WorldFirst has not accepted private clients since February 2021 😲. View popular WorldFirst alternatives here.
Should I Use WorldFirst?
Pros:
Cons:
Services Offered by WorldFirst
Official Website:
WorldFirst Review: Executive Summary
WorldFirst is one of the largest and most credible companies in the money transfer space. With an easy online sign-up process, outstanding customer service and great rates,WorldFirst is an ideal choice for businesses and ecommerce sellers alike. This review of WorldFirst money transfer service, or WorldFirst UK Limited, will look at WorldFirst FX margins, how safe it is to use WorldFirst and how to make transfers with WorldFirst through telephone, email, online or via the app.As always, we’ll see what existing WorldFirst customer reviews from across the web tell us about user satisfaction as well.Click here to visit WorldFirst.
8451
374Current Rates?
Where is WorldFirst Available?
This review of World First money transfer service, which consists of Worldfirst UK limited, WorldFirst Pty Ltd (Australia), WorldFirst Asia Ltd, WorldFirst Asia Pte. Ltd and WorldFirst Netherlands B.V. – the companies various global subsidiaries, will explain the ins and outs of the company. From World First FX margins, how safe it is to use World First, how do you make transfers or payments with World First through telephone, email, online system or app, to what World First client reviews tell about user satisfaction.
😲 WorldFirst no Longer Accepting Private or US-based Clients: 😲
Following a 2020 announcement, WorldFirst stopped accepting private clients. Existing private clients of WorldFirst were able to make international transfers with WorldFirst until April 2021 but were forbidden to set up a forward contract beyond this date. We recommend our readers to learn about the best international money transfer companies for individuals in UK/EU, best international money transfer for USA, best international money transfer in Australia, as well as Canada, and more specifically for large amounts – the best-rated currency brokers.
Have a look below at the leading Worldfirst alternatives on the market:
Best Worldfirst Alternatives
- Min Transfer: £/€/$ 100
- Currencies Supported: 39
- Offices : UK, EU, USA, India, South Africa.
- Our Rating : 97.8%
- Most Global Offices and Reach
No Fees from Anywhere and Competitive Rates
96% Client Satisfaction
- Min Transfer: £/€ 100
- Currencies Supported: 40
- Offices : UK, EU, Singapore, and Australia.
- Our Rating : 93.4%
- High Quality Bespoke Service
MoneyFact's Best Provider Award
Over 100 Years of FX Experience Across Its Trading Desk
- Min Transfer: £/€/$ 50
- Currencies Supported: 120
- Offices : UK, EU, USA, HK, and UAE.
- Our Rating : 92.8%
- Business Oriented, Many High Profile Business Customers
Industry Veteran since 1979
Diverse Hedging Options and Excellent Guidance
Is World First Safe and Reliable?
WorldFirst Limited, registered and headquartered in the UK, is a market leading and award winning foreign exchange company. It offers currency exchange and international payments only to corporate clients, with a particular focus on ecommerce businesses selling their goods overseas. Since its establishment in 2004, the company has grown rapidly and today has offices across four continents, employing more than 600 people.
WorldFirst is ranked among 2022’s top UK international money transfer companies in the UK in terms of revenue and has helped nearly 1,000,000 global customers with their international transfers. Each year WorldFirst makes millions of transfers for its unanimously happy client base.
Like most currency brokers, WorldFirst money transfer never speculates on the currency markets. When a client enters into a transaction with WorldFirst, they will then enter into a matching covering deal with their banking partners. Thus turning your sold currency into your bought currency and from which the onward payment is made.
The two main transaction banks for World First are Barclays and Citibank – two of the most recognised and safest international banks around the globe.
WorldFirst is highly transparent in its financial performance and what it does to protect client money.
Since the firm’s acquisition by Alipay, little has been won by way of awards for WorldFirst and nor does it appear they have even entered any competitions. This is a marked contrast to the multitude of awards WorldFirst won throughout its growth journey.
Such rapid growth won the company an inclusion in the Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 in 2011, and earned it a position in the top 100 Sunday Times FastTrack companies in 2015, 2016 and 2017 – more than any other financial services provider in the UK.
In addition to that, it has won several prestigious awards, such as the UK Customer Experience Awards in 2013, and the UK National Business Award in 2011.
In April 2016, WorldFirst Payments was announced as the winner of the Queen’s Award for International Trade, one of the most lucrative and prestigious awards in the UK.
On June 21, 2017, WorldFirst (including WorldFirst UK and WorldFirst Australia) changed its logo and overall website appearance towards a more colourful and less simplistic design than before. This rebranding process also included a lot more focus on a specific segment – online sellers, which has proved itself as a highly commercially viable direction for the company.. During the year to follow, the company also entered into an internal reorganisation process to better adjust itself for its new future.
In January of 2019, as part of its reorganisation process, WorldFirst decided to stop taking on US based clients and shut down its entire US operation. Days later, it was discovered that WorldFirst had been bought by Ant Financial, the Chinese conglomerate behind AliPay and AliBaba, for a consideration of USD $700m.
At the time, it was reported by articles in the media that WorldFirst USA would reopen in the future under a new name and would be a separate business named Omega Money Transfers with no relationship to Ant Financial’s WorldFirst. The move never materialised and a number of Amazon sellers from the US were caught up in the US-China trade spat.
On July 23, 2019, WorldFirst announced they were shifting to a more transparent and more understandable pricing model that would compete directly with Wise’s rates for SME clients and would be cheaper for clients sending significant volumes overseas. The move, which appeared to be a direct result of the acquisition by Alipay, has since been reversed in 2022.
To us, it’s not wholly unsurprising that WorldFirst reversed its decision as the firm has always provided much more value to its clients than Wise. Wise specialises in purely online spot transfers, whereas WorldFirst provides this functionality and much more. WorldFirst can also provide business customers with dedicated account management and a range of currency hedging tools that enable businesses to better manage currency risk. Its multi-currency account solution is also operated in tandem with more trustworthy and respected banking partners.
Still, the move has no doubt aggravated a number of existing clients and WorldFirst will want to hold steady on its new pricing strategy, which, according to WF FAQs, is “competitive”.
OLD AD:
On 10th February 2021, WorldFirst sent a service termination email to all private clients notifying them of account closures on 21st April 2021, with online access being removed after 10th April.
Over the last decade, WorldFirst has been one of the fastest-growing businesses in the UK, as supported by its position in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 from 2015-2017. In recent years, the growth of the firm has slowed but WorldFirst remains one of the largest and most trustworthy money transfer companies in the country, handing over a million international payments each and every year.
WorldFirst UK Limited is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority as an Electronic Money Institution under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011. The company is also regulated in the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong. It was acquired by Ant Group in 2019, operator of Alipay, one of the largest mobile payment platforms in the world. Almost 1,000,000 businesses have sent £125bn around the world with WorldFirst since 2004.
Do Clients Like WorldFirst? Reviews From Across the Web
Prior to their switch from the review platform Feefo to TrustPilot, there were over 7,100 WorldFirst client reviews on Feefo, rating the company 98/100. Despite the fact Feefo remains one of the most credible user review companies on the planet, TrustPilot seems to have become the go-to review platform for consumers and businesses alike.
WorldFirst now has over 2,000 reviews on TrustPilot – rated as excellent with a score of 4.3 / 5, down on the 4.7 / 5 score the firm enjoyed in 2020.
It’s a shame WorldFirst have lost all of their previous client reviews from Feefo since migrating to TrustPilot but having monitored the company closely over many years we can attest to their excellent previous reviews. In its time with Feefo, WorldFirst was regularly granted the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award so it’s no surprise WorldFirst is already rated in the best possible category on TrustPilot.
There are approximately 200 WorldFirst reviews to be found on ReviewCentre, another of the largest client review engines. World First had 96% positive reviews on Feefo, TrustPilot and ReviewCentre, combined.
All three websites show a myriad of client reviews relating to customers across the globe. As such, we assume that while the majority of reviews come from the UK, where Worldfirst has its biggest client base, they also include WorldFirst Australia reviews and WorldFirst Singapore reviews.
Below is a genuine, verified, comment by a client we have referred to them:
Very good, speedy service. Staff I spoke with regarding opening the account were very friendly & knowledgeable. Setting up the transaction, beneficiary etc., was simple and straightforward, and the money arrived in the beneficiary’s account very quickly. To top it all, total transaction was £60 cheaper than my bank!
Clients praise World First on every aspect of its service. There multiple client reviews describing:
- Easy sign up process.
- Happy with the rates they are given.
- Dedicated dealers are often mentioned by name, and described using the following adjectives: Professional, Knowledgeable, Polite, Customer Oriented, and Helpful
- Satisfaction with the prompt execution of a transfer. Often completed overnight.
Among the many positive reviews, we also witnessed several complaints. The majority of them focused on:
- Slower transactions to specific locations (e.g., Brazil), where the process might be slightly more complicated and may require a sign-off from the funds’ recipient.
- Not providing original copies of certain documents.
- The company regularly requests supporting documents in order to process transfers, e.g. invoice/proof of the source of funds
- Private clients were surprised that the private client desk closed.
In general, clients are positive about the services provided to them by WorldFirst online and over the telephone. The firm is regularly praised for being reliable, trustworthy and efficient. And despite a recent increase in pricing, customers still feel like they’re getting good value for money and praise WorldFirst for providing excellent exchange rates, even after the price increase kicked in.
Despite this, there has been a recent uptick in complaints. Virtually every complaint left in 2022 appears to relate to WorldFirst requesting supporting documentation in order to process a payment, or delaying/refusing to make a payment for compliance purposes. As a regulated institution, WorldFirst is required to adhere to strict anti-money laundering laws, just like other regulated foreign exchange firms. For most customers, this should not impact them at all, but businesses operating in high-risk countries or high-risk industries should expect a greater level of due diligence. These companies may want to consider trying two or three different payment providers and should find that once repeat payments are going to the same beneficiary, some of the documentation requirements ease over time.
A small number of customers complained about slow transfers but transactions can also be slow to reach specific countries, regardless of which company you choose. In virtually all countries worldwide, banks do not handle incoming international transactions during bank holidays and weekends.
Overall, we can see that the vast majority of business clients are satisfied with the service provided by WorldFirst.
World First’s Exchange Rate & Fees
Fees: Corporate clients will have to agree on their payment fee structure with WorldFirst at the onset of their account. Though payment fees will certainly be cheaper than payment fees with a bank.
Exchange Rates: WorldFirst simply explains in their FAQs that they “offer easy and secure international business payments with competitive pricing”. WorldFirst has reverted to a traditional pricing model for currency brokers. The larger the amount transferred, the better the rate a client will receive. Using the WorldFirst online platform means that the exchange rate will be fixed. This should represent significant savings compared to banks and will hover around the same margins offered on other online money transfer platforms. When transferring a large sum (£25,000+) you may be able to negotiate a better rate over the phone.
Limits: As of 2022), there are no minimum transfer limits and given WorldFirst’s size and acces to liquidity, there is no upper cap on how much you can send either. WorldFirst handles a variety of business clients and online merchants and can assist them with transferring hundreds, thousands or millions of pounds per transfer.
There are no minimum or maximum transfer limits of any kind with WorldFirst and businesses transferring over £5,000 with WorldFirst will have access to a dedicated account manager. So businesses of all size will find a solution that works for them. Transferring money with WorldFirst online is smooth and easy, and should clients encounter any issues, WorldFirst customer support is praised for being easily accessible and highly professional. Dedicated dealers can provide guidance relating to the transfer, including details on the range of currency hedging tools the firm offers and share WorldFirst’s currency outlook for the future.
Exchange rate margins are no longer fixed and businesses who send larger volumes will find they achieve a lower exchange rate spread than those making smaller payments. Since bringing an end to its fixed margin policy, some customers have criticised WorldFirst for being more expensive, whilst many other customers still feel the exchange rates offered are excellent. From our perspective, we were surprised WorldFirst ever decided on a fixed-margin policy given the added-value activities they offer and we couldn’t see how this business model would be sustainable. The rates still appear to be good, all-be-it not as cheap as purely online providers like Wise and CurrencyFair. The model now adopted by WorldFirst is perfectly fine – it’s what some of the leading currency brokers like moneycorp and Currencies Direct also operate – we just feel it was a bit of an own goal for the firm to ever try a fixed margin approach.
Global Reach & Service
UK 
Netherlands 
Australia 
Hong Kong 
Singapore 
Japan Furthermore, as a WorldFirst corporate client you are able to open collection bank accounts overseas for online sellers in GBP, EUR, USD, CAD, AUD, NZD, CNH, SGD, HKD & JPY.
Ways to Contact: Email, toll-free telephone number, call-back form, and meetings in worldwide offices.
Translations: World First is available in several languages, including; English, Dutch, French, German, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese.
Accepts Clients: Generally speaking, globally, bar the USA.
Currencies Handled: Over 130.
Client Reviews: Often praise the quality of support and dedicated dealer functionality. Corporate clients only (including ecommerce).
With a dedicated dealing team that consists of knowledgeable dealers worldwide and offices in 5 continents (including most recently the Netherlands and Japan), service and global reach for corporate clients can’t get much better than this. The only major drawback is that WorldFirst stopped accepting US-based clients in January 2019. For business customers in the US, we strongly recommend OFX (local support from an office in San Francisco) and moneycorp – our no.1 rated provider for business FX and accepting clients from the majority of US states.
WorldFirst Foreign Exchange deals with more currencies than any other company we have compared it to and has more local country translations than 99% of its competitors. It has dedicated support centres in each continent in which it operates, makingservice much more localised than with most foreign exchange companies. It is also worth mentioning that the sign-up process takes less than 60 seconds, while most competitors retain perplexing and complex sign-up forms.
When it comes to global reach and service, WorldFirst FX is among the top 10 money transfer companies for business customers. With such an extensive setup of banking partners across the world, the majority of customers can settle their trades with a local transfer, avoiding expensive SWIFT fees.
Where possible, WorldFirst will also rely on its own payments infrastructure to process international transfers, thus avoiding recipient bank and intermediary bank fees, which is another invaluable asset. Here is how this works:
Additional Functionalities
- Market Orders
- Limit Orders
- Rate Watch
- Forward Contract
- Regular Transfers
- Multi-Currency Accounts
- Xero Integration
- Payments to China
Forward contracts, firm orders and rate watch functionality, alongside a team of experienced and professional dealers, makes WorldFirst one of the best companies for hedging currency exposure. Clients can also set up regular transfers which can be particularly helpful for businesses with a requirement to repeatedly make the same transaction, such as paying an overseas salary. There’s even the option to fix each of the regular transfers with a forward contract to know exactly how much will have to be paid. Alternatively, it’s possible just to agree to pay the rate on the day the transfer is scheduled to take place. Uniquely, WorldFirst offers the capability to book forward contracts for up to 3 years in advance, this is significantly longer than the standard 12 months offered by many other firms.
WorldFirst World Account:
In May of 2017, WorldFirst launched the World Account, one of the best corporate FX features we have seen in the currency transfer industry to date. Enabling small businesses to open bank accounts across the globe and receive, hold, convert and pay money globally. This includes 10 local currency accounts, allowing businesses to make and receive domestic payments to do business like a local.
Local bank account details are possible in GBP, EUR, USD, CAD, AUD, NZD, CNH, SGD, HKD & JPY.
Xero Integration
In March of 2019, after being sold to AliPAy, the company announced the buying of CurrencyVue, an Integrated FX Exposure Platform. With an increasing number of SMEs looking to Quickbooks or Xero for its accounting solutions, the move will allow WorldFirst to better integrate with these and other Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. Ensuring WorldFirst continues to lead the way in the online experience it offers its client base.
WorldFirst money transfer is one of the few FX companies that help merchants receive payments by setting up local bank accounts for them in a number of major ecommerce destinations (since May 2017 it is available to all corporate clients). This is an area that is highly complex and one that most companies would rather avoid, but WorldFirst makes it happen and reduces costs and overheads in the process.
E-Commerce is a growing segment for WorldFirst, and we have covered the ins and outs of it on our Online Seller Account page. As the longest running money transfer firm in the ecommerce space, it is also compatible with the greatest number of marketplaces (100+). These include, but are not limited to, Amazon, Etsy and AliExpress. You can often find online marketplaces offering introductory terms to attract WorldFirst ecommerce clients onto their platform too.
WorldFirst has one of the top ranked money transfer apps. Unlike most companies, which either don’t have an app at all or have apps that can only watch rates, the WorldFirst mobile app lets you actually make transactions on your mobile phone. So whether you’re a business owner, treasurer or finance director on the move, WorldFirst has you covered.
The app can be found on the App Store, Google Play and can even be used on Smart Watches (perhaps the only app in the industry that is suitable for these devices).
This is another strong point of WorldFirst. Despite a rapidly growing number of financial services that allow businesses to open digital bank accounts around the globe, WorldFirst was the original. Its World Account is offered in partnership with top-tier banks and the firm enjoys strong relationships with all of the leading global online marketplaces. Its accounts are truly local and make international trade much easier – many of WorldFirst’s competitors offer multi-currency accounts but the accounts are often held in the UK (thus still involving international transfers to other countries).
Its hedging options are also more sophisticated than usual – products such as flexible forwards are hard to find and in providing forward contracts up to three years in advance, this offers a greater degree of flexibility than is possible with any other prodiver on the market today.
WorldFirst Scoreboard
- Credibility Score - 98%98%
- Client Feedback Score - 95%95%
- Fees, Exchange Rates Score - 92%92%
- Global Reach, Availability, Service Score - 96%96%
- Added Values Score - 98%98%
WorldFirst Review Summary
In our opinion, WorldFirst provides one of the best money transfer services in the world for business and ecommerce clients alike. It was the very first non-banking financial institution to offer multi-currency accounts and whilst it has invested heavily in its tech capabilities, it continues to operate a highly professional team of currency dealers and support staff that are always available on the phone. Clients tend to agree with us and WorldFirst is regularly praised for being one of the few companies these days where customers can still speak to a real human within a few short rings.
The only regret is that WorldFirst’s acquisition which has lead to a lot of its expert staff to leave, and the fact it has stopped its U.S operations, as well as stopped accepting private customers as of Feb 2021. We are monitoring customer reviews closely to see if WorldFirst continues to be liked by them.
Recent Feefo Feedback from a client who registered through MoneyTransferComparison:
“Very prompt and courteous service, and a rate that was better than others on offer on the day. Easy to use website/app. Recommended! I made a one-off transaction (£-€) and am considering swapping from current provider for regular transactions..”
– DS.
Happy to help!
Another comment that was recently submitted to us from a client via email:
“I have shopped around with several companies and found World First to be the top choice for me. It’s easier to sign up than with other companies, the trading interface is clearer, and the service is helpful.
I tried some of the other companies that were recommended by you, and failed to sign up with some of them, while others were cumbersome or unfriendly. The only ones I liked were World First and Currencies Direct, and World First had better rates.”
— This feedback was reworded because it contained some personal details that we thought would be inappropriate to post publicly.
Recent review (copied from UKForex review page, by someone that had difficulties selling AUD on the UKForex platform and wanted to find alternatives):
“So I went with World First in the end. Was an easy setup process and so far their customer service to get me setup and make my first transfer was great. I like their idea of assigning you a personal trader. I have his number and direct email – he’s been very switched on and responded straight away. Feels much better than just going to random people picking up in a call center and passing you around.
Their front site is slick and onboards you well. The back is less user friendly in the design but it’s functional and easy to use. I was setup and made my first trade within the same day. Saved $12AUD on a better rate than OFX. Not a huge amount but was nice to have a better rate while trialling their service.
I guess now I have both services setup I’ll compare the rates and go with the best deal at the time. Bottom line is the money in the end. But World First is clearly better service and more dialled into the Aussie market from my point of view.”
— Anthony, Australia
Pingback: How to save money upon international transfers | BudgetPulse Blog | Personal Finance Tips and News
Review updated, let us know what you think about our choice here.
They are brilliant. In my case Andrew Vidler is my contact. He is extremely helpful. My transfers aren’t large. Just supporting a friend with study costs in Peru.
Bob we appreciate your feedback! That’s great to hear.
All I can say about their service is worse than pathetic. It has been over 12 business days and my family hasn’t received the amount yet. I read review before I choose this company; I am not saying all feedback are fake however it seems like most of them are not real. WILL NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THEM EVER AGAIN…
Let’s see if World First even post my review.
Mike,
Springfield, VA
Hi Mike!
As you can see your comment has been posted. We’re very sorry to hear about the bad experience you had with World First.
None of the reviews on this website are fake. Everything is 100% genuine, and so are the reviews on Feefo (we have actually looked into their system and visited World First in their offices).
We also sent a mystery shopper to World First which absolutely loved it and the transition went very smoothly for her.
So honestly, we took all the measures we could have taken before recommending World First, and as you can see readers were extremely content with them.
I have no idea what could have caused the delay you are describing, and would be very happy if you add some details about it here on the comment section, or send it directly to us via the contact form on our about us page. We look after our readers and would be happy to serve as mediators who have direct contact with the company.
Please do add more details, and I am sure we will resolve it.
Regards,
Staff
Hi Mike, looking forward for more details on your deal. I will get a representative from World First to publicly respond to your case without revealing any personal details.
One of the friendliest websites, very inviting. I have used several FX companies in the past, and will positively consider World First.
Solid company and good service by phone. Would deal with again.
Great service cannot find anything to complain about as they have provided a first class service to me over the last five plus years..
We’re delighted to hear that!!
Very fast service.
The amount they quote at the beginning of the transaction is exactly what we have received 2 days later.
I strongly recommend them
I have just opened my account but minimum transfer is £1000 which is quite high in comparison with other websites.
Alfonso where are you based? The minimum for an online transfer in the UK is £250. We have seen actually witnessed people who transferred less than £1,000 online. If you’re talking about a phone transfer it does make sense the minimum amount is a tad higher and the reason is that with the labor involved, it might be unprofitable to make such a small transfer. Please do update us! Thank you!
I just signed up and have been told the same, £1000 min. Rates are still better than XE and hifx, taking into account the other transfer fees.
Thank you Tony, will amend my review. Let me know how the experience was please!
Hello there,
I did my sign up and added my beneficiary but when I click on the Make International Transfer it says my Access is denied and one of my dedicated dealer will contact me shortly but no calls I received so far yet. Please help thanks.
That is weird. Feel free to leave your details with us, and we can get a response directly from the company representative. Here our contact us form.
This is a late reply for this comment, however for the sake of anyone else who might experience this same problem, the reason this happens is simply because the account being a new setup is still in need of verification. Once the account holder’s identification and information had been verified, this restriction will be lifted and you will have full access to all available features functions of this service.
This is extremely ridiculous. Registration should require a user name and a password, nothing else! If one decides to go ahead with the transactions, only then the site should request all the required personal information.
I had to provide much more information than what I’m comfortable sharing just to sign up and I still don’t even know if the company trades in the currency I need…
Gabriel, in fact, World First does only ask for very basic details before you are able to log into the system and view the rates.
UNLIKE 99% of the companies in this industry who would require you to undergo a much more comprehensive KYC process before even showing you the rates.
So you’re right with your observation that you want to be able to access the platform as quickly as possible, and besides very few companies in the industry, you won’t find a quicker sign-up than with World First.
World First also require details besides the currencies involved to know if they are able to go through with the transaction. If you aren’t comfortable with providing this information, then this industry is not a good fit for you.
Thanks!
hi…My situation is the same what Arun mentioned about..
Could you pls do something about this ?
Hi, I suppose you are from an area which is restricted for trading, or need currencies that World First does not deal with (very exotic one perhaps). If you want us to look into to it with the company, feel free to contact us via the form as I suggested Arun. Cheers.
removed
Hey Russ. Thank you for the feedback. World First margins are just around the same mark as our other top rated firms when it comes to default rates. However, World First has a best rate guarantee mechanism in place. That means that if you get a similar or slightly better rate with any other company, you can get them to match that… and of course if you transfer regularly, you can negotiate the pricing and save a bit more on each transfer.
What’s the saving you were getting with UKForex/ World First in comparison to banks?
Top quality service! Would recommend this to any friends! Bradley my advisor was extremely helpful and efficient as it was the first time I used this service I had lots of questions he was always immediately available and always ready to help! Transaction was clear and very fast money arrived in the same day! Thank you for a great service will certainly use this again!
Amanda, thank you so much for your feedback! It’s great to hear about your pleasant experience with World First. Did you try any other company before World First that you could compare to them?
please is it a bank transfer or cash pick up and if cash pick up where can i collect my money from?
Hello Beatrice, World First only does bank to bank transfers about GBP 1,000 or equivalent.
am Felicia from Ghana and please i want to know whether you offer cash pick up or is only bank transfer…please if is cash pick up which banks in Ghana here are you working with?
Hello Felicia, World First only handles bank to bank transfers. It does trade Cedi though.
Used World First a few years ago. Great service from Chris, who sadly turns out not to be with WF any longer. Replacement contact responded to my email. Gave me a rate and then disappeared. Auto responder ‘out of office’ on Friday ( fair enough) but now it’s weds nite – still nothing. Market has moved and I’m losing out. NOT what one should expect from a top rated company… Very disappointed
Shawna thank you for your review. We have sent this through to WF and hopefully you will get a prompt response now!
UPDATE: We have contacted World First and they have re-contacted Shawna. They are now working on a comprehensive case review to see what went wrong. Hopefully, Shawna will return to this review and tell us about her recent experience with them.
I just signed up with World First today. Need to receive $15,000 from Australia into my Japanese bank account. I contacted World First on the phone to check any questions I had with the rates and the actual amount of money that I will receive in my account. The customer service rep I spoke with was professional and friendly. The set up of the account was the easiest I have experienced for such type of service, only requiring me to send in one form of photo ID. The money was deposited into their account today, so waiting to see if the exact amount I was quoted will show in my Japanese bank account, probably on Monday or Tuesday next week.
So far, (although the transaction hasn’t happened yet), no complaints about their service and also should point out that their website system is great. Easy to use and efficient.
Looking forward to getting my cash!
Thank you Hamish we really do appreciate the feedback. Indeed we believe one of the strongest point this company has is how simple and intuitive everything is about them.
We are looking forward to hear an update on the transaction after its completion if you would find the time for that. If you are encountering any problems or have any questions you should feel free to contact us via the About Us. Thanks again.
OK, so here is an update on my situation. Looks like the funds would have arrived into my account today as promised, however due to Japanese banks being completely anal and closed minded as (insert expletive as you wish here), they reversed the payment back to World First today and rejected the payment.
Why? Because in Japan names are written backwards to how they are written in the West, family name is written first, and first name is written last. My name was set up as the beneficiary as first name first and family name last. My account in Japan however is written as family name first, then first name, then middle name. The middle name was also left out at the Australian end of the transaction. So apparently a unique bank account number is completely pointless, because unless your name is written in exactly the correct order, your account number cannot save you.
So now I have to wait for the reversal transaction to complete (could be 2 or 3 days), then World First have to resend the money back to me with the correct name order (could take another 2 or 3 days) before I can receive the money.
Disappointing? VERY, but not exactly World First’s fault. I would point out to World First though that they should have a sub heading on the create beneficiary form that states to make sure the beneficiary account name is written exactly as it appears on their bank account to avoid this situation in the future.
Also, looking through some of the reviews posted here, I noticed that there have been some complaints from people about not getting their money within 2 or 3 days and that it takes longer and in some cases, a transaction fee was deducted from the quoted amount. It would seem that this is mostly in the case where the money is being sent either to or from banks in more exotic locations or places where the currency is considered outside of the major world currencies. For example, Thailand, India, Papua New Guinea and so on. These places will almost always need an intermediary bank to complete the transaction which will add time and cost to the transaction. Unfortunately this is out of the control of World First, but should be noted.
I hope this helps. Anyway, I will post again with a final update when I have my money which I am really hoping will be by this Friday. But I doubt it will arrive now until next week sometime.
Thank you for your insights! We completely agree with you on all points.
a. Japan isn’t a western country. It is extremely modern, well-developed, tidy and organised, but things are organised in a “Japanese” order so to speak. That makes all technical or bureaucratic procedures about ten times more difficult for foreigners, and of course the banking system is a big part of that. What you’re describing here is the gist of that.
b. I agree World First could have assisted to prevent this situation from happening but it probably fell between the chairs. Although World First are THE payment expert as far as we’re concerned (remember we’re in constant contact with the firm and frequently visit them in their offices) – Japan isn’t a very popular destination to send money to, and it is probable that the dealer that handled the transaction did not possess that knowledge.
c. You’re absolutely right about intermediary banks taking a fee when money is sent to some exotic destinations. If World First has a local bank account in any country, they can avoid using intermediate banking, but as large as they might be, they can’t hold bank accounts in every single country. The process could be extremely lengthy and complicated. In fact, I know that in Japan most banks take a whole 1% as “recipient fees” for all wire transfers from abroad. I would be curious to know if the amount you transferred to Japan remained as it was originally conceived, or was the recipient fee applied.
Thanks again for the valuable feedback and please do keep us updated.
Regarding your (b.) comment – Yes, it isn’t really World First’s fault exactly, but it would be good if they include that sub heading on the ‘create beneficiary’ form just to prevent the problem from arising again. Especially for first time users like myself, it kind of puts a dampener on the whole user experience right off the bat.
But I have been in constant contact with my appointed account overseer whose name is Patrick Idquival (I think in the Sydney branch) and he has been fantastic from the beginning. He knew about China being very strict with the name order but wasn’t aware of Japan being the same way.
Regardless, he has been great to deal with, direct and straight up which leads me to your (c.) comment – I haven’t received any funds yet because of this unfortunate situation, however when I spoke with Patrick yesterday, I asked him if the amount of money I receive will now change. He said that there may be a small reversal transaction fee incurred but that World First would absorb this fee on my behalf and I would in fact have no change to the amount I receive. He also previously mentioned that if there are any bank fees incurred that effect the amount I would receive as shown on the transaction page, to let him know and the amount would be reimbursed to me in Japanese yen.
So while I have not received my funds yet (I take part responsibility for this because I knew about the name order requirements with Japanese banks), I am confident that the funds will be resent to me after the reversal process has completed and that the payment will be in full as quoted. I believe that Patrick has been straight up and honest in his communication with me and I am, at this stage, happy with the service I have received from World First. Yes, the situation has been frustrating, and definitely would’ve been much more so if I was in need of the money right away, but as it is, I can wait a few extra days for the transaction to be carried out.
I have found World First to be a fantastic company to deal with, I that being said, even though I still haven’t received my funds for reasons already explained. So I am looking forward to getting my money and I will update with the result as soon as I have it in my account.
OK, as promised, here is my update regarding my payment situation. I am happy to inform that I received my money today in full exactly as promised. Apart from the problem that arose with my name information with my bank last week, everything has gone according to how World First promised it would.
I got my money and the amount was exactly as I was quoted. There were no surprise deductions or fees whatsoever and my consultant Patrick Idviqual, true to his word ensured that World First picked up the cost for the reversal transaction fee which was about $50.
I am very happy and satisfied with the customer service and cost of World First and highly recommend them.
A reminder for those people who live in more exotic locations or places that are not included in the major world currencies, such as the Philippines, Thailand, India, Papua New Guinea and so on, you need to remember that your transactions will not doubt have to go through an intermediary bank and therefore will take longer and will most likely incur extra fees. A process which is beyond the control of World First.
World First customer service and currency transfer rates are first class!
5 stars!
Hamish, thank you sir for this great review. We are very glad to hear that.
I just tried to sign up for WorldFirst from Japan, and I get a message that services are not available in Japan! The Japanese site seems to allow only accounts for “online sellers”, no way to create an account for personal use. I guess you signed up for an online seller account? If you are or someone from WorldFirst can comment on a way for me to create a personal account with Japan address, I’d appreciate it.
Thank you for your feedback. Indeed, World First would be unable to accept Japanese clients who are not Etailers. You could send money to and from Japan if you sign up with your non-Japanese passport, if you have one.
Have just been told by XE that they are moving transfer companies from Custom House to HiFX so that I though that I would look around to see how the market was now (been using XE/Custom House since 2005). Comments so far: WorldFirst – does not fill me with confidence that they charge differently based on your location. Your reviews: surely you should be even handed and downgrade WorldFirst as you have done with HiFX because they both charge fees rather than build all of their revenue into the premium on the interbank rate. Charging fees is not justifiable since it only serves to make it more difficult to calculate the true cost of a trade and do a cost comparison between companies. You need to remember that banks started charging fees as a means to avoid comparison shopping by clients. If these companies are trying to convince customers that they are better than the banks then why are they starting to adopt the same obfuscating policies? Surely a question you should be asking when doing a comparison?
Definitely a good point, Keith. Thank you for your valuable input. With World First, the thing is that 95% of our readers are UK, EU or Australia based. For them, World First offers a no-fee policy. The market in North America is a tad less competitive, and and a lot more difficult from the regulatory perspective as each company has to acquire a license in each state (and because of that, somewhat less profitable for the currency firms). Thus, World First charges a flat 10 dollar fee from its Americans and Canadians clients. It’s a round, straightforward, figure and we don’t feel its an obfuscating policy, for the following reasons:
a. Unlike international bank wires with banks, with World First, both fees and exchange rates are presented prior to the transaction. There are no hidden fees. When you’ll speak to your USA trader or use the online platform, it will clearly state the cost for a transaction from North America is 10 dollars.
b. You get a clear indication of the amount the recipient would get in its domestic currency. This is an industry standard for all the good / large firms, and enables you to easily compare between them.
c. A $10 fee doesn’t make a big difference for most of our N.A readers who are sending through tens of thousands of dollars or more.
We were happy to read about your feedback, though, and we will try to negotiate a unique deal with World First for our North American readers.
Hi, could someone clarify for me what the ‘minimum transfer amount’ refers to please? I am a translator, so my invoices do not usually amount to much separately. Does it mean that World First will not accept payments lower than 1,000€, or will not transfer less than £1,000 into a UK bank account? Any help on this would be much appreciated! (I have only just set up my business and so the whole ‘international payment’ world is still quite confusing for me, I apologise if this is a silly question!)
Hi Jenny. Welcome aboard. This is not a silly question at all. The payments world can be quite puzzling :)
As per your question – generally speaking they will not handle transactions below the 1,000 pound mark for private clients, but since you have signed up for a business account and expect to do multiple transactions periodically, they might take you on. The simplest way to know that is click on “Get Free Quote” button, and leave your details there. Alternatively, we can do that for you! If you wouldn’t mind providing more information about the expected volumes and currency routes, we will take the information and pass it onto World First. Let us know! You can leave a comment here and we will contact you via email. Cheers!
PS we have reviewed a plethora of other recommended companies with lower minimums, have a look around while you’re at it :)
Really excellent rates on the Euro. A must-check.
Thank you for your feedback. Great to hear that.
im expecting a large incoming fund to the usa from japan, what banks do you work with? Thank you
Hi Bruce. We are only reviewing them. Although we know a little about their banking partners, it is better you speak to them directly. You can contact them through clicking on the “Free Quote” button on this page. Thanks!
Hey guys, great review. I checked it for the transfer fees and I found a review at iCompareFX where it’s stated that every transfer over 10k is free of charge and I see that you also have that data. Can you please explain why are big companies like World First doing this and what’s their interest in that?
Hi Tracy. Their transfers are fee free from UK, Europe, and Austrlia, for every amount. In the USA it’s fee-free above $10,000. Banks charge about £15 wire fees in the UK, and $15-30 in the U.S (rough figures); on top of that they charge markups starting at 1.5% usually and up to as much as 3 or 4 per cent (markup being the difference between the real currency rate and the rate in which they sell you currency for). They do that because they have captured audiences who are already using their services. Companies like World First need to attract clientele and do so by offering much better markups and no fees (or a mere $10 fees for transfer below $10,000 in the USA and Canada). They still make good money applying much smaller markups, and they get recurring clients to use them over and over again which is superb by them. It’s a good, HONEST, business, in my humble opinion.
What is the minimum amount to use Worlds First? I usually transfer money from Canada to India to freelancers working for me.But, the monthly payments do not exceed 500 CAD. With such a less amount, can I still use Worldfirst remittance services?
Hi Edwin, if it’s a recurring transfer that takes place each month, it should be OK.
Very good service provider. Had absolutely no issues with them. Great rates.
your “cons” says: “Unavailable in some U.S. states”.
FYI: they will not accept customers who live in the Canadian province of Quebec (roughly 1/4 of the population of Canada).
Thank you LDS, we have updated this information. In any honesty this is the first time we have come across it. We will also be sure to ask them why wouldn’t they take clients from there.
I wanted to transfer about £50,000. It was very easy to register and to transfer the funds.
Excellent rates and a very kind service.
I got to Worldfirst by recommendation. This review reassure me this is indeed an established company that I can trust.
much props to the guys over at worldfirst usa for helping me save money on an international money transfer to luxemburg got 0.85 euro for each dollar (received by my brother june 1) i will definitely continue deal with worldfirst
[[ Edited by Admin – Transferred to the Merchants page where this feedback is relevant ]]
My experience with Worldfirst was great. Hope it will continue the same way. Did 2 transfers with them already and everything was pretty smooth.
Tried to sign up but not interested in me as I live in the Philippines. Seems strange as I would be able to send my GBP to PHP. Didn’t ask if I had UK passport or bank accounts.
Can you suggest an alternative dealer?
I think a lot of the leading currency brokers are not able to take on Philippine-based individuals even with a UK passport. Are you looking for a remittances provider for small to medium amounts or a broker like World First specialising in larger transfers?
I don’t know what you would call a small or otherwise amount. I want to send about £20,000 in one go and then maybe monthly amounts of about £1,000.
Since I sent the message on this site I did manage to open an account with moneycorp but they use another dealer to buy PHP, so the offered exchange rate was not good.
I did a few transfers a few months ago and had a good experience with them. Yesterday did a new transfer and I was eligible for a fee-free transfer. I already use them for all of my needs but now they just upped up a notch the service. The fee wasn’t big to start with but every deal is welcomed :)
Hi Brandon! World First is now NO FEES at all, from anywhere. Enjoy.
I used WorldFirst several times over the past 2 months. John was very helpful.
world first is cheaper than my local bank here in germany. very good website.
Thank for a kind service. I have used a couple of foreign exchange providers before, Worldfirst is one of the best.
I always thought my bank is cheap compare to other banks in Germany, but Worldfirst’s rates were much cheaper.
I heard about WorldFirst through a colleague of mine who lives in the UK. I was amazed from their cheap rates, much better than my bank.
Very easy to transfer money online and an great team to talk to on phone or email. Having a person allocated to look after you makes a big difference. Exchange rates are good too.
Polite and efficient personnel who did what was needed. System of transferring easy and money sent pretty quick.
I am here in US and would transfer money fr my Philippines US$ account to a bank in HSBC UK account. Is it possible? Thank you.
World First doesn’t accept USA based clients anymore. Feel free to browse the site to find alternatives.
My family lives in Canada, but my sister got accepted into medical school in the UK. We use World First to send her money to pay living expenses so she can focus on studying and not have to worry about bills. It’s been working good so far and we have done I think 5 transfers already in the last year with no problems.
Can’t really beat their guarantees as an Englishman. Have had to exchange GBP for AUD quite a few times over the last 2 years, and have always been satisfied with the outcome. Being able to do transfers on their android app while I am on the tube is very nice bonus!
Delaying payments also blocking funds
Blocking funds and delaying payment , using all ways to delay. Can delay and block your funds up to 60 days.
Thank you for your feedback Viktor but could this be specific to your case? very few complaints about this aspect online, and from our experience everything goes through smoothly and fast unless blocked by the KYC department. Either way, all companies follow the same guidelines give or take and will be holding funds if the source of funds is unapproved due to AML.
Registered in HK, submitted required document, it’s fast and smooth.
First remittance , from HKD to JPY to my Japanese friend, it’s also smooth like a magic!!
2nd remittance, used the same info, but it took me over 7 days for many times back and forth about the incorrectness of the beneficiary (I promise I did not change any info after the 1st time)
By the way, the case is still not finished, also it’s found out that WorldFirst is not under monitoring by HKMA (Hong Kong Monetary Authority) and the customer service is stationed in Singapore. it made me more anxious about my money left in WorldFirst account.
So the review is not that accurate.
Thank you for the detailed comment. We make our utmost effort to keep our reviews accurate and up to date.
WorldFirst is indeed regulated as an Money Services Operator by the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department, MSO Licence: No 14-02-01352, that’s based on information directly from them.
We will inquire whether their HK office closed, but we don’t believe that’s the case.
Lastly, we are sorry you had issues with your second transfer. We hope it resolves quickly.
WorldFirst has been operating smoothly for 20+ years and maintains its license in multiple jurisdictions in all 5 continents, so we wholeheartedly believe your money is safe with them.
I have always experienced an absolutely superb service. Their spot rate is consistently the best on the market and my liaison (Jack Cincotta) is incredibly responsive and helpful. I recommend them 100%
Thank you Prabh! how long have you been using them and for which purposes?
WorldFirst than other brokers based on my comparison for transfers of £270,000. They offered 0.25% spread, other brokers were at around 0.4% (TransferWise) to 1% or more.
I still fail to understand why Worldfirst closed my account, I found a company I like better anyhow
Too bad they stopped working with individuals. They were my favorite company to work with. Their customer support / account managers were really great and very helpful. Hopefully they will change their mind in the future and go back to the previous setup.
You can expect a world class service from the people at WorldFirst . My business does transfers between the UK and Singapore on a weekly basis and never had a single problem in processing them in over 3 years. 10/10 from me!
I was helped greatly by the customer service team with the limit order feature at the bank, which enabled me to create any required adjustments to the next order. It was hands down a good idea. Saved my business a few thousands pounds.