UAE
See what actually lands with the recipient, once the fee and the exchange margin are counted together.
Compare what actually reaches the recipient when you send AED to India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Bangladesh or Egypt, not just the headline rate.
- Runs in your browser
- No sign-up
- Nothing leaves your device
How is the received amount calculated?
- Effective rate = mid-market rate × (1 − margin)
- Amount received = (amount − fee) × effective rate
- True cost = fee + (amount × margin)
- Ranked by what lands in the recipient currency, not by the fee
Symbols
- mid-market rate
- The rate you see in a search result, which nobody gives you; it is the reference the margin is measured against
- the margin
- The hidden gap between the offered rate and the mid-market one, and usually the larger half of the cost
- destinations
- INR · PKR · PHP · BDT · EGP, with illustrative rates rather than live quotes
What arrives from 5,000 sent to India?
You want to send 5,000 AED to India and the mid-market rate is 23.10 INR per AED. Option one is a transfer app with no fee and a 0.6% margin; option two is a bank charging a 25 AED fee with a 1.5% margin.
- At the mid-market rate with no cost at all, the recipient would get 5,000 × 23.10 = 115,500 INR
- App: effective rate 23.10 × (1 − 0.006) = 22.9614, amount received 5,000 × 22.9614 ≈ 114,807 INR
- Bank: effective rate 23.10 × (1 − 0.015) = 22.7535, amount after the fee 4,975 AED, amount received 4,975 × 22.7535 ≈ 113,199 INR
- Difference between the two: 114,807 − 113,199 = 1,608 INR in favour of the app
The app delivers about 114,807 INR and the bank about 113,199 INR, so the true cost is about 30 AED (693 INR) with the app and about 100 AED (2,301 INR) with the bank, even though the visible gap in the rate is under 1%. The figures are illustrative and live rates change daily.
Why does the margin matter more than the fee?
The true cost of any transfer has two parts: the advertised fee, and the exchange-rate margin, which is the gap between the rate the provider gives you and the mid-market rate (the reference rate between banks). Many providers advertise "zero fees" and make it up with a wider margin on the rate, so the only measure that matters is the amount that reaches the recipient in their currency.
For each option the tool calculates: the amount after the fee × the effective exchange rate (the mid-market rate minus the margin), then ranks the options by the amount received. It covers the corridors most used from the UAE: Indian rupee (INR), Pakistani rupee (PKR), Philippine peso (PHP), Bangladeshi taka (BDT) and Egyptian pound (EGP).
The providers, fees and margins in the table are illustrative until it is connected to a licensed rate feed, and exchange rates move throughout the day, so check the live rate in the app or at the branch before you send. Deal only with banks and exchange houses licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE, which are subject to its supervision and to consumer-protection rules.
- True cost = fee + (amount after the fee × exchange-rate margin)
- Effective exchange rate = mid-market rate × (1 − margin)
- Amount received = (amount − fee) × effective exchange rate
- The best option is the one that delivers the most in the recipient's currency, not the lowest fee or the highest advertised rate
Questions to settle before choosing a channel
What is the mid-market rate?
It is the midpoint between the buy and sell prices on the global currency market and the fair reference for a currency at a given moment. Transfer providers rarely give it to customers; they add a margin on top, which is their hidden profit, so always compare a provider's rate with the mid-market rate.
Does a "zero-fee" transfer mean it is free?
No. Providers that drop the fee usually make it up with a wider margin on the exchange rate. In the example above, the "zero-fee" transfer cost about 30 AED hidden in the rate. Compare the amount received, not the fee headline.
Are the rates in the table real?
The providers, fees and margins shown are illustrative, to show how the comparison works, until the table is connected to a licensed rate feed. Check the live rate with the provider before you send, as rates change throughout the day.
What is the quickest way to cut the cost of a transfer?
Compare the amount received across at least three providers before every transfer, send larger amounts less often if the fee is fixed, and avoid paying with a credit card because of the cash-advance charges added on top.
How do I check that a transfer company is licensed in the UAE?
Deal only with banks, exchange houses and payment companies licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE, which publishes the register of licensed institutions on its website. Always ask for a receipt showing the fee, the exchange rate and the amount that will arrive.
Does the tool store my transfer details?
No. The comparison runs in your browser only; neither the amount nor the currency is sent to any server, and the tool does not execute any transfer. It is a guidance-only comparison tool.