Fast Money Transfer Options: Send Funds Instantly

Send money immediately to a friend or family member.

Transferring money from bank to bank by wire can take up to four days or even longer. But if you've found yourself in a situation where you need to send or receive money immediately, there are a few options available. Usually you will have to pay a small fee to transfer money immediately. The best way to send money will depend on your personal situation. Try to consider all options thoroughly before deciding on one.

Step 1

Create a PayPal account if you don't have one already. It takes only a few moments, and money can be transferred to anyone else with a PayPal account immediately. If you don't have money in your PayPal account, you can still send money from your debit or credit card, but a fee will apply.

Step 2

Visit an online money-transferring site such as Obopay.com, liqpay.com or Xoom.com. Simply sign up as a member of the site (it takes only a few moments and costs nothing), choose the amount of money you want to send and enter the person's phone number. Usually the person you're sending the money to isn't required to have an account with the website you sign up with.

Step 3

Visit a Western Union or MoneyGram location. Speak with the customer-service representative about transferring money to a Western Union or MoneyGram location near the person who wants to receive money. The receiver simply visits the store location, provides identification and a password and receives the money. Most of the time, she can receive the transfer within minutes of its being sent.