Personal Features

CurrencyFair

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38

CurrencyFair for individual customers offers a range of services beyond just international money transfer. CurrencyFair adds to their service offering for individuals on a regular basis. Currently they offer only online international money transfer features.

What CurrencyFair offers

  • International money transfers
  • Currency balances & top-ups
  • CurrencyFair Exchange Marketplace
  • Rate alerts
  • Regular transfers

What CurrencyFair doesn’t do

  • Personal account management
  • Digital wallet
  • Personal FX optimized travel cards

OFX

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59

OFX offers international money transfer solutions for individuals specialising in international bank transfers.

What OFX offers individuals

  • International money transfers
  • Personal account manager
  • Regular transfers
  • OFX mobile app

What OFX does not offer individuals

  • Digital wallets for individuals
  • FX optimised travel cards
  • Cash pick up or international bill payments

OFX wins!

OFX scores better in the Personal Features category.

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Winner

Business Benefits

CurrencyFair

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44

Along with features for personal accounts, Currencyfair offers business customer benefits although there are gaps to their offering.  iCompareFX keeps in close contact with CurrencyFair management and Currencyfair’s scoring will be adjusted as new benefits are released.

What CurrencyFair for business offers

  • Receive international payments
  • Multi-currency accounts
  • Xero integration
  • Multi-user account access
  • Two person approval

What CurrencyFair for business doesn’t offer

  • Business account management
  • Currency risk management tools
  • Online seller solutions
  • Unique banking details for multi-currency accounts
  • Debit cards for FX optimised foreign transactions

OFX

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89

Where OFX really shines is their business solutions and partnerships. Global businesses small and large can take advantage of their variety of solutions to work with global customers and suppliers. Most importantly they help manage currency risk. 

What OFX for business offers

  • Risk management
  • Multi-currency accounts
  • Global payment solutions
  • Business specialists
  • Xero accounting integration

What OFX for business doesn’t do

  • Business debit card optimised for FX

OFX wins!

OFX scores better in the Business Benefits category.

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Winner

Fees & Exchange Rates

CurrencyFair

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50

CurrencyFair Fees

Exchange rate margin fee - Between 0.25% and 0.45% on top of the real exchange rate.

Transfer fee - Transferring out of CurrencyFair can cost €3 (currency equivalent).

International intermediary bank fees - Some currencies supported by CurrencyFair have the receiving account (the one you send your payment to), not in the home country of the currency. E.g. ZAR is located in London. This means that transferring ZAR to USD through CurrencyFair can attract an additional charge for the banks to send ZAR internationally. This can be up to US$20 currency equivalent. Currencies without local bank transfer payment support:

AED, CAD, HUF, NZD, USD, ZAR

Express deposit fee - In some countries, if you choose an express deposit or payment to CurrencyFair, it can be with an additional fee.

CurrencyFair free transfer offers - Yes! There are CurrencyFair coupons with up to 10 transfer fees free.
 

Are CurrencyFair fees negotiable?

No. CurrencyFair exchange rate margin fees are non-negotiable with larger transfer sums.


OFX

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83

OFX Fees

Exchange rate margin fee - OFX offered exchange rate includes a fee of 0.5% and 0.7%. This is low and competitive.
 

Are OFX exchange rates negotiable?

By calling an OFX Expert and discussing your money transfer needs, it may be possible to arrange better pricing. In particular for larger sums and large yearly volume trades.
 

Are there additional OFX fees?

Yes. When sending under CA$10,000 or AUD$10,000, there is an additional fee of $15.
 

OFX & iCompareFX offer

OFX offers customers referred by iCompareFX a low exchange rate margin fee of 0.4%. This is an outstanding offer and is sure to lower all your money transfer costs which means more money being transferred.


OFX wins!

OFX scores better in the Fees and Exchange Rates category.

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Winner

Ease of Use

CurrencyFair

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83

CurrencyFair’s focus on customer service and user experience is of very high standards. Customer onboarding and service process management are clearly well thought out and wrapped in great design.

Account registration - Fast and easy to follow wizard.

ID verification - ID checks can be completed within 24 hours. Sometimes instantaneously with some countries. Proof of ID can be uploaded directly within the CurrencyFair app. Use your phone to take photos of ID and upload with ease.

Transfer speed - 1 - 2 business days upon receipt of payment.

Payment options -  There are local bank transfer, local country payment solutions (e.g. BPay), debit card and express deposits available in some countries.

CurrencyFair mobile app - A very well designed Android and Apple mobile app. Very easy to use. New features are added regularly.

Minimum transfer amount - €8 equivalent.


OFX

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71

What OFX does well

Sign up process - Fast and intuitive.

ID verification - If requested, ID verification is generally your drivers license ID number and a quick phone call to discuss your money transfer requirements.

Transfer speed - 1 - 2 business days upon payment.

Mobile App - To initiate money transfers. Current and historical exchange rates are also available.

Where OFX could improve

Payment options - There are limited payments available other than local bank transfers.

Minimum transfer amount -  The minimum transfer amount is US$1,000, AU$250, CA$250, £100, €250. 


CurrencyFair wins!

CurrencyFair scores better in the Ease of Use category.

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Winner

Support & Countries

CurrencyFair

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56

What CurrencyFair does well

Supported destination currencies - 21 currencies. AED, AUD, CAD, CHF, CZK, DKK, EUR, GBP, HKD, HUF, ILS, INR, NOK, NZD, PHP, PLN, SEK, SGD, THB, USD, ZAR.

International presence - CurrencyFair local offices can be found in Ireland, UK, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.

Customer support - CurrencyFair’s customer support is very good. Local offices in Ireland and Australia provide 24/5 support.

Foreign language support - CurrencyFair’s website is available in English, French and German.
 

Where CurrencyFair could improve

USA support - No support for US residents. 

Local settlement accounts - Not all currencies support local bank transfer payments to CurrencyFair. This can mean higher fees by intermediary banks. (Read more in the CurrencyFair fees section).

CurrencyFair payment bank accounts - These have changed with some frequency. This can cause customer confusion and time while funds are paid to the wrong banks.


OFX

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81

What OFX does well

Supported destination countries - OFX supports over 55 currencies and many more exotic currencies. 

Global presence - OFX has seven global offices in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, United States, Canada and the UK.

Customer support - Customer support is available locally in the global offices, over the phone and via email.
 

Where OFX could improve

Languages - Customer service and their website is in English only.

Customer sign up countries - Currently OFX supports customer registration from USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.


OFX wins!

OFX scores better in the Support and Countries category.

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Winner

Trust & Transparency

CurrencyFair

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69

Where CurrencyFair does well

Regulated by - CurrencyFair is regulated by ASIC Australia and the Central Bank of Ireland. 

TrustPilot - A rating of Excellent by TrustPilot. CurrencyFair monitors TrustPilot for negative reviews. They respond publicly and work diligently to correct legitimate customer complaints.

iCompareFX visitors - Customers referred by iCompareFX make thousands of transactions with CurrencyFair yearly. 
 

CurrencyFair challenges

Fees transparency 

CurrencyFair has low and very competitive exchange rate margin fees. There is no need to not be completely transparent. iCompareFX believes that showing the real time exchange rate and the margin fee clearly within their money transfer wizard would result in a more positive customer experience.


OFX

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69

What OFX does well

  • OFX is fully regulated in multiple countries UK, Australia, USA and Canada.
  • OFX is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and therefore is regularly audited for the compliance and safety of customer funds.
  • OFX has a Trust Pilot score of Excellent. Customer complaints are dealt with on TrustPilot quickly and directly by their customer service team.
  • iCompareFX customers make thousands of transfers through OFX yearly.

Where OFX could improve

Exchange rate margin fee transparency - OFX’s offered exchange rates include margin fees. While the exchange rate margin fee is low, it would be beneficial for current and future customers to clearly understand the fees. This would improve customer satisfaction of their money transfer service.


It's a draw!

Both equally compare in the Trust and Transparency category.

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Draw

The Result

Winner ribbon iconWinner

 OFX

OFX is the clear winner against CurrencyFair.  The standouts are its personal and business features plus its competitive fees and exchange rates.  That said CurrencyFair draws in the Trust and Transparency section and beats OFX in the Ease of Use category.