MoneyGram in South Africa
Answers to what people in South Africa ask about MoneyGram: how to receive money, how to send through FNB, what it costs, how to judge the exchange rate, and how to find a location.
Does it work?
Yes. You can receive MoneyGram transfers in South Africa as cash at an agent, or paid to a bank account, card or mobile wallet where the sender picks those options. FNB customers can also send MoneyGram from South Africa through the FNB App, an ATM, a branch or cellphone banking.
MoneyGram does not publish one fixed fee or rate. Both change with the amount, how the sender pays, how the money is delivered and where it is collected, so always look at the full quote.
MoneyGram in South Africa at a glance
Receiving
Your sender gets a MoneyGram reference number when they send. FNB describes it as an 8-digit number.
The sender picks the payout: cash at a MoneyGram agent, or paid to a bank account, debit card or mobile wallet where that is offered.
For cash pickup, take valid photo ID and the reference number to a MoneyGram agent.
FNB customers can log in to the FNB App, open Forex, then Remittances, then Receive MoneyGram, and enter the reference number.
Compare rates
The fee is the part you see. The exchange rate margin is the part that is easy to miss. Here is how to tell what a transfer really costs.
Before you send, get the exchange rate, the fee and the final amount the receiver gets. FNB shows the rate, fee and the amount debited on its quote screen before you confirm.
Look up the mid-market rate for the pair, for example dollars to rand. Your quoted rate will usually sit below it, and the gap is the margin you are paying.
Margin plus fee is the real cost. Compare the rand that will actually arrive, not the headline fee, between providers and delivery methods.
Example (illustrative numbers)
If the market rate is R18.00 to the dollar and a quote gives you R17.40, that is about 3.3% below the market rate before any fee. On US$1,000 that is R600 less than the market rate would give you. These numbers are only an example of the calculation, not a MoneyGram rate.
Sending
Source: FNB MoneyGram page.
Locations
Search MoneyGram's official finder by city or suburb, for example:
Johannesburg, Sandton, Rosebank, Fourways, Randburg, Midrand, Pretoria, Roodepoort, Cape Town, Bellville, Stellenbosch, Durban, Umhlanga, Richards Bay, East London, Bloemfontein, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Rustenburg.
Open MoneyGram's location finderFAQ
Yes. People in South Africa receive MoneyGram transfers as cash at an agent, and as payments to a bank account, card or mobile wallet where the sender chooses those options. FNB also lets its customers send MoneyGram abroad. MoneyGram's rates, fees and options depend on the amount, how the sender pays, how you are paid and where you collect.
Get the reference number from your sender. For cash pickup, take valid photo ID and the reference number to a MoneyGram agent. If you bank with FNB you can receive in the FNB App: Forex, then Remittances, then Receive MoneyGram, and enter the 8-digit reference number the sender gave you. FNB says it will never ask you for your account details or to click a link when you receive a MoneyGram.
FNB says you can send a MoneyGram through the FNB App, by cellphone banking on *120*321#, at an FNB ATM or at a branch. Through the app you can pay to a bank account, a mobile money wallet or for collection at an agent, and you can add beneficiaries yourself. For the ATM, branch and *120*321# routes, FNB says you need to load the beneficiary at an FNB branch first. At an ATM the quote is valid for two minutes.
FNB says the money is available for the beneficiary to collect within 10 minutes. Speed can depend on how the transfer is paid for and paid out, and on any review of the transaction.
There is no single fee. MoneyGram says fees and exchange rates vary with the amount, how the sender pays, how the money is delivered and where it is collected. When you send through FNB, the quote shows the exchange rate, the fee and the amount debited from your account before you confirm. FNB's MoneyGram page does not state a fee to receive, so check with the sender and at the point of collection.
MoneyGram does not publish one fixed rate. It is set when you get a quote and changes with the amount and the method you choose. Compare the quote to the market rate: the further below it, the more the exchange margin costs you, on top of the fee. Our dollar to rand page shows today's market rate to compare against.
Get a full quote first, with the rate, the fee and the amount the receiver gets. Then compare the final rand amount with what other providers quote for the same amount and delivery method, and with the market rate. Looking only at the fee can hide a poor exchange rate.
FNB's page notes that residents over 18 have a single discretionary allowance of up to R1 million per calendar year for foreign transfers. Larger amounts and business payments follow exchange control rules and may need more documents. Ask your bank which limits apply to your transfer.
Use MoneyGram's official location finder at moneygram.com/locations/za/en and search by your city or suburb, for example Johannesburg, Sandton, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban or Bloemfontein. Locations change, so check the finder before you travel. FNB says MoneyGram is available at more than 350,000 outlets in 200 countries and territories worldwide.
We could not find a MoneyGram South Africa customer service number we can verify, so we do not list one. Use the help section of the MoneyGram app or moneygram.com. If you sent or received through FNB and something failed, FNB lists its Foreign Exchange help desk on 08601 36739.
We could not find Absa MoneyGram details we can confirm, so we do not say that it does. FNB is the South African bank we can confirm sends and receives MoneyGram. Ask Absa directly, or check MoneyGram's agent finder.
MoneyGram says you can start a transfer online, in its app or in person at an agent, where it is offered. We could not confirm from MoneyGram's own pages that South Africa is a sending country, so the route we can confirm is sending through FNB. Check the MoneyGram app to see what is available to you.
Bank details checked against FNB MoneyGram on 8 November 2026. CurrenC is not affiliated with MoneyGram or FNB, and MoneyGram can change its service, fees and rates.