Free bank transfers between the US and the Philippines

Abra has created a simple product that provides a perfect solution for self-send money transfers. Whether you are moving money from USA to Philippines or from Philippines to USA, Abra has a brilliant solution.

Let’s say that you’re an overseas Filipino living or residing in the United States. It’s common that you have a need to send money back to the Philippines. Most remittance companies are set up for sending money to another person or a named beneficiary — like sending money to friend or family member. But, remittance companies often don’t allow you to send to your very own bank account. This is often called a “self-send” or “send to myself” in remittance jargon.

Alternatively, maybe you want to move money from your bank in the Philippines to your own bank account in the United States. Most remittance companies don’t move money from the Philippines to the United States. Abra is bi-directional, meaning that it’s just as easy to move money from Cebu to Chicago as it is the other way around.

Recognizing the market need for people to move money freely, we’ve re-framed the problem and come up with a great new solution. Since Abra isn’t a traditional remittance company, we don’t have a lot of the constraints that many other companies do. Instead, we create a digital wallet that allows you to freely move cash. It’s like holding cash in your traditional wallet with a big difference – it’s digital and fast.

With Abra, you are simply digitally moving money from your US Bank Account into your Abra wallet and then quickly withdrawing the money from your Abra Wallet to your Philippines Bank Account. Think about the old world ways where you might have taken some cash out of your leather wallet and then deposited into a bank account. Now fast forward with Abra. You are virtually doing the same thing with your very own Abra wallet.

For the free, simple and fast way to send money to your own bank account and in a bi-directional way, here’s how! Truly, it’s free, it’s fast, and it’s very cool!

Step #1: Go to your Abra Wallet, Tap “Add Money”, Select “Use Bank Account”

Step #2: Select your USA Bank Account, Enter the Amount you would like to deposit into your Abra Wallet

Step #3: Now, change your currency to PHP (don’t worry you can always change back to $-USD)

Step #4: Select “Withdraw”, Select you Filipino bank account, enter the amount. That’s it! Your money will move from your very own wallet to your bank in the Philippines.

Join our community and find more people achieving their financial goals through crypto.

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Written by

Joe Raymond

About Abra

Established in 2014, Abra is on a mission to create a simple and honest platform that enables millions of cryptocurrency holders to maximize the potential of their assets. Abra enables both individuals and businesses to safely and securely buy, trade, and borrow against cryptocurrencies – all in one place. Abra’s vision is an open, global financial system that is easily accessible to everyone.

Why Abra

Based in the United States, Abra is available in over 150 countries and makes it easy to convert between crypto and a wide variety of local fiat currencies. With over 2MM customers, $7B in transactions processed, and $1.5B in assets under management, Abra continues to grow rapidly. Abra is widely loved and trusted – in April 2022, pymnts.com reviewed and rated Abra amongst the top 5 most popular crypto wallets in the market. Abra is backed by top-tier investors such as American Express Ventures and First Round Capital.

How Abra Protects Your Funds

Abra places clients’ financial objectives and security first. Abra practices a culture of risk management across all levels and functions within the organization.

Abra employs a state-of-the-art enterprise risk management framework that comprises a comprehensive set of policies, procedures, and practices detailing all applicable risk-related objectives and constraints for the entirety of the business. Abra has instituted a complete set of requisite systems and controls that continuously enforce these policies, procedures, and practices to manage all operations, including credit and lending. Abra’s independent Risk Committee comprises experienced compliance, risk, securities, and fraud operations professionals with backgrounds in industries ranging from traditional and digital assets banking, payments, remittance, to fintech.

Please visit our FAQ to learn more.

Nor

1603 days ago

I am new to this ..but I have few questions and pls help me unsderstand..how this works.
1. Can this transfer be done via bank to bank ( from my phil dollar account to my US dollar acct) assuming both banks are affiliated with abra?
2. How much would it cost for say 2,000 dollars transfer. And how long will it take for the transfer.( we’re talking about the money is in and ready for withdrawal )
3. Aside from my bank accounts what other documents are needed for this transaction/ transfer.
I would need a list of us banks and Phil banks affiliated with you.
Thanks for your help

Daniel McGlynn

1600 days ago

Nor,

Your best bet is to email [email protected]. They’ll be able to answer your questions more specifically.

KIm

1856 days ago

Concerning currency exchange rates. If I send money from USA to Philippines in dollars and you convert to Philippines Peso what is the exact rate difference and how does that work (sorry confused) ? Would like to know before I sign up. A lot of times I just hold my Dollars until exchange rate is better

Thanks, Kim

dward

1927 days ago

I can’t believe today I just found out from my exgf in Philippine that she willing to lied to use my money to pay her bank dept and keep lied to me that bank have no connection or bank make mistake not sending the money…. people willing to risk everything for money. unreal becarefull.

misantroop

1954 days ago

Would be great if Interactive Brokers was added to the list of supported US banks. They offer debit/credit cards currently so they’d qualify as a retail bank.

Matt Taylor

Hi there,

Thanks for the suggestion. We are always looking to expand our supported list of U.S. banks. Have you tried out our micro-deposit linking for your bank? Check out more info about it here: https://www.abra.com/blog/abra-expands-banking-us-users/

ALPHA NAVARRETE ALFONSO

1968 days ago

Until now,January 05,2018;I still cannot process My Bitcoins into CASH.And I am having a hard time connecting My Bank Account to Bitcoin Account for CASH Withdrawal.I am interested to know the exact procedure for Money Withdrawal thru ABRA Outlets.I want to use My Bitcoins for such CASH Over the Counter Withdrawals,how? What are the Factors to consider for the Requirements,for Bitcoins to CASH!?

1970 days ago

I need to know what will happen if I enrolled to different Bitcoins outlets?Will it affect or make a lost in My Bitcoins Acquisition,if not stored in the eBank or Bitcoin Wallet?If I registered My Bank Account and have not Deposited the Bitcoins,will it take risk from losses?

I need to know how to Deposit My Bitcoins Awarded to My Email to be withdrawn in the Bank;here in the Philippines.

Wilfredo Delloso Jr

1986 days ago

Hi, i made an over-the-counter deposit through UnionBank, i was sent a link by email to upload KYC requirements and i uploaded them 2 days ago. How long will it take for the funds to reflect in my wallet? Please have someone look into this. My email is submitted along with this comment.

Liz O'Donnell

1985 days ago

For account-specific inquiries, please contact our customer support team.

Michael Hung

1987 days ago

HI Question;
If I’m going to deposit using my metrobank account, what is the correct format for subscribers nos.? is +63922-XXXXXXX or 0922-XXXXXXX. ?

Hi Michael. Either one should work, but we recommend +63922-XXXXXXX to remove any ambiguity.

Roxanne

2027 days ago

Hi. If I send money from US (USD) to Philippines (PHP) and vice versa, how are the currencies be converted? Because I can’t find a way (until I saw this) to do a back and forth transaction of USD and PHP for free or at a lower price. I hope my question made sense.

2026 days ago

Hi Roxanne! Have a look at the answer to Roland’s question above. Our full list of US and Philippine banks that we work with can be found here. Does that answer your question?

I’m not 100% sure what you mean when you say “how are the currencies converted?” We don’t have fixed fees, such as a sending or transfer fee, but like almost any service, we do have a spread on the exchange rate. It’s much smaller than the major players, however, so you’ll get a better rate with Abra. Here’s how to check those rates real time within the app.

If you want a more personalized answer, our support team is happy to answer any questions you may have. You may reach out anytime to support[at]abra[dot]com.

Can the transactions be from USD to a USD based Philippines bank account?

1951 days ago

So we do not currently support USD-denominated PH bank accounts. We plan to expand our banking options in The Philippines and will keep you posted on future updates. Thanks!

Josef

2037 days ago

I love you author, this saved my ass from mamahalin na fees, I hope ABRA expands and stays

2035 days ago

Thanks Josef! Glad this worked for you!

Roland

2055 days ago

Hi, I am a Filipino residing here in the USA for almost 30 years and we will be selling our family properties in Manila, and will have almost 3 Million pesos to put in Philippines bank. Can I use ABRA to transfer money from Philippines to USA where I live now?

2053 days ago

Hi! Congratulations on the sale of your property!

Yes, that’s possible! You would need to have a bank account in the Philippines that supports adding funds to the Abra app, and a bank account in the US that supports withdrawing funds from the Abra app. You can find that list of eligible banks here: https://abra.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005236627-Which-banks-credit-unions-does-Abra-work-with-new

Here’s what you would do:
1) Download the Abra app and sign up
2) Make sure your wallet is denominated in Philippine Pesos
3) Add funds to your Abra wallet from your Philippines bank account. Instructions are here: https://abra.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000821548-How-do-I-deposit-into-my-wallet-using-a-bank-Philippines-new-
4) It will take a few days for the funds to land. Once they do, you’ll get a push notification from Abra on your phone.
5) Open up the app and change your wallet currency to US Dollars. This will convert your funds.
6) Withdraw to your US bank account. Instructions here: https://abra.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003322907-How-do-I-withdraw-from-my-wallet-using-a-bank-US-new-
7) That’s it! The funds normally take 1-2 days to land in your bank account.

A few helpful notes:
– I recommend adding your US bank account before you do anything else (your Abra app should be denominated in US Dollars to see US banking options. You don’t need to have money in your Abra wallet in order to do this.) There’s a one-time login process that is handled by our banking partner, and their fraud models sometimes reject even “good actors”, so you want to be sure your bank account works properly within Abra
– I recommend trying a small amount — say, a few thousand pesos – first. That way, you’ll be comfortable with the end to end process, and since there’s no fixed fee, it won’t cost you any more anyways.

Happy to answer any further questions you have!

vahn

2109 days ago

Hi.

We are in the philippines and we have bitcoins from various sources like faucets. We want to convert bitcoins to usd and deposit the same to a usd bank account in the philippines. We want the USD balance to go straight to usd denominated bank account. Is this possible?

Thanks.

Max Dees

2108 days ago

Hey Vahn,

Yes this is possible. To do this, first transfer your bitcoin into your Abra wallet. Then, connect your Abra wallet with your local bank, by pressing the ‘menu’ icon on the top left of the home screen, and then pressing ‘Bank Accounts’. Once you’ve added your Bank, you will be able to send your Bitcoin to your bank, and it will show up in USD. It is not necessary to change your wallet to USD before transferring to your bank. Also, you may have to wait a few days between when you transfer your money into your Abra wallet and when you can withdraw it.

Hope this helps,
Max

Anna

2131 days ago

What if my bank is in passbook and not atm? Can I still use this bank with ABRA APP?

Hey Anna,

Could you clarify further what your question is?

Thanks,
Max

Mark D

2219 days ago

Hi, I wanted to start using Bank to Bank Transfer (US Sender to Philippines Receiver); and this is the first site I came across. I have a couple of questions if you don’t mind answering them;

1. Is there a sender/receiver limit on B2B transfers?
2. How many days before the receivers get the money available?
3. How secure and safe is Abra?
4. If I send money (U.S Dollars) to the receivers bank, does she get US Dollars as well? (I will let her sign up for a dollar bank account, if that helps.
5. Cont. on Question 4; If I send US and Receiver gets US, how does Abra makes their money?
6. What documents or ID’s does the sender needs to submit to Abra for personal verification?

John Light

2217 days ago

Hi Mark, thanks for your interest! I’ll help answer your questions here:

> 1. Is there a sender/receiver limit on B2B transfers?

You can find information about our current limits here: https://abra.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002918627-What-are-Abra-s-transaction-limits-new-

> 2. How many days before the receivers get the money available?

Transfer from your bank account to your Abra wallet: 1-2 business days. Same-day best case scenario.
Transfer from your Abra wallet to the recipient’s Abra wallet: about 10 minutes for the payment to confirm
Transfer from the recipient’s Abra wallet to their bank account: 2-3 business days

So max 5 business days end-to-end for bank-to-bank.

If you use Abra Tellers on both sides, you could cut the time down to ~10 minutes.

> 3. How secure and safe is Abra?

Very secure! Abra uses the bitcoin blockchain to secure every transaction, and we do not take custodial possession of any customer funds – the funds are held directly on your phone in your Abra wallet.

> 4. If I send money (U.S Dollars) to the receivers bank, does she get US Dollars as well? (I will let her sign up for a dollar bank account, if that helps.

If she in the Philippines, her wallet currency will default to PHP when she signs up. Then she can withdraw to her Philippines bank account or cash via Abra Teller.

> 5. Cont. on Question 4; If I send US and Receiver gets US, how does Abra makes their money?

Abra would not make money on a USD USD transaction unless an Abra Teller was used on either side.

> 6. What documents or ID’s does the sender needs to submit to Abra for personal verification?

It varies depending on the transaction. Our FAQ entry about this is located here: https://abra.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005174567-Is-any-documentation-required-for-bank-deposits-and-withdrawals-new-

Hope this helps!

Flor Samson

2224 days ago

How can person A send money from the Philippines to person B’s US credit union if person B has no bank account in the Philippines?

2222 days ago

Hi Flor, it depends. Is Person B in the US or the Philippines? If they are in the US, the customer experience would look like this:

Step 1. Person A (let’s call her “Alice”) adds money to her Abra wallet in the Philippines. She can do this using her PH bank account, cash via local Abra Teller, or bitcoin.

Step 2. Alice sends the money from her Abra wallet to Person B’s Abra wallet (let’s call him “Bob”).

Step 3. Bob can withdraw the money from his Abra wallet to his US bank account (as long as it’s one of the banks we support).

Hope this helps answer your question!

Scott

Can I transfer money from my US account to a friend’s account in Philippines using ABRA?

Hi Scott, yes you can use Abra to transfer money from the US to the Philippines. You can add money to your Abra wallet via US bank account, bitcoin, or a local Abra Teller. Once your wallet is funded, send the money to your friend’s Abra wallet in the Philippines, then your friend can cash out their Abra wallet balance using their PH bank account, bitcoin, or a local Abra Teller.

You can find our list of supported banks here:

https://abra.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005236627-Which-banks-credit-unions-does-Abra-work-with-new

You can check the map in the app to find local Abra Tellers by selecting “Use cash” on the “Add money” or “Withdraw” page then searching for your city.

Let us know if you have any other questions, happy to help.

MChiu

2233 days ago

Hi I live at BC, CANADA, just wondering can I use abra?

2231 days ago

Hi MChiu, thanks for your interest! Yes, you can use Abra in Canada and use the Abra wallet to hold Canadian dollars, bitcoin, or any of the other 50+ currencies we support. Note that today, we do not have any direct bank integrations in Canada. To add money to or withdraw money from your Abra wallet, you can use an Abra Teller if there is one near you, or bitcoin.

Jim

2268 days ago

Question, if i add bitcoin, will the bitcoin balance remain in the wallet, or is it immediately converted to fiat? If the price of bitcoin changes, will my balance in my abra account reflect the change, or will it remain at the same fiat balance as before?

2266 days ago

Hi Jim,

When you first sign up, your wallet currency will be set to fiat by default. If you want to change it to BTC, you have to go into the menu, press “wallet currency”, then change it to BTC. After your wallet currency is changed to BTC, your wallet balance will be denominated in BTC. If you choose to keep your wallet currency in fiat, then your balance will be denominated in fiat and will not change even if the price of bitcoin changes. Does this answer your question?

Jun Rodriguez

2192 days ago

I’m from the Philippines. If I load my Abra with money from my bank account, then change my currency to Bitcoin, does it mean I bought Bitcoin already? Example, if my funds (say P100,000) changed to BTC is equivalent to 1 BTC, then BTC value doubles, then when I want to withdraw again, I change my 1 BTC back to Peso, will my 1 BTC become P200,000?

2188 days ago

Yes, if your wallet currency is bitcoin then the PHP value of your wallet will change with the price of bitcoin.

I have paid Plutus Technologies for funding my account. It’s the 3rd day already and I have not received the funds in my Abra app. Do you have a contact person or number of Plutus Technologies here in the Philippines where I can follow up and trace my deposit?

2182 days ago

Hi Jun, you can press the “Contact us” button in the main menu of the app to create a support ticket. Then our customer support team will be able to reach out to you.

Angelino Azurin

2301 days ago

I want to use my Credit Union because I am using these credit union not a conventional bank here in USA. How can I use my Federal Credit union?

2221 days ago

We’ve recently added support for a number of credit unions. Please see our FAQs for the latest list: https://abra.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005236627-Which-banks-credit-unions-does-Abra-work-with-new

peltier

2302 days ago

I am a French living happily in China. I already use bitcoin to transfer my Chinese RMB to my French bank account but will be happy to consider the Abra app. When will it be available in these countries?
If mass adoption occurs, this will change the world in more ways that can be predicted. And banks will finally get to see what blockchain has for them.
Please make this happen.

yong

2338 days ago

i live in Canada, i may have business in Phillipine, how can i receive money from Phillipine ?

2334 days ago

Hi, thanks for your inquiry! At the moment, it’s not possible for users in Canada to withdraw funds from their Abra wallet. We hope to enable that this year. We keep an updated list of services by country on our website:
https://www.goabra.com/where-is-abra-available/

The only exception would be if you had a US bank account, as some Canadians do (not just a US-dollar denominated bank account in Canada, but a bank account actually in the US). But for your “average” Canadian, you’ll have to wait until we have a way for Canadians to get funds into and out of Abra.

tim

2375 days ago

I am interested as I have to send money from the Philippines to the USA bank accounts, however you didn’t answer the questions on lower and upper limits.

For example if i wanted to send PHP40,000 to the USA, I load it into my Wallet transfer it and then it gets “a hold” via some ACH, for how many days, could be a weekend plus 3 working days?
In which case can I cancel the transaction and deposit back in my Bank Account? you mentioned that funds are not held by an intermediary, but “who” is responsible for clearing the transaction through AMLA locally and AML in the USA.

Ajjo John

2401 days ago

Great. Good to know that.
While i like the idea of sending money through bitcoin, i have below few concerns:

1. How is the government at both ends being reported of the source of funds!!!

2. Whats the upper and lower limit of transaction.

3. I realize that you are always showing on the app screen as USD not BTC, so if i have to send the money after few days, how are you managing the fluctuation value of underlying BTC which is changing vis a vie USD.

Thanks

Liz

2398 days ago

Hi there!

While Abra is based on Bitcoin, currently, Bitcoin operates in the background and is invisible to to the consumer. We’ll be changing that soon, for those who want that feature (see a post from a few months ago on Making Bitcoin User Friendly) but for now, you can’t actually hold Bitcoin in Abra.

That means that as for your question #3, Abra takes care of managing the fluctuations. The consumer who adds $100 USD will continue to hold $100 USD, regardless of the price of Bitcoin.

With regards to government regulation, Abra and its partners adhere to any local regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate.

Which relates to your question on upper and lower limits. We don’t have official limits as yet, but very small transactions (under $5) might get rejected and very large transactions may be subject to extra scrutiny and/or reporting requirements depending on the partner who is facilitating the transaction and the jurisdiction where the consumer is.

Hope this helps. If you have specific questions about your personal situation, i recommend emailing contact[at]goabra[dot]com and our support team can help you out.

Thanks!

John

2292 days ago

Can Abra handle a business cash transfer (Ph Bank to US Bank) of USD $ 75,000 in a single move?

2284 days ago

Hi John, thanks for your interest in our service! Abra does not process withdrawals to a business bank account at this time.