the Eurozone, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland and Poland. You could send money to mobile money in Tanzania including Tigo Pesa, Mpesa and Airtel Money.

Western Union

Western Union
Western Union is one of the most popular means of sending money to Tanzania. It offers both individual transfers as well as business transfers. Cash transfers are available for pickup within minutes at any Western Union agent in Tanzania. You can also send money using Western Union to Mpesa in Tanzania.

How to Send Money to Tanzania Using Western Union

There are two options of sending money using Western Union:

  1. You can sign up for an account on Western Union website, app or visit a local agent.
  2. With online transfer you have the option of using debit or credit card.
  3. Transferring through a local agent, you will need your ID and the money you want to send in cash.
  4. You will need details of the receiver such as full name and address.
  5. Once the transaction is completed, you will be given the MTCN number that will be used by the receiver when collecting the money. Note that you can also send money directy to Mpesa in Tanzania.

Go to Western Union.com
 

Xoom Tanzania


Xoom is a PayPal Service that allows consumers to easily send money to Tanzania. Xoom customers can only send money online using their mobile phone, tablet, or computer. Your recipient can get cash from Xoom agents in Tanzania, CRDB Bank and Ecobank, mobile money (Tigo Pesa, Airtel Money and Vodacom). You can also buy talktime or data bundle for your recipient in Tanzania.

How to Send Money to Tanzania Using Xoom

  1. You can sign up on Xoom website, Googe App Store or App Store.
  2. Select how much you want to send, choose where you want your recipient to receive it (Tanzania), and choose how you want to pay ( bank account, debit card, or credit card).
  3. With a valid ID and transaction number, the recepient can receive through a bank account or a cash pickup location. Your recipient needs a valid ID and the Xoom transaction number.

Go to Xoom.com

 

Sending Mpesa to Tanzania

M-Pesa is a mobile platform for storing and transferring money by the use of mobile phones. It was launched in 2007 in Kenya by Vodafone. Mpesa it the leading mobile money service in East Africa. It is very easy to send money to Tanzania via Mpesa.

How to Send Money to Tanzania Via Mpesa

  1. Go to M-Pesa and select send money to M-Pesa Tanzania.
  2. Under account number, enter the Tanzania recipient’s mobile number in the format 2557XXXXXXXX
  3. Enter amount you wish to send in your local currency.
  4. Enter your M-Pesa pin and confirm the transaction.

 

Wire Transfer to Tanzania


Wire transfer, bank transfer or credit transfer, is a method of electronic funds transfer from one person or entity to another. Wire transfer to Tanzania is easy but costly.

How to Send Money to Tanzania Using Wire Transfer

  1. Visit your bank or use online banking to send the money.
  2. You will need the recipient bank account number, bank name and address, and Swift code.
  3. It may takes two business days for the money to reflect. However, it can take longer than that especially if there is an intermediary bank involved.

 

Conclusion: Cheapest Way to Send Money to Tanzania

Many transfer money companies continue to make their transfer services to Tanzania faster and cheaper. They also support a variety of receiving methods for your recipient including mobile money services such as Tigo Pesa, Mpesa and Airtel Money. Of all the methods described here, we recommend using Transferwise and World Remit. Note that the first 2 transfers to Tanzania using Transfergo are completely free. However, you should also ask the Tanzanian recipient on the method they mostly prefer.

Ndesanjo is an experienced writer and researcher on finance issues. With an MA from the University of Toledo, USA, he is a valuable asset to the FiFi editorial team, and his work helps to make finance work for everyone. He has lived in 5 countries and speaks 3 languages. Read more about the editorial team at FiFi and our editorial guidelines.