Money Transfer

I don't know about Ria but Wise support international USD transfers. I don't have a USD account with a Brazilian bank so I never tried, but here's what they say on their website when you select USD to USD:

https://wise.com/us/send-money/send-money-to-brazil

Enter amount to send in USD.

Pay in USD with your debit card or credit card, or send the money from your online banking.
Get the best rate out there.

Choose recipient in Brazil.

Select who you want to send money to and which pay-out method to use.
Money is locally delivered.

Send USD, receive USD.

The recipient gets money in USD directly from Wise’s local bank account.

How long will a money transfer to Brazil take?

A money transfer from the US (USD) to Brazil (USD) should arrive in 8 hours. Sometimes transfer times can differ based on payment methods or verification changes. We’ll always keep you updated, and you can track each step in your account.

10/21/24 @Sharky114.  I never had a problem transferring USD to my Brazilian bank account using Wise's app.  I didn't respond at first because it's been a while, but based on @rocade's post above, it still works as well as it always did. 

Your transfer will be converted to BRL at this end, however.  As far as I know, it's still illegal for anyone other than a licensed currency trader to have a foreign currency denominated account in a Brazilian bank.

Still confused, but thank you for your responses. I have citibank in the US and my wife has Mercado Pago, Nubank and I transfer when in US via the RIA app to her account and we pay all our Brazilian bills by pix while both in the US. RIA says the app will Not work when I'm in Brazil. Trying to see if Wise app will transfer from my US bank to her Brazilian bank while we are both in Brazil.

Not looking to receive in US dollar.

10/21/24 Still confused, but thank you for your responses. I have citibank in the US and my wife has Mercado Pago, Nubank and I transfer when in US via the RIA app to her account and we pay all our Brazilian bills by pix while both in the US. RIA says the app will Not work when I'm in Brazil. Trying to see if Wise app will transfer from my US bank to her Brazilian bank while we are both in Brazil. -@Sharky114

The Wise app always worked for me with a regular commercial bank (Banco do Brasil, in my case).  It should work for you, but you should confirm ahead of time with Nubank and/or Mercado Pago.

Thanks will let you know.

@Sharky114 I use Wise to transfer money from Wells Fargo to Banco do Brasil. I use the NuBank credit card for all day to day purchases in Brazil. I pay my NuBank credit card bill and a few other bills from my Banco do Brasil account each month. No problems for several years now.

Thank you, trying to contact Wise via telephone,  will confirm from Dollar in US to real while physically in Brazil.

@Sharky114 I'm in Brazil. I've used Wise for several years to transfer dollars in the US to reais in Brazil. Wise has reasonable fees and good exchange rates, and the transfer takes only seconds to complete.

Thank you, trying to contact Wise via telephone, will confirm from Dollar in US to real while physically in Brazil. -@Sharky114

Oh if this is what you actually want to do, as @alan279 says, USD to BRL transfer will take just a few seconds to complete and be ready for your use in your Brazilian Bank.

@abthree thanks for the clarification, I was kinda surprised for a second that I had missed these USD accounts in Brazilian banks So I guess, if you transfer it this way, you get the exchange rate of the Brazilian bank? Wonder if it's any better or if it's as quick.

I have been withdrawing from banco 24 hours from American banks and using boletos via lottery to deposit into mercado pago to pay bills. Wise will eliminate the above process. Thank you all God bless

10/21/24.@abthree So I guess, if you transfer it this way, you get the exchange rate of the Brazilian bank? Wonder if it's any better or if it's as quick. -@rocade

If Wise is doing the transfer, they do it at their "middle market" rate, which is usually a little better than the Brazilian banks' market rate.

I use Wise for US to Banco do Brasil account which is dollar to reais. You can check the daily rate on their website by putting in $US amount to view what you will receive $R less transfer fee to your bank in Brasil without actually making the transfer.

I have been using RIA but the app won't work when I'm in Brazil, that's why I'm asking and changing to Wise.

@Sharky114

Well basically Wise is a good option for you then. I used Wise to transfer money to Brazil while in the US, Brazil, several third countries and never had a problem to login the app, confirm or complete the transfer.

Thanks, again it will eliminate withdrawing from banco 24 hours changing to real then boleto at lottery to Mercado pago to pay bills. Amazing being physically in Brazil and able to change dollar via wise

10/24/24 Thanks, again it will eliminate withdrawing from banco 24 hours changing to real then boleto at lottery to Mercado pago to pay bills. Amazing being physically in Brazil and able to change dollar via wise - @Sharky114

For the sake of security, it's a good idea to use ATMs in bank ATM lobbies rather than Banco 24 ATMs in retail establishments or -- even worse -- on the street.  The ATMs on bank premises are under 24 hour surveillance and harder for thieves to tamper with, aside from the locations themselves being more secure.

Good reminder about ATMs @abthree

A card of mine was cloned at an ATM inside Guarulhos Airport so this is really a thing.

If possible I'd suggest using a spare bank card that's separate from your main account and leave it without limit/lock it when not in use. I received withdrawal notifications someone trying to use the card the day after GRU but luckily it had no balance so their transactions were denied.

Good reminder about ATMs @abthree
A card of mine was cloned at an ATM inside Guarulhos Airport so this is really a thing.
If possible I'd suggest using a spare bank card that's separate from your main account and leave it without limit/lock it when not in use. I received withdrawal notifications someone trying to use the card the day after GRU but luckily it had no balance so their transactions were denied. - @rocade

@rocade, yes, cloning is very common.  Before I use an ATM nowadays, I check the area where the card is inserted by pulling on the actual card reader.  If there is a sleeve, it will come out.  This scam exists everywhere in the world - hence this precaution is required wherever you go.

It also makes sense to have a separate bank card for overseas / travel purposes.  For me, I have set this travel bank account because it refunds ATM bank and other international exchange fees.  Setting limits and / or authorization requests are also helpful.

A related question. We are not setting up a bank account in Brazil, but we want to pay our cleaner and reimburse friends through a Venmo type system, perhaps tied to our US debit card. We used Pix twice but now it won’t work. Any advice?  What do other US expats use to transfer funds to individuals and doctors office etc. while in Brazil?

From the US to any person with a brazilian bank account, RIA money transfer, can use app or go to any of thousands of locations including Walmart, takes less then an hour to receive in Brazil, they skim approx 10 points of dollar to real rate and a 9 dollar fee. From Brazil Wise to another Brazilian or Mercado Pago.

I guess I'm the odd man out.  I honestly can't remember the last time I used cash either in Brasil or the US.  As others have mentioned, I also use Wise to transfer funds from the USA to Brasil.  In Brasil, I normally use my USA credit cards.  In the rare case that credit cards aren't accepted, I use PIX. 

11/14/24  I guess I'm the odd man out. I honestly can't remember the last time I used cash either in Brasil or the US. - @mikehunter

You're not alone as far as cash is concerned:  I carried the same R$80 around in my wallet for at least two years and never used any of it.  That only changed in the last month when we discovered that the "Serviço" charge we'd been paying at out favorite restaurant wasn't being distributed among the waitstaff, but only to the few with "carteira assinada" -- and most  were working off the books!  Since then, I've been carrying R$20 bills, we've stopped paying the "Serviço", and we slip the person who actually waited on us the equivalent when nobody's looking.

If anyone else is a "regular" somewhere, that's a good thing to know.

I carried some cash in my wallet for many months, then a neighbor girl started selling biscoitos in front of her (parent's) house. I spent my meager cash stash with her. She always had change. And she accepted Pix, too.