What a transfer to Syria really costs: fees and exchange rates

"No fees!" is the most common line in money-transfer ads, and one of the least useful. Every international transfer has two prices: the fee you see, and the exchange-rate margin you often don't. Here is how to work out what a transfer to Syria really costs, whichever service you use.

Price 1: the fee

This is the visible part: a fixed amount, a percentage of what you send, or both. It's usually shown before you pay, but some services also charge for topping up, for paying by card, or for the first transfer after a promotion.

Price 2: the exchange-rate margin

When your money changes currency, from euros to dollars or from dollars to Syrian pounds, the service uses an exchange rate. The fair reference is the mid-market rate: the midpoint between buying and selling prices on the currency markets, the one you find on Google or Reuters. Most services pay out at a lower rate and keep the difference.

That difference is a real cost, even if it never appears as a "fee". This is why the World Bank, when it measures remittance prices, counts both the fee and the exchange-rate margin. By its measure, sending $200 cost 6.36% on average worldwide in the third quarter of 2025, more than double the 3% target set in the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

A worked example

Illustrative numbers, not any specific provider.

You send €200. The mid-market rate is 1 € = $1.16, so €200 is worth $232.

• Service A charges a €3 fee and converts at $1.16: your family gets (200 − 3) × 1.16 = $228.52.
• Service B charges "€0 fee" but converts at $1.10: your family gets 200 × 1.10 = $220.00.

The "free" one costs $8.52 more. The only fair comparison is the final amount that arrives.

The Syria-specific trap: which currency arrives?

For Syria there is a third question: what currency does your family actually get? If a transfer is paid out in Syrian pounds, the office's exchange rate applies on top, and your family can't choose to keep dollars. In April 2026 the Central Bank of Syria (Decision 235) required many transfer payouts to be made in Syrian pounds. A June 2026 amendment allows foreign currency at the recipient's choice, depending on what the office has available. Always ask before you send.

Checklist: comparing any two services

1. Enter the same amount in both.
2. Note the total you pay, including top-up or card fees.
3. Note the amount that arrives, and the currency.
4. Compare the rate with the mid-market rate on the same day.
5. Check where your family can collect, since a long trip to a far office costs money too.

What you see with 7awel

• Before you send, the review screen shows what you pay and what your family receives, in dollars.
• Your family collects US dollars in cash, so there's no second conversion at the counter.
• Euro top-ups are converted to dollars when they reach your wallet, at the rate of that moment. The app shows you an estimate first, and the terms explain what the price can include.
• Transfers between 7awel wallets are free.

Try it with your own numbers in the fee calculator, or see the ways to send money to Syria in 2026.