Paymentearth Review

By 
Matt Di Vincere (Chief Editor)
Last Edited Nov 11, 2022

Should I use Paymentearth for money transfers?

Pros:

  • Good FX services for business
  • Spreads agreed upfront
  • VirtuWallet multi currency account
  • Forward Contracts are available
  • 25 Currencies Offered

Cons:

  • Only for US clients
  • More exotic currencies not available
  • No App available
  • Lacks reputability

Services Offered by Paymentearth

Send Money Abroad  + 4

Official Website:

Paymentearth Review: Executive Summary

Paymentearth is a tech oriented money transfer company. The platform uses blockchain technology to provide a secure and efficient way to make payments, beside the usual transfer protocols such as SWIFT and SEPA. Despite being more innovative than most of its competitors, PaymentEarth is still a very young and small company only accepting U.S based customers, with no apps, no online reviews and have not been around the block long enough to gain industry recognition.
Overall ratingN/A
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Updated on Nov 11, 2022
Aggregated User Votes
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Not Top 10 Ranked

🏆 No Industry Awards

Where is Paymentearth Available?

Our Top Rated Paymentearth Alternatives

On Money Transfer Comparison, we have reviewed 80+ money transfer services, 40+ of which could be considered direct Paymentearth competitors. View our best rated Paymentearth money transfer alternatives which have received higher ratings below:

#1
UK EU USA Currencies Direct: Best Rated Globally, Strong USA Presence
Local USA Offices:
4705 S Apopka Vineland Rd Suite 114, Orlando, FL 32819, USA
97.8% Editorial rating
7,500 Client Reviews
Minimum transfer:
£100 / €100 / $100 or equivalent
Why Them?
  • 96% Positive Feedback from Customers, Since 1996
  • Service Oriented - Specialising in Large Transfers - Friendly Dealers
  • Very Competitive Rates, No Wire Fees
+Read more
1
Currencies Direct
Currencies Direct: Best Rated Globally, Strong USA Presence
97.8%
Editorial rating
#2
Australia UK EU USA New Zealand OFX: Best for Transfers to Canada, Asia and Australia
Local USA Offices:
T49 Stevenson Street, 13th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105
90.4% Editorial rating
1,500 Client Reviews
Minimum transfer:
$100
Why Them?
  • Traded publicly, very well known name in the currency business
  • Great online platform and mobile app - easy to use, comprehend an sign up with
  • Good rates even for small transfers, and no transfer fees
+Read more
2
OFX
OFX: Best for Transfers to Canada, Asia and Australia
90.4%
Editorial rating
#3
UK EU USA UAE Moneycorp: Best for Businesses and Sophisticated Transfers
Local USA Offices:
4500 Park Granada UNIT 239, Calabasas, CA 91302
93.2% Editorial rating
7,000 Client Reviews
Minimum transfer:
$250
Why Them?
  • Personal and close service, perfect for large international money transfers and businesses
  • Competitive exchange rates and no transfer fees
  • Many industry and business awards - operating since 1979
+Read more
3
Moneycorp
Moneycorp: Best for Businesses and Sophisticated Transfers
93.2%
Editorial rating
#4
USA Remitly: Best for transfers to Mexico
Local USA Offices:
Seattle, WA, US (HQ) 1111 3rd Ave #2100.
78.0% Editorial rating
35,000 Client Reviews
Minimum transfer:
$1
Why Them?
  • Transfer from $1
  • Remittances-Oriented
  • Great Online Platform
+Read more
4
Remitly
Remitly: Best for transfers to Mexico
78.0%
Editorial rating
#5
USA WorldRemit: Best for transfers to Africa and India
Local USA Offices:
WorldRemit Corp, 600 17th Street, Suite 200S Denver, CO 80202
77.0% Editorial rating
50,000 Client Reviews
Minimum transfer:
$1
Why Them?
  • Transfer from $1
  • Send to 130 Countries
  • Remittances-Oriented
+Read more
5
WorldRemit
WorldRemit: Best for transfers to Africa and India
77.0%
Editorial rating

Paymentearth is a relatively new FX company trying to prove itself as worth of being named one of the best international money transfer services in USA. This review will help us get to grips better with the company; we’ll look into its reputability, its currency services, FX fees and business functionality.


Is Paymentearth Safe?

Company size:  

Paymentearth itself is a very small entity, with only around 10 employees in their single-office (San Diego). The company was founded only 4 years ago in 2016, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Its CEO and President, Jeff Scanlon, has been in the foreign exchange industry since 1989 — an impressively long time, which can only add to Paymentearth’s credibility. 

Prior to founding Paymentearth in 2016, Jeff had been working at the foreign exchange brokerage Commonwealth Foreign Exchange, sowing the foundations of knowledge in FX forwards and hedging. Most importantly understanding how these products can be a great fit for SMEs and individuals too.

As part of its senior management team, Paymentearth has a Blockchain specialist, perhaps indicating the firm’s focus on technology and innovation. And in this regard, despite being a small business itself, it doesn’t appear to stand still as in its quest to expand its footprint and product capabilities. 

In 2019, the firm announced its expansion and regulatory approval in the states of Tennessee and Georgia. In 2020, Paymentearth announced the release of its Virtuwallet and IBAN solution. Providing customers with an online dashboard to access up to 28 digital currency accounts, where they can hold balances, receive incoming payments and convert these funds into USD. Note that you can’t make payments from your digital accounts but you can hold balances to net off against future exposure. If you’re looking for a digital account where you can both receive and make international payments then you should look to Transferwise or WorldFirst.


Regulated By: 

PE Global Partners LLC DBA Paymentearth Program is sponsored by Community Federal Savings Bank, though in some states they are a licensed money transmitter.

 MSB licenses are held in various states: DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, LA, MD, MA, MN, MS, MT, NJ, NC, OK, PA, RI, TN, VT, VA, WA, WI

“PE Global Partners is registered with FinCEN. Our registration number is 31000126701006”. say the website

 Paymentearth is a licensed money transmitter and is listed on NMLS

Awards:

None

 Conclusion:

Jeff Scanlon, founder of Paymentearth and CEO, has spent his entire career working for non-bank international payment providers. The firm also seems to adhere to all of the required regulations for the states in which it operates as a money transmitter. Other than that, there’s not much else we can say positively about the site’s reputation and credibility.

Paymentearth Customer Reviews

Research:

With Paymentearth being a relatively young company (4 years old) there is no expectation for many reviews. However, the fact there are no Paymenterarth reviews to be found online at all is concerning. Ultimately, it’s Paymentearth’s responsibility to work with a third party review platform and if they choose not to then we have to respect that, though it does leave a big whole in their acquisition cycle – there are some client testimonials on paymentearth.com which help to vouch for their credibility but obviously we can’t say for sure if they are verified clients. 4 years seems more than enough time to get at least some client feedback but it could have something to do with the fact Paymentearth seems to be more business-oriented. Review platforms are typically for private client offerings

Conclusion:

Not a good sign to see zero third-party client reviews about a company operating for that long. The client testimonials found on the Paymentearth website point to a broker which looks to understand its clients better than a bank and take the time to run through FX solutions which could be of benefit to their business. The testimonials also stress that they like having a pre-agreed margin on their international payments so they don’t have to worry about this each time they raise a payment.

Paymentearth Exchange Rates & Fees

The fees when sending money with Paymentearth change based on the type of payment you need. Wire transfers are $1, SWIFT transfers are $8 (unless the transaction value is greater than $5,000) and finally ACH transfers are $0.

Exchange Rates:

There is essentially a fixed margin that you will receive on every payment you make.. This will vary per client, and will be based on your FX volumes, but you’re always notified of what this margin is, and the interbank rate is always denoted when converting. 

Bottom line:

Minimum transfer is $1 and no explicit maximum upper limit, customers have flexibility when using Paymentearth. The exchange rate spread is reported to be as good as  0.5%, which is very reasonable and comparable to TransferWise’s dollar margins. Payment fees are also never going to be more than $8 (free when LOCAL) and is much cheaper than you would be receiving from a US bank. 

Overall, this is competitive pricing, though it is usually preferable for customers to have just a fixed conversion fee instead of two different ways of losing money. What is impressive is that they calculate the exchange spread (they call it a conversion fee) next to the interbank rate, which is going above and beyond in both transparency and functionality.

Paymentearth Global Reach & Service

Research:

  • Dedicated Dealer: Yes
  • Offices: San Diego (USA)
  • Ways to approach: Online, Phone
  •  Translations: None
  • Accepted Clients: USA only
  • Currencies Handled: 25
  • Client reviews: None to be found

Conclusion:

Paymentearth are very much USA focused currently, seeing as they only have one small office in San Diego. The 25 currencies offered are satisfactory but far from impressive. In terms of bespoke service, it depends on exactly the service you’re after. There are individual accounts, and there are a number of more technical business services which are impressive.

Additional Functionalities

Paymentearth is certainly more than a simple bank-to-bank currency exchange service and this is where the company excels – particularly as there aren’t that many payment providers who operate as a traditional currency broker in the US. There are a variety of FX services backed up with good functionality. For example,Forward Contracts  are available, as are standing orders. 

There is a VirtuWallet multi currency account that allows businesses to hold GBP, EUR, CAD, CHF and USD online. Being able to hold multiple currencies means that you’re not forced to exchange currency, which can be much more efficient for international businesses in the long run. Businesses may start to find a natural currency hedge as they hold multiple currencies they know they’ll need for payments in the future.

Functionality is solid at Pamymentearth, though nothing out of the ordinary. Forward contracts, spot transactions and an online trading portal are all available to both private and business clients. Whilst businesses can also benefit from batch payments and the Paymentearth virtual IBAN solution, both accessible via Patmentearth’s Virtu Wallet online platform. The former can be a very handy tool for monthly payroll and the latter as we’ve explained can help you run balances in other currencies and manage when you want to convert funds back to your base currency. 

In truth, these are all things offered by the long-standing UK currency brokers but it’s impressive to see this from a firm of under 10 employees. If you’re from the states and looking for a more local solution, that’s provided by a local team, then Payment earth could be the right option for you. If you’re interested in the same service provided by a more established provider then you’ll get all the same functionality and more with OFX, who happen to hold their US offices in San Diego too. 

Paymentearth Review

Summary

Paymentearth has no app, which is a shame, though it does do the basics well — they offer competitive spreads which are always agreed with you upfront, as well as flexible payment terms ($1 minimum and no maximum). The VirtuWallet is useful but far from the best on the market, as it only allows you to receive funds at this stage. The global reach of the company is slightly lacking, but 25 currencies is around the industry average. Overall, Paymentearth has a good service but somewhat lacks reputability.