2026 Money Transfer FX Markup Cost Reference
A simple table showing how quickly an exchange-rate spread grows as the transfer amount increases.
| CAD transfer | 0.5% markup | 1% markup | 2% markup | 3% markup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | $0.50 | $1.00 | $2.00 | $3.00 |
| $250 | $1.25 | $2.50 | $5.00 | $7.50 |
| $500 | $2.50 | $5.00 | $10.00 | $15.00 |
| $1,000 | $5.00 | $10.00 | $20.00 | $30.00 |
| $2,000 | $10.00 | $20.00 | $40.00 | $60.00 |
| $5,000 | $25.00 | $50.00 | $100.00 | $150.00 |
| $10,000 | $50.00 | $100.00 | $200.00 | $300.00 |
What the table means
An exchange-rate markup is economically similar to a percentage fee. If the mid-market rate would deliver 100 units of foreign currency for a given amount but the provider’s quoted rate delivers 99 units, the implied spread is roughly 1% before any visible transfer fee.
That difference scales directly with the send amount. A 1% spread costs about $5 on a $500 transfer, $10 on $1,000, $20 on $2,000 and $50 on $5,000. A provider advertising “$0 fee” can therefore still be expensive if the exchange-rate spread is wide.
What this dataset does not measure
This is a sensitivity table, not a provider ranking. It excludes visible transfer fees, card funding charges, recipient-bank fees, intermediary deductions, promotional exchange rates, transfer limits and payout-method differences. Those must be added separately.
How to use it
Estimate the provider’s rate markup versus a mid-market benchmark at roughly the same moment, find the closest transfer amount in the table, then add the visible fee. For a more exact calculation, use the interactive calculator below.
Related tools
Money Transfer FX Cost Calculator →
Country and amount transfer calculators →
Money transfer guides →
This reference uses arithmetic only: amount × markup percentage. It does not represent a live quote from any provider.