Methodology
This page explains how we compare providers, what goes into our ranking, where the limitations are, and why the provider checkout still matters before you send.
Last updated: October 16, 2026
What your recipient gets comes first
Our ranking is built around how much your recipient actually receives after exchange-rate and fee effects, not the headline exchange rate alone.
Route-specific eligibility
A provider is only comparable when it supports the sending country, receiving country, amount, and payout method being searched.
How we make money is separate
Paid relationships can help fund the platform, but they cannot buy a higher position in the comparison table.
1. Inputs used in a comparison
Each comparison starts with the route details the user provides: send currency, receive currency, send amount, and any route-specific availability we can determine from the provider source. Where a provider supplies fee, exchange-rate, payout-speed, or payout-method information for that route, we normalise those fields into a common result set.
Not every provider exposes the same level of detail on every corridor. When source coverage is incomplete, we would rather show that limitation clearly than imply a level of precision we do not have.
2. How our ranking works
Our default goal is to rank comparable options by expected recipient-gets value for the searched route and amount. In practice, that means the exchange rate and the transfer fee are evaluated together. A provider with the strongest headline rate may still rank lower if fees reduce the final payout.
Speed, payout method, and route coverage still matter. When those trade-offs are available, they should be surfaced alongside the ranking so users can judge value in context rather than treat one number as the whole decision.
3. Promotions and first-transfer offers
Promotional pricing can materially change a quote, especially for new customers. When we can identify a first-transfer or limited-time promotion, it should be labelled as promotional rather than blended into the provider's standard pricing story.
Temporary promotions are not treated as a permanent signal of provider competitiveness. We aim to show users when a result depends on a promo, and what changes once that offer ends.
4. Why the provider checkout can still differ
The final quote on the provider site can change after click-through. Common reasons include payment method selection, customer status, identity checks, route restrictions, transfer limits, or a provider refreshing its price between the comparison request and checkout.
That is why comparison results should be treated as a high-quality starting point, not a guaranteed contract. Users should always confirm the final quote before sending money.
5. Coverage and freshness limits
Coverage varies by provider connectivity and corridor support. Some providers may be listed in the directory but not return a live quote on every route. Some corridors may have fewer comparable providers because the underlying providers do not all serve that market.
We aim to refresh comparison data whenever provider pricing changes, but no public comparison surface should imply that every route is updated on an identical schedule. If freshness is important to a transfer decision, the provider checkout remains the final source of truth.
6. Corrections and methodology changes
If you believe a ranking is misleading, a provider is being shown on a route it does not support, or a fee/rate treatment is incorrect, email admin@compareremittancerates.com. We review correction requests and update the methodology wording when the comparison logic changes materially.
Monthly report methodology and limitations
These reports describe historical provider exchange-rate observations, not completed transfers, a market benchmark or a fee-adjusted ranking. A higher recorded rate does not necessarily mean a larger recipient amount.
Report averages and provider comparisons do not deduct transfer fees. Customer eligibility, promotions, funding and payout methods are not separated in these aggregates. Missing observations are omitted, not filled with a zero or a carried-forward rate. Coverage can differ between providers and dates, so the samples are not necessarily like for like.
Source, amount and collection window
The daily history collector requests provider data for 1,000 units of the sending currency. It uses UTC calendar dates and is scheduled at 00:00 and 12:00 UTC; requests run over a collection window, not at an identical instant for every provider. A later capture can replace the same provider/corridor/date record. A report selects stored rows from the first UTC date of the month up to, but not including, the first date of the following month.
Report aggregates use the stored rate, provider and capture date. They do not verify the amount on each historical row or preserve exact capture times, customer status, promotion limits, funding or payout methods. The collector's requested amount is not proof of eligibility for every historical quote. These reports cannot establish the cheapest transfer.
How to read the calculations
- Observations are stored provider/date rows, not customers, transfers or independent market samples. A report requires at least five rows, not five complete days.
- The overall average is the sum of all stored rates divided by the number of rows. Providers with more observations contribute more weight. Each provider average uses only that provider's available rows; minimum and maximum are the recorded extremes.
- The highest provider average is a descriptive ordering of unequal samples, excluding fees, not a recommendation. Equal rounded averages should not be read as a meaningful lead.
- The stored first-to-last difference is (last rate minus first rate) divided by first rate, multiplied by 100. Rows are ordered by date only. Endpoints may come from different providers, with no defined ordering within a date. This is not a like-for-like monthly currency return. Summary directional counts use differences above +0.5% or below -0.5%; values in between are grouped as stable.
- Sample dispersion is the population standard deviation of all stored rates divided by their mean, multiplied by 100. Labels are low below 1%, medium from 1% to below 2.5%, and high from 2.5%. It mixes provider pricing differences with changes over time, so it is not market volatility.
- Weekday averages pool available rows by UTC capture weekday. Unequal coverage and provider mix can affect them. The highest and lowest weekday averages are retrospective observations, not advice about when to send or a forecast.
Summary reports and corrections
Monthly summaries count each available corridor once when counting highest provider averages. They do not weight those counts by transfer volume, users or market share. Regional first-to-last differences are simple averages of available corridor differences, not currency indices. Missing corridors are not represented.
Reports are generated from available history and are not independently audited. Publication and data-update timestamps describe the stored report, not every underlying quote. Historical aggregates may be regenerated when corrected data is available. The October 16, 2026 presentation correction removed provider and weekday recommendations without recalculating the stored historical observations. Report a suspected error to admin@compareremittancerates.com with the report URL, period and affected metric.
Historical observations do not predict future rates. Compare current estimates and confirm the final rate, fees, eligibility, payout and delivery terms at provider checkout.
Related policies
Methodology works alongside our Editorial Standards and Commercial Policy. If you want to compare a route now, head to the live comparison flow.
This page should change when the ranking model, provider coverage rules, or disclosure treatment changes materially. If the public copy and product behaviour diverge, that should be treated as a product quality issue.