Pros and Cons
- Large and Trusted: 250,000+ Active Clients
- 98% Positive Client Feedback
- Best Rate for Currency Transfers
- Transparent Pricing from 0.15%
- Largest Variety of Currencies
- Great Online System and App
- Easiest Sign-Up, Most Courteous Staff
- Unavailable in the USA, and in Quebec
- Minimum Transfer Amount is £1,000 or equivalent
- Most expansive offering for ecommerce businesses
WorldFirst Money Transfer Rates (Spreads true as of August 2020)
Starting from 2019, WorldFirst money transfers implemented a new FIXED FX MARGIN rate configuration, making it the cheapest money transfer company for transfers of all sizes (and particularly for corporate clients with larger volumes).| Currency Pair | Interbank exchange rate*** | WorldFirst’s best rate* | WorldFirst’s min. rate** |
| Pound to Euro | 1.1118 EUR | 1.1102 EUR | 1.1063 EUR |
| Euro to Pound | 0.8994 GBP | 0.8981 GBP | 0.8949 GBP |
| Pound to Dollar | 1.3088 USD | 1.3068 USD | 1.3023 USD |
| Dollar to Pound | 0.7641 GBP | 0.7629 GBP | 0.7602 GBP |
| Pound to Australian Dollar | 1.8243 AUD | 1.8216 AUD | 1.8152 AUD |
| Australian Dollar to Pound | 0.5481 GBP | 0.5473 GBP | 0.5454 GBP |
| Pound to Swiss Franc | 1.1966 CHF | 1.1948 CHF | 1.1907 CHF |
| Pound to Hong Kong Dollar | 10.1435 HKD | 10.1283 HKD | 10.0928 HKD |
| Pound to UAE Dirham | 4.8072 AED | 4.8000 AED | 4.7832 AED |
| Pound to Singaporean Dollar | 1.7962 SGD | 1.7935 SGD | 1.7872 SGD |
| ANY CURRENCY | – | 0.15% Currency Spread | 0.5% Currency Spread |
** WorldFirst’s Min. Rate represents a 0.5% spread for individuals who need to transfer less than £500,000 annually. For businesses and individuals transferring between £500,000 and £5m, a spread of 0.25% will be applied.
*** The interbank exchange rates presented here as well as WorldFirst’s exchange rates are estimated. We rely on external software to get those rates, and hence, errors could occur. Before exchanging any funds, be sure to check for the official exchange rate, as well as attaining a current quote from the provider you intend to use (WorldFirst or otherwise).
This review of World First money transfer service, or WorldFirst UK limited, 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.
View full rating for WorldFirst
Minimum transfer:
£1,000 
€1,000 
AU$1,000 UK 
Netherland Australia 
Hong Kong 
Singapore 
Japan Financial Conduct Authority 
Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre Australian Securities and Investments Commission Customs and Excise Department Is World First Safe and Reliable?
World First Limited, registered and headquartered in the UK, is a market leading and award winning foreign exchange company. It offers currency exchange and international payments to both private and corporate clients. 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 2019’s top UK international money transfer companies in the UK in terms of revenue and has helped over 400,000 global customers with their international transfers. Each year World First 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.
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 10 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 has been 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 UK changed its logo and overall website appearance towards a more colourful and less simplistic design than before, which was later applied for all sections of the website such as WorldFirst Australia. 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 reorganization process, WorldFirst has 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.
Based on articles in the media, World First USA will reopen in the future under a new name, and will be a separately operating business named Omega money transfers with no relationship to Ant Financial’s WorldFirst.
On July 23, 2019, WorldFirst announced they were shifting to a more transparent and more understandable pricing that competes directly with Transferwise’s rates for medium sized clients and is cheaper for large volume clients. This is a significant change in the way the company operates and is a direct result of the Ant Financial acquisition. 
World First is one of the fastest-growing businesses in the UK, which definitely attests to the level of satisfaction from clients. Considering this extraordinary growth, the amount of awards it has won and, unlike most money transfer firms, the fact they are completely transparent with the spreads they charge, we conclude that WorldFirst is highly secure, credible and very safe.
Signing Up is Easy! – Check Your Eligibility Below
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WorldFirst serves both private and corporate clients. Corporate clients vary from small businesses to multi-million corporations. -
WorldFirst serves clients almost globally from 4 continents, bar USA, and deals in 130 currencies. The service is particularly popular in the UK, EU, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and the rest of Western Europe. -
The minimum amount to transfer varies based on the currencies involved. Using WorldFirst UK the minimum transfer would be £1,000, EU is €1,000; WorldFirst Australia, WorldFirst Canada, and WorldFirst Singapore are $1,000 (in the domestic currency); and other locations would be the equivalent of £1,000. . -
Once you sign up with World First foreign exchange, you gain access to an online system in which you can view the current rates. If you need to transfer £5,000 or more (or that equivalent in another currency), you will be paired with a dedicated dealer whom you can speak with via email or phone. -
If you need to transfer money regularly you will be able to set up transfers through the online system or through your dedicated account manager. If you require a Forward Contract, World First is able to facilitate that, as well as other hedging tools.
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.
WorldFirst now has over 850 reviews on TrustPilot – rated as excellent with a score of 4.6 / 5. It’s a shame WorldFirst have had to lose all of their previous client reviews 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 or 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 is a multitude of 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 requires may require a sign-off from the funds’ recipient.
- Not providing original copies of certain documents.
- Money not received during bank holidays.
Clients are extremely satisfied with the services provided to them by World First online, and over the telephone. The few complaints (only dozens out of thousands of highly positive WorldFirst reviews) focused on areas that are objectively difficult to handle. They are required to retain original documentation, in accordance with anti-money laundering laws, as are all foreign exchange firms. Transactions can also be slow to reach specific areas, 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 couldn’t find any consistent, reasonable, complaints that would make us believe the service at World First is nothing short of excellent.
World First’s Exchange Rate & Fees 2020
Fees: World First’s fee policy indicates that there are no fees for outbound transfers for private clients from anywhere in the world – UK, EU, Australia or elsewhere. That means that there are absolutely no fixed transfer fees from any one location to another.
Guarantee: For UK clients, World First guarantees that they will beat the rate of any other firm if you happen to receive a better quote elsewhere.This makes its exchange rates the best in the business!
Exchange Rates: World First’s foreign exchange rates hover between 0.5% and 0.15% below the inter-bank rate, simply positioning WorldFirst as the cheapest company to transfer money abroad with, with a particular focus on high-volume clients. 0.5% margin is likely to be twice cheaper than a bank, and 0.15% (the margin they offer top-tier clients) is the best margin in this industry hands down. Limits: The minimum transfer amount is £1,000 (or €1,000 if you are transferring from Europe), and with World First’s size and liquidity, there is no upper cap on how much you can send. They handle many business clients and online merchants and assist them in transferring millions of pounds each year , to those clients’ utmost satisfaction.
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World First has excellent rates for transfers of all sizes. There are no transfer fees, and no additional hidden costs of any kind. You will know exactly how much money you’re sending abroad. -
Transferring money with World First online is smooth and easy. If you encounter any issues, WorldFirst support will be happy to assist promptly and in a professional manner. -
Each client who needs to transfer more than £5,000 abroad (or the equivalent in another currency), is entitled to a dedicated dealer. That dedicated dealer will provide guidance relating to the transfer, and share the company’s currency forecasts. -
There is a transparent pricing system in regards to the exchange rate provided to clients, and the absolute “worst” rate a client may need to pay is 0.5% below the interbank rate, which is cheaper than all other competitors in this space. - The minimum amount to transfer varies based on the currencies involved. In the UK, the minimum transfer would be £1,000; the EU is €1,000; Australia, Canada and NZ are $1,000; and other locations would be the equivalent of £1,000.
- Once you sign up with World First, you gain access to an online system in which you can view the current rates. If you need to transfer £5,000 or more (or the equivalent in another currency), you will be paired with a dedicated dealer whom you can speak with via email or phone.
- Once you sign up with World First, you gain access to an online system in which you can view the current rates. If you need to transfer £5,000 or more (or the equivalent in another currency), you will be paired with a dedicated dealer whom you can speak with via email or phone.
Global Reach & Service
UK Netherlands Australia Hong Kong Singapore Furthermore, as a World First corporate client you are able to open collection bank accounts overseas for online sellers in GBP, EUR, USD, CAD, AUD, NZD, AUD, SGD & 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, French, Mandarin, Catonese, 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.
With a dedicated dealing team consisting of knowledgeable dealers worldwide and offices on 5 continents (including most recently the Netherlands and Japan), service and global reach can’t get much better than this, with the exception of World First not accepting USA-based clients starting from January 2019.
World First Foreign Exchange deals with more currencies than any other company we have compared it to. It has more local currency translations than 99% of its competitors. It has dedicated support centers on each continent, which makes service much more localised than with most 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 in the world, and with such an extensive setup of banking partnerss across the world, they can make sure transfers always remain domestic, thus avoiding recipient bank account fees, which is another invaluable asset. Here is how this works:
Additional Functionalities
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Market Orders -
Limit Orders -
Rate Watch -
Forward Contract - Regular Transfers
Many types of forward contracts, as well as many types of rate watch functionalities, make WorldFirst one of the best companies for hedged transactions. Clients are able to set up regular transfers which can be particularly helpful for individuals with a requirement to repeatedly make the same transaction such as overseas mortgage payments. Clients can then opt to fix each of the regular transfers with a forward contract so they know exactly how much they will have to pay or agree to pay the rate on the day the transfer is scheduled to take place. To cap it off, 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.
In February of 2017, World First decided to drop World First Markets UK which was a subsidiary company owned by World First UK and offered Participating Forwards and option contracts. The reasoning behind that decision was to focus on the core business of payments and the fact that its corporate businesses were not using World First Markets enough to justify the costs
In May of 2017, World First launched the World Account, one of the best corporate FX features we have seen. It enables small businesses to open bank accounts across the globe, where they can make and receive domestic payments and also keep the money as a balance and use it for future payments. This service is currently available in the UK and Canada.
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 software 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 World First, 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. You will often find 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, with World First mobile app, you can actually make transactions on your mobile phone. This is extremely important for expats who want to exchange on the go and constantly need to move money back and forth between different currencies.
The app can be found on iTunes, and 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 yet another area in which WorldFirst really excels. It is one of fewer than 10 international currency transfer companies in the world with a live, functional app. It is one of around 5 companies that can help you open offshore accounts to accept payments. Its hedging options are more sophisticated than usual – products such as flexible forwards are hard to find.
Even large financial service providers, such as Virgin Money (a licensed UK bank established by the Virgin Group’s founder, Richard Branson, who is a multi-billionaire and one of the investors in rival company Transferwise), use World First to transfer money for their clients.WorldFirst Review Summary
- 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%
Bottom Line
In our opinion, WorldFirst provides one of the best money transfer services in the world. Clients tend to agree with us, as there are 95% or more positive WorldFirst reviews by clients across the internet.
Every aspect we have tested, from service, availability, global reach and, of course, pricing (no fees, and 0.5% to 0.15% in margins!) is superb. On top of that, the unique hedging and merchant services, and the fully-functional money transfer app, make it especially groundbreaking.
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… Read more »
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 always thought my bank is cheap compare to other banks in Germany, but Worldfirst’s rates were much cheaper.
[…] top choice over at Money Transfer Comparison is World First currency transfer. They are friendly, quick, easy to register with, trade in large volumes and FCA regulated of […]
Review updated, let us know what you think about our choice here.
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..
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.
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.
hi…My situation is the same what Arun mentioned about..
Could you pls do something about this ?
removed
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!
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!
please is it a bank transfer or cash pick up and if cash pick up where can i collect my money from?
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?
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
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… Read more »
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!)
Really excellent rates on the Euro. A must-check.
im expecting a large incoming fund to the usa from japan, what banks do you work with? Thank you
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?
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?
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).
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 ]]
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 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 🙂
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 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.
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.
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… Read more »
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%
My experience with Worldfirst was great. Hope it will continue the same way. Did 2 transfers with them already and everything was pretty smooth.