Plain English. What we measure, what we don't, and where the math has limits.
We compare 6-9 providers per corridor depending on coverage. For each corridor we estimate the total amount that arrives in the recipient's bank account after every visible fee and exchange-rate markup.
Each calculation accounts for: the exchange rate offered by the provider (including any markup vs the mid-market rate), the provider's transfer fee at the specific amount you're sending, and the assumed payment method (default: bank account or ACH funding, the lowest-cost option). The verdict is the provider whose final delivered amount is highest after all of these are subtracted.
All figures shown are estimates. The actual amount your recipient sees may differ due to: rate fluctuations between our check time and your transfer time, recipient-bank charges or intermediary fees we cannot see, the payment method you choose (debit and credit cards cost more than ACH), promotional rates that apply only to new users, and rounding. We do not guarantee the ranking or amounts match your transfer outcome.
We pull provider quotes once each morning at approximately 6:30 AM EST and publish the verdict immediately. The numbers on the site and in daily emails reflect that morning's check. Rates can change throughout the day — for time-critical transfers, verify directly on the provider's site before sending.
Providers structure their pricing differently. Some charge flat fees that hurt small transfers disproportionately. Others bury their margin in the exchange-rate markup, which hurts large transfers more. The provider that delivers the most for a $1,000 transfer is often not the same one that wins at $10,000, and rarely the same at $25,000. Our calculations run separately for each tier — pick your amount and the ranking adjusts.
For the Crypto Gateway, the calculation includes: spread on the initial fiat→USDC purchase (e.g. Coinbase's ~0.6%), network fees for the on-chain transfer (typically <$0.10 on Solana, $1-3 on Ethereum), spread on the destination-exchange USDC→local-currency conversion (e.g. Bitso's ~0.35%), and any bank-deposit fees on the recipient side. For Lightning-Network rails like Strike, both conversions happen near-instantly at quoted rates with no holding period.
Delivery speed is a real consideration but it's a different dimension from cost. Some transfers need to arrive in minutes (medical emergencies, tuition deadlines). Others can wait a day for a better rate. We show speed alongside the ranking but do not fold it into the “most received” calculation. The page's “What matters most” toggle lets you re-rank by fastest delivery or by cash pickup availability when those constraints matter.
Questions about how a specific verdict was calculated? Email hello@ratecheckr.co with the corridor and amount and we'll send the underlying numbers.