How to send money without a bank account or a card?

Hey everyone,

This community always has such great ideas, so I wanted to pick your brains on a little dilemma. Someone I know on one side of the US wants to send some cash to someone on the other side of the country, but there's a catch: the recipient doesn't have a bank account. Now, I know about things like Western Union or sending a money order through the post office, but those fees are just brutal. Since this isn't a one-time thing and will probably happen every now and then, I’m looking for a way more budget-friendly way to handle an amount like $400.

The sender is all set with their own bank account, but the receiver is totally unbanked.

I know mobile apps like Chime offer super cheap—or even free—transfers, but if the person receiving the money needs actual physical cash in hand, they usually need a bank account linked to the app to withdraw it.

Right now, the post office seems like the only real option, but it’s a massive hassle for the sender and the fees eat into the total. Does anyone have any bright ideas? Thanks a million!

Aircash?

Steven Evans97 said:Hey everyone,

This community always has such great ideas, so I wanted to pick your brains on a little dilemma. Someone I know on one side of the US wants to send some cash to someone on the other side of the country, but there's a catch: the recipient doesn't have a bank account. Now, I know about things like Western Union or sending a money order through the post office, but those fees are just brutal. Since this isn't a one-time thing and will probably happen every now and then, I’m looking for a way more budget-friendly way to handle an amount like $400.

The sender is all set with their own bank account, but the receiver is totally unbanked.

I know mobile apps like Chime offer super cheap—or even free—transfers, but if the person receiving the money needs actual physical cash in hand, they usually need a bank account linked to the app to withdraw it.

Right now, the post office seems like the only real option, but it’s a massive hassle for the sender and the fees eat into the total. Does anyone have any bright ideas? Thanks a million!

With a Chime card, you can actually hit up an ATM to grab cash... there's usually a limit on how much you can pull out for free (I think it's around $200 a month?), and after that, they start hitting you with fees—not totally sure what the exact amount is though 🤷

But yeah, at the end of the day, the recipient really needs a Chime card too, at least for that 🤷

Jose Miller3 said:With a Chime card, you can actually hit up an ATM to grab cash... there's usually a limit on how much you can pull out for free (I think it's around $200 a month?), and after that, they start hitting you with fees—not totally sure what the exact amount is though 🤷

But yeah, at the end of the day, the recipient really needs a Chime card too, at least for that 🤷

$567

Jose Miller3 said:With a Chime card, you can actually hit up an ATM to grab cash... there's usually a limit on how much you can pull out for free (I think it's around $200 a month?), and after that, they start hitting you with fees—not totally sure what the exact amount is though 🤷

But yeah, at the end of the day, the recipient really needs a Chime card too, at least for that 🤷

2%

placidmaker6 said:Aircash?

Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue what that is. Time to hit up Google.

ironcyclist58 said:$567

2%

👏

I figured you'd be the one to ask 👍

So, if "on time" means, say, once every three months, you could basically move the whole amount without hitting any fees during that window. But if we're talking monthly... you get 1700 free, then that 3300 gets hit with a 2% fee—$22.

Honestly, I don't think you can find anything cheaper than that 🤷

You see, a Chime card has to be linked to a bank account; there’s just no way around it. But what if the person you're sending money to doesn't have an account at all? They've only got their passport or ID handy.

Steven Evans97 said:You see, a Chime card has to be linked to a bank account; there’s just no way around it. But what if the person you're sending money to doesn't have an account at all? They've only got their passport or ID handy.

Well, actually—no. I mean, I'm sure ironcyclist58 can explain this way better and more accurately than I can, but when you set up a Chime account (assuming the recipient has a smartphone? they really need one for this), you're basically opening an account in England, which then links to that Mastercard you get in the mail. Chime doesn't know a thing about my US bank account—honestly, it didn't even care about it until I started moving money into it 🤷

If the person receiving the money doesn't have a smartphone, the sender (or anyone else, really) can just open the Chime account themselves... then they can just hand the card and the PIN over to the recipient so they can grab some cash at a local ATM.

(Look, there isn't going to be some perfect, dirt-cheap solution to your problem... you're probably gonna have to make some compromises)

I’m just not sure if I need to have a card linked for the verification to actually go through, or if I even need to bother with a top-up since it’s been forever since I opened the account.

Instead of messing around with Chime, they could just grab a Wells Fargo prepaid card. That way, they can hit up a Wells Fargo ATM or even a local pharmacy to pull out cash without getting hit by fees, and the sender doesn't need an account with Chime either.
Also, if the person sending the money uses JP Morgan Chase online banking and the recipient is near a JP Morgan Chase ATM, they can just use #withcash to get it done.

You could always send it via Greyhound. You just hand the driver 20$10 along with an envelope to deliver to the person waiting on the other end.
Those were the methods used in the past, and I see that some people still feel the need to rely on them today...

There's no way I'd $1.75 send money that way.

Same here 🤷

Honestly, I think the easiest way to handle this is to just have the sender open a Revolut account specifically for this one thing—they can verify their card and all that junk, then just send the card details over to the recipient. Whenever they need to, they can just top up the account, and the recipient can hit up any ATM to grab the cash... assuming, of course, that we're operating under the assumption that the recipient actually has access to an ATM. If they go ahead and pull the whole $5,000 at once, they’re gonna get hit with $22. But if they play it smart and take out small amounts bit by bit, they won't pay a dime 🤷

It would be much simpler and more cost-effective to just open an account at the same bank the sender uses. Then you could just close it afterward.
Or maybe at Bank of America. I think they don't charge monthly maintenance fees.
Seriously, who doesn't have a bank account these days? You need one for your paycheck, social security... for everything.

Since for some unknown reason that isn't an option (money laundering?), using the post office is the easiest way.

Sent from my iPhone using Reddit

Probably can't because of some lien or something...

Steven Evans97 said:Hey everyone,

This community always has such great ideas, so I wanted to pick your brains on a little dilemma. Someone I know on one side of the US wants to send some cash to someone on the other side of the country, but there's a catch: the recipient doesn't have a bank account. Now, I know about things like Western Union or sending a money order through the post office, but those fees are just brutal. Since this isn't a one-time thing and will probably happen every now and then, I’m looking for a way more budget-friendly way to handle an amount like $400.

The sender is all set with their own bank account, but the receiver is totally unbanked.

I know mobile apps like Chime offer super cheap—or even free—transfers, but if the person receiving the money needs actual physical cash in hand, they usually need a bank account linked to the app to withdraw it.

Right now, the post office seems like the only real option, but it’s a massive hassle for the sender and the fees eat into the total. Does anyone have any bright ideas? Thanks a million!

Walter Thomas18 said:It would be much simpler and more cost-effective to just open an account at the same bank the sender uses. Then you could just close it afterward.
Or maybe at Bank of America. I think they don't charge monthly maintenance fees.
Seriously, who doesn't have a bank account these days? You need one for your paycheck, social security... for everything.

Since for some unknown reason that isn't an option (money laundering?), using the post office is the easiest way.

Sent from my iPhone using Reddit

Yeah, it's the simplest way, but man, sending that much cash through the mail is just way too expensive. Even the postal service knows they can squeeze you for it, so they charge a premium...😬

What's the catch if I try sending money to someone's kid, a buddy, or even just their neighbor instead of them directly?

Western Union.

Sent from my iPhone using Reddit

She mentioned she’s aware of it, but honestly, the price tag is just too steep for her... so now she's hunting for something else.

ironcyclist58 said:She mentioned she’s aware of it, but honestly, the price tag is just too steep for her... so now she's hunting for something else.

If she isn't willing to cough up the commission, then she can just take the Greyhound or a commuter train—I think that was already pretty clearly stated.