Where our rate data comes from
We collect provider exchange rates and fees from each provider's public quote pages. The mid-market reference rate we benchmark against is sourced from a daily snapshot of interbank FX data. In production we recommend wiring the application to one of three live data sources:
- Wise Exchange Rates API — free, well-documented, updated continuously.
- exchangerate.host — free, no API key required, slightly less granular.
- openexchangerates.org — paid, the highest reliability for production use.
How we calculate the “real” cost
For every quote you see on VoliqPay, we calculate three numbers from public data:
- The mid-market rate — the rate banks use when trading with each other, with no markup.
- The provider's rate — what they actually quote you, which usually includes a hidden markup over the mid-market rate.
- The upfront transfer fee — the visible fee, which is often $0 even when the provider is charging you significantly via the rate.
From these we compute the recipient amount— the actual local currency that lands in your recipient's account — and rank providers strictly by that number. Higher recipient amount wins.
How we handle affiliate relationships
Some providers in our comparison pay us a referral fee when a customer signs up via a link from VoliqPay. That relationship is disclosed on every page (see our affiliate disclosure). Critically: the affiliate fee never changes the ranking. The provider that delivers the most local currency to your recipient appears first. If a more expensive provider were to pay us more, they would still appear lower in our list.
What we do not do
- We do not handle your money. Every transfer happens directly between you and the provider you choose.
- We do not store payment details, identity documents, or transfer history. We are not the licensed money transmitter — they are.
- We do not display estimated rates as guarantees. Provider quotes can move between the moment you see them on VoliqPay and the moment you confirm on the provider's own platform.
Regulatory posture
VoliqPay operates as a comparison and information service. The providers we compare are licensed money services businesses regulated by, among others, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in the United States, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom, and the European Central Bank and national competent authorities in the EU. We design our methodology to be FCA-aware — we follow UK guidance for comparison sites, including ranking by total cost and disclosing affiliate relationships clearly.
VoliqPay itself is not authorised to handle customer funds and does not hold a money transmitter license. If you are based in a jurisdiction where comparison sites for financial products require additional disclosures (for example, Australia's ASIC regime), please contact us before relying on our rankings for regulated advice.