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Opal Transfer Review: Is it safe? How does it work? What are the rates?

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Is Opal Transfer the best option for sending money abroad? Compare your options to make sure you get the best exchange rate and lowest fees for your transfer.

Our independent review of Opal Transfer

Opal Transfer is a money transfer operator offering a money transfer service from United Kingdom to all of Europe, with a historical focus on Eastern Europe. It is possible to send money online via their website, from your smartphone, over the phone, or from one of their two branches in London.

Generally, Opal Transfer isn’t as competitive as other online providers in terms of fees and exchange rates, but it is still much cheaper than most banks. The big advantage of Opal Transfer is that their customer service, which you can reach by phone or email, is available in English, Lithuanian, Russian, Polish, Latvian, Bulgarian, Czech, Slovak, Spanish, and Romanian. It’s good to be able to speak your mother tongue when it comes to sending money abroad, and not all money transfer providers in the UK can speak all these languages.

Opal Transfer’s website is not as intuitive and easy-to-use as other online money transfer solutions, but it does the job. The smartphone apps have good reviews and allow you to set up your transfer on the go. You can pay by debit card or by bank transfer, and for most destinations, your money will arrive on the same day or on the next day. If you need to do multiple transfers, you can make one payment to Opal’s account and arrange with their customer center to make several smaller transactions to different persons.

What Monito Likes About Opal Transfer

  • You can send money online, from your smartphone, by phone or at one of their agent location in London
  • Same day transfer to most destinations
  • Customer service available in Romanian, Polish and 8 other languages

How Opal Transfer works

  • Step 01

    Open an account

    Visit Opal Transfer's website and open a free account

  • Step 02

    Enter the details about your recipient

    Tell Opal Transfer where you need to send money and to whom.

  • Step 03

    Set-up your transfer with Opal Transfer

    Enter how much money you want to send and how you want to pay for your transfer.

  • Step 04

    Pay for your transfer

    Fund your transfer by making a local bank transfer or pay by debit or credit card

  • Final step

    Let Opal Transfer do the rest

    Opal Transfer will convert your money in the recipient's currency and send it to him through the selected pay-out option.

    Get started with your transfer

Credibility security

Opal Transfer is a secure money transfer solution. The company has been licensed and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK since 2011 (Firm reference 533677) as well as registered with HMRC under the Money Laundering regulations.

Over 30 employees work for Opal Transfer in their London office. If you need a personal contact with them, they have two branches in London (one at Shepherd’s bush and the other in Stratford), and their customer service is available by phone or email.

Their website has an extended SSL Certificate, assuring that your connection with them is secure.

Authorised by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) 
Firm Reference : 533677

Documents required

The documents you must provide to Opal Transfer depends on how much money you send:

  • £0 - £500: no documents required
  • £500 - £1500: personal ID document or passport
  • £1500 - £5000: + a proof of residence
  • £5000 and above: + source of income

You can upload your documents directly in your Opal Transfer online dashboard.

History of Opal Transfer

Opal Transfer started in 2003 as a single money transfer branch in London, catering to customers sending money to Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Uzbekistan, and Russia. A few years later, they expanded their services to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia; then Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Since March 2015, you can also send money with Opal Transfer to all European countries and Norway, Monaco, and San Marino.

Following the digital trends in the industry, they launched an online money transfer service in 2013, followed by a mobile app in January 2015.

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