Send Money from the UK to Uganda

Measured on the full cost — the transfer fee plus the exchange-rate margin — Remitly is cheapest on this corridor at £1,000, across the 2 providers we hold checked figures for. The cheapest provider also changes with the amount you send, so compare the final sum that arrives in Ugandan shillings rather than the headline fee.

At £1,000, Remitly is the cheapest of the 2 providers priced at that amount on this corridor: about £34.99 all in, or 3.50% of the amount sent. Western Union is next at about £58.69. That is the fee plus the exchange-rate margin that applied to a transfer of that size — priced at £1,000 specifically, not worked out from a measurement taken at some other amount. It covers a bank transfer; cash pickup and mobile wallet payouts are priced separately. The margins were measured by Wise's comparison service rather than published by the providers themselves, and other providers here may be cheaper and are not priced this way.

Delivery ranges from minutes to a few business days depending on the provider and payout method. Western Union and TransferGo can deliver within minutes when you pay by debit card. Bank-funded and economy transfers typically take one to three business days but usually cost less. Transfers sent outside banking hours or over a weekend may not settle until the next working day.

Across the providers we compare, the available payout methods are MTN Mobile Money, bank deposit, cash pickup, mobile wallet and card payout. The most widely used options in Uganda are MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money, plus bank deposit and cash pickup. Mobile money now handles the majority of remittance receipts in Uganda, well ahead of cash collection. Not every provider supports every method, so check the table above before you commit.

No. Remitly and Western Union offer cash pickup in Uganda, so your recipient can collect the funds with valid photo ID and the transfer reference number. That said, MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money, plus bank deposit and cash pickup generally cost less than cash collection.

Providers rarely give you the mid-market rate — the reference rate you see on Google or Reuters. Instead they add a margin, typically between 0.4% and 4%, and keep the difference. That margin is often larger than the visible transfer fee, which is why a "no fee" service can still be more expensive overall. For GBP to UGX, compare the quoted rate against the mid-market rate to see the real spread you are paying.

Yes, provided you use a licensed provider. Every service listed on this page is regulated in the UK under the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which requires safeguarding of customer funds and identity verification. Send only to people you know personally, keep your transfer reference private, and be sceptical of anyone pressuring you to send money urgently to someone you have not met.

Yes. Each provider sets its own transfer limits, which vary by how much identity verification you have completed and how you pay. Larger transfers may require additional documentation such as proof of source of funds. For transfers above roughly £10,000, a specialist foreign-exchange broker will often beat an app on rate.

Mobile money is how this corridor works. Remitly names both MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money, and Western Union and TransferGo each publish a wallet rail. If your recipient uses a wallet rather than a bank, you have the full field to choose from. Wise carries no row on this corridor. Its own UK page states that it is still working on enabling shilling transfers to Uganda from the UK and offers a waitlist signup instead of a quote — so there is no service to compare, rather than a gap in our research. Remitly's promotional rate covers the first 250 GBP only — its lowest cap of any corridor we have checked. Above that the standing rate applies. TransferGo notes that intermediary banks may apply their own charges on this corridor. That is a cost outside the fee it quotes you, and outside what any comparison can see.