Here's How You Can Send Money To India This Festive Season

Time to read: 4 mins | October 03, 2017

Distance does not matter when hearts are connected. You might be working miles apart from your family to provide them a better life. And during festivals you look for all the possible ways to bring smiles on their faces. You work hard just to ensure that they receive the best in their lives.

In India, generally preparations for festivals includehouse renovation , buying jewellery, buying silver coins, electronics, and preparing mouth-watering delicacies. We celebrate our festivals with an exchange of sweets and good wishes with friends and loved ones. There is joyful celebration bursting like fireworks everywhere.

Well, sending money before time would be the easiest way to express your love and gratitude in your absence. Cash gives the receiver the flexibility to choose his/her own gift and liberty to spend the way they would wish to.

Probably, the first thing that you would do every month is credit money to your family. And during festivals you would ensure that you send money in a hassle-free way and reaches to them on time. These special days give you an opportunity to do a little more to make them feel special. Many of you living miles away from your family would relate to this responsibility of sending money back home.

At times, you might wait for the best exchange rate and then transfer the money. Another point, which many NRIs bear in mind is, the transaction/operational cost associated with a money transfer and the duration within which the money reaches the recipient. But with the advent of technology, remitting money back home has become much easier. Gone are the days when remittances were sent via drafts, cheques, then through post offices.

Over the past few decades, technological enhancement and globalization has helped build a wider range of money transfer facilities. Axis Bank offers several modes of money transfer for NRIs to their loved ones in India. Some of the avenues are highlighted as below:

Transfer via Automated Clearing House

Automated Clearing House (ACH) is one of the easiest routes for NRIs settled in the US to remit money to India.
For this, you simply need to:

• Fill up the registration form and create a login id
• Click on Send money and add New Recipient details
• Select mode of transfer as ACH Transfer
• Enter transaction amount, select purpose of remittance and your overseas bank account details
• Confirm your transaction and note the unique reference number

Basically, you need to transfer that sum to the Axis Bank's specially designated account in US for further credit to the beneficiary’s account in India. It uses the ACH network in USA to debit sender’s account.

Your overseas account verification process is a one-time activity which takes upto 3 working days to process.

Further, there are no transaction charges levied by Axis Bank. However, service tax as mandated by Government of India is applicable.

Online Remittance

Online remittance facility, AxisRemit is another easy way to send money from any non-US country to any Indian Bank account.

Wire Transfer

Wire transfer is an electronic form of transfer made across the world from one sender to the beneficiary. All you need is to send a wire instruction from your local bank overseas to the beneficiary sitting in India. Axis Bank has arrangements with over 200 major banks across the globe to receive SWIFT messages, which ensures safe and secure remittance to your Axis Bank account from any place of your choice.

The bank sending the funds sends a message to the recipient or the correspondent bank through which the money is transferred. Once the settlement instruction is sent the money is credited to the beneficiary account. It is a simple two-step process of money transfer. And the beneficiary also receives the sum within two days.

Thus, it is the efficient and secure way of money transfer. NRI customers can also contact their RMs to get the best rates for their remittances to India.

Foreign Currency Cheques/DDs

You can now deposit any currency denominated cheque or demand draft by any bank and avail Indian Rupees against it. With this facility, your near and dear one can visit any Axis bank branch in India to credit the equivalent amount to the account ––beneficiary account, without any hassles.

Similarly, you can also mail cheques/ DDs to your branch in India along with an instruction letter. This letter will contain the account number of the beneficiary where the funds will be credited. The biggest advantage of this facility is that it is free from volatile exchange rates because the draft is issued at a fixed amount.

Exchange House

Another instant money transfer option is through Exchange Houses. You can either choose to transfer via a partnered exchange house such as MoneyGram Payment Systems Inc or Xoom Corporation. Or you can transact within the 82,000 bank branches within the bank’s RTGS/NEFT/IMPS network. With this, you can remit/transfer money to your family within 24 hours.

Overseas Branches

If you reside in London and wish to send money across to your family during Diwali, you can visit the subsidiary branch of Axis Bank in London, UK and instantaneously credit to any Axis Bank account in India and other bank accounts within 24 hours. With this you also get competitive exchange rates with a free remittance facility.

To sum-up

Whatever route you choose your intent to send money across on time should go uninterrupted. So that your wife can buy her beautiful jewellery, your daughter can wear the pretty dress she desires, and parents can take travel without any cash crunch. Everyone loves appreciation from their loved ones. This small gesture will touch their hearts and initiate a sweet beginning of the New Year.

In an endeavour to bring ease to your financial transactions, banks and financial institutions are providing better facilities these days. The systems are simple to follow and user-friendly. This facilitates customers across all age groups. Hence, think smart and adopt easy money transfer avenues to remit money to your loved ones this festive season (or even otherwise). Do not let the distance dull the sparkle this festive season.

Wish you a bright financial future.

Happy Banking, Happy Diwali!

Disclaimer: This article has been authored by PersonalFN, a Mumbai based Financial Planning and Mutual Fund research firm known for offering unbiased and honest opinion on investing. Axis bank doesn't influence any views of the author in any way. Axis Bank & PersonalFN shall not be responsible for any direct / indirect loss or liability incurred by the reader for taking any financial decisions based on the contents and information. Please consult your financial advisor before making any financial decision.