How to Send Money to GCash From Japan to the Philippines

GCash is one of the most popular mobile wallets in the Philippines. When you convert your Japanese yen into Philippine pesos, you'll be able to make the most of GCash's products and services, such as sending pesos to friends, accessing loans, and shopping at the GCash marketplace.

Services like WorldRemit, Wise, Western Union, and Xoom let you send Philippine pesos from Japan easily. Find the cheapest and fastest service using Monito’s live comparison tool below 👇

Digital Platforms

The best way to send money to the Philippines is through a digital money transfer service. GCash has unfortunately not partnered with any digital money transfer specialist in Japan. This means that if you want to take advantage of great exchange rates and high speeds, then you'll first have to send your Japanese yen with companies like WorldRemit or Wise to a bank account in the Philippines. Then, transfer that money over to your GCash account.

According to Monito's comparison engine from August 2021 to August 2022, WorldRemit was the best option for anyone in Japan trying to send money to GCash in the Philippines. Wise is a second great option, but it is not as fast as WorldRemit.

1. WorldRemit

WorldRemit is a UK-based remittance platform that's usually the fastest way to send money to the Philippines. Card payments, cash transfers, and bank account transfers are supported from Japan to the Philippines (and from many other countries worldwide, including the UK, EU, and Australia).

• Avg. cost from Japan to the Philippines:
  Approx. -3%

  Includes a promotional exchange rate for first-time users.
• GCash limits: Varies by bank; on average PHP 300,000 per transfer
• More info: See our full WorldRemit review or visit their website.

2. Wise

Wise is also a UK-based money transfer service that offers the best exchange rate available from Japan to the Philippines. It is often the cheapest way to send money from Japan, although Wise does not support cash transfers. Bank transfers may take up to 2 to 3 days.

• Avg. cost from Japan to the Philippines: Approx. 0.8% to 3% fixed fee
• GCash limits: ¥1,000,000 per transaction
• More info: See our full Wise review or visit the website.

Worldwide Legacy Platforms

While SBI Remit is GCash's only Japanese partner, GCash has partnered with two verified worldwide partners: Western Union and MoneyGram.

Although legacy platforms are usually more expensive than online digital platforms, they usually still offer decent exchange rates. The size of the fees charged will largely depend on how much money you are transferring, which is why we recommend you compare money transfer providers before every new transfer to the Philippines.

Let's go over the leading platforms in this category:

3. Western Union

Western Union is the largest and oldest money transfer operator on the globe, offering money transfers from Japan to GCash in the Philippines (and from dozens of other countries across the globe).

To send money to GCash, you can go to Western Union online and follow the steps under "Send money to mobile wallet." Or, visit a Western Union branch and fill out the send money form. Write your beneficiary's name as registered on GCash and their GCash account number (09XXXXXXXXX format).

• Avg. cost from Japan to the Philippines: Approx. 2-4% + ¥390 fixed fee
• GCash limits: ¥1,000,000 per transaction
• More info: See our full Western Union review or visit the website.

4. MoneyGram

After Western Union, MoneyGram is the second-largest money transfer operator in the world and also offers money transfers from Japan to GCash Philippines.

To send money to GCash, you can go to MoneyGram online and follow the steps under "How to send your remittance to a mobile wallet." You can also visit a MoneyGram branch and fill out the send money form. Write your beneficiary's name as registered on GCash and their GCash account number (09XXXXXXXXX format).

• Avg. cost from Japan to the Philippines: Approx. 1-2% + ¥700 fee
• GCash limits: ¥500,000 per transaction
• More info: See our full MoneyGram review or visit the website.

SBI Remit to the Philippines

The only Japanese platform that GCash has partnered with is SBI Remit. While we do not recommend SBI Remit for your transfer to the Philippines because it charges high fixed fees and poor exchange rates, we explain how to do so below:

5. SBI Remit

SBI Remit is a Japanese remittance company that offers an online remittance service. They charge high fixed fees as well as poor exchange rates. The difference between the real mid-market rate and SBI's weaker rate is known as an exchange rate margin. They keep that portion of your transfer.

While they have an exchange rate estimator on their website, your exchange rates will not be transparently shown until you prepare to submit your transaction. Other money transfer specialists are more transparent with their exchange rates up front, which is why we tend to recommend them over SBI Remit.

How to Send Money to GCash With SBI Remit

To get started, you must:

1. Register on the SBI Remit website;
2. Login to SBI Remit website;
3. Select GCash as the receiver;
4. Insert beneficiary's name and phone number;
5. Enter the amount to send from your account;
6. Click 'Remit' to complete the transaction.

Avg. cost from Japan to the Philippines: Approx. -1% x-rate + 5% fixed fee

GCash Limits: PHP 100,000

More info: Visit the website.

References Used In This Guide

1. Getting started. GCash. Accessed 29 August 2022.

2. How do I send remittance to GCash via SBI Remit? GCash. Accessed 29 August 2022.

3. SBI Remit Calculator. SBI Remit. Accessed 29 August 2022.