Need to send cash in the US? PayPal's Xoom wants to help
Xoom is teaming up with Walmart and Ria to provide money transfers throughout the country.
PayPal is working to make it easier for people without bank accounts to get access to money transfers.
The payment company said Tuesday that its Xoom business, which focuses on money transfers from the US to other countries, will now provide domestic transfers, too. Using Xoom's mobile app or website, people can send friends and family cash that can be picked up at any Walmart in the US (just under 4,700 locations) or one of 175 Ria money transfer stores.
The new Xoom service could in some cases save people money in transfer fees when compared to other services like Western Union, but fees vary, so customers should shop around to check for the best prices. For example, sending $200 in the US through Xoom costs $5.99, while it costs $9.99 to $31.99 through Western Union, according to both sites' price estimators.
PayPal also provides digital money transfers between friends and family through its main PayPal and Venmo services.
The new service from PayPal is another move by tech and retail companies to give more tools to people without bank accounts or credit cards. It should give lower-income shoppers more access to financial services and online shopping sites, while helping these companies build up a new base of customers.
Walmart already provides many services specifically for lower-income customers. Amazon has been expanding in this market, too, offering programs like Amazon Cash, which lets people deposit cash into their Amazon accounts, so they can buy things online without a debit or credit card.
Xoom, which PayPal acquired for about $890 million in 2015, is typically used by first-generation immigrants in the US to send money back home to friends and family. Its biggest markets include India, the Philippines, Mexico, Colombia and Dominican Republic, and it competes directly with Western Union and MoneyGram.
