The short answer: the cheapest way to send money from Italy to Morocco
The short answer
Default pick: Wise. For most Italy→Morocco transfers, Wise gives the best total dirhams received on bank deposits — the mid-market rate with a visible fee only, typically 0.5–1.5%, and delivery to Moroccan bank accounts. Fallback: Remitly or MoneyGram for cash pickup. If your family collects cash at Wafacash or Cash Plus instead of using a bank account, Remitly and MoneyGram usually beat Wise on pickup speed and coverage. Never send an Italian bank wire — a SWIFT bonifico routinely costs 3–5× more than a specialist once FX markups are included (illustrative comparison).
Moroccans abroad sent home a record $12.5 billion in 2024, about 8% of Morocco’s GDP (World Bank World Development Indicators, via IFAD, June 2025) — and Italy is one of the corridors that money travels on, with one of Europe’s largest Moroccan communities sending money home every month. The cheapest way to send it is not a single provider: it depends on how your family collects the money, how much you send, and how fast it must arrive. This guide compares the five realistic options on the total dirhams your family actually receives.
Every figure below is an illustrative figure — fees and rates move daily, and the only number that matters is the live quote for your amount, on your day, to your family’s payout method. Always compare the total dirhams received, never the fee line alone.
→ Free Best Bank Account for Moroccans in Italy — November 2026 Guide
Cost comparison: €500 from Italy to Morocco
| Provider | Fee (illustrative) | Exchange rate | Payout methods | Speed | Dirhams received (illustrative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wise | ~€4–7 | Mid-market | Bank deposit | Same day – 1 day | ~5,380 MAD |
| Remitly | ~€0–4 | Small markup | Cash pickup, bank deposit | Minutes – 1 day | ~5,340 MAD |
| MoneyGram | ~€5–10 | Markup | Cash pickup, bank deposit | Minutes | ~5,280 MAD |
| Western Union | ~€5–12 | Markup | Cash pickup, bank deposit | Minutes | ~5,260 MAD |
| Ria | ~€3–8 | Markup | Cash pickup, bank deposit | Minutes – 1 day | ~5,300 MAD |
| Italian bank wire | ~€20–40 + markup | Large markup | Bank deposit only | 2–5 days | ~5,050 MAD |
Illustrative figures for a €500 transfer at a representative rate; the dirham is managed, so the gap between the official rate and what a provider offers is the margin. Verify the live quote before every transfer — rates and fees move daily.
The pattern is consistent: specialists beat banks by a wide margin, and the gap grows with the amount. On €500 the bank wire costs your family roughly 300 dirhams more than Wise; on €1,000 the gap is roughly double. Cash pickup costs a little more than a bank deposit at the same provider — you pay for the agent network — so use a bank deposit when your family has an account, and cash pickup when they do not.
Disclosure: the links below are affiliate links — opening an account through them may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure for details.
Send it cheaper today
Compare the live quote, then send — the best rate is the one you check today:
→ Best money transfer services in Europe — compared
1. Wise — the cheapest for bank deposits
Wise
Wise is the default pick because it is the only provider on this list that uses the mid-market rate with no markup: the fee is visible, the rate is the real rate, and the dirhams your family receives are the most you can get for your euros on a bank deposit. Delivery goes to Moroccan bank accounts (Attijariwafa, Bank of Africa, CIH and others), usually the same day or the next. The limit is payout: Wise does not offer cash pickup in Morocco, so it only works if your family has a bank account.
→ Free Best Bank Account for Moroccans in Italy — November 2026 Guide
2. Remitly — the cash-pickup fallback
Remitly
Remitly is the fallback when your family collects cash. Its Express service delivers to Wafacash and Cash Plus agents in minutes, and its Economy service is cheaper if you can wait a day — the two-tier pricing is the trick: never pay Express prices for a transfer nobody is waiting for. The rate carries a small markup, so on a bank deposit Wise usually wins; on cash pickup, Remitly usually wins.
→ Cheapest way to send money from Spain to Pakistan — fee comparison
3. MoneyGram, Western Union and Ria — the agent networks
MoneyGram / Western Union / Ria
The three legacy networks win on one thing: reach. Western Union, MoneyGram and Ria have agents in towns where no other provider operates, and they accept cash at an agent in Italy — useful if you are paid in cash or have no Italian bank account yet. They lose on price: the rate markup is the largest of any option here, so a €500 transfer can cost your family 100 dirhams more than Wise. Use them when the pickup point matters more than the price, and compare the three against each other — their rates differ by day.
→ Free Best Bank Account for Algerians in Italy — November 2026 Guide
How to choose: a five-step check before every transfer
- Ask how the money is collected. Bank account, Wafacash, Cash Plus, or a bank branch — the payout method decides the provider shortlist.
- Compare the total dirhams received for your exact amount on the day — not the fee, not the rate, the total.
- Check the speed you actually need. Express prices for a transfer nobody is waiting for are wasted money; Economy is fine for the monthly transfer.
- Keep the receipt and the reference number. Your family needs the code for cash pickup, and Italian banks can query large transfers under anti-money-laundering rules.
- Batch sensibly. One larger monthly transfer usually beats four small ones on fees — but never send more than your family can safely collect at once.
→ Free money transfer cost calculator — compare the true cost of any corridor
Scenario framework: which method fits you?
- Monthly support to a family bank account. Wise — cheapest total dirhams, same-day delivery, set it for payday.
- Urgent cash to a family without a bank account. Remitly Express or MoneyGram to Wafacash or Cash Plus, minutes.
- Large one-off sum (house, wedding, business). Wise bank deposit — the rate advantage grows with the amount — and tell your bank in advance so the transfer is not flagged.
- Paid in cash, no Italian bank account yet. Western Union or Ria at an agent in Italy, cash in, cash out in Morocco.
→ Free Best Bank Account for Tunisians in Italy — November 2026 Guide
How we compared: the methodology
How we compared
Fees and rates checked: provider price lists and live quotes plus November 2026 transfer comparisons. Criteria and weights: total dirhams received (40%), payout coverage in Morocco (25%), speed (15%), ease of use from Italy (10%), reliability and support (10%). Scores are the editorial judgment of the ExpatMoneyEU Research Team — not financial advice. All fee and rate figures are illustrative figures; verify the live quote with the provider before every transfer.
For Morocco, payout coverage weighs cash pickup heavily: most families collect at Wafacash or Cash Plus, so a provider without a dense pickup network cannot score full marks here even if its rate is excellent.
→ Free money transfer cost calculator — compare the true cost of any corridor
What to watch in 2027
Morocco’s remittance market keeps growing — $12.5 billion in 2024, about 8% of GDP — and competition on the corridor is intensifying: watch for new mobile-wallet payouts from the big apps, which could undercut cash pickup on price. The dirham’s managed rate means the margin is always visible: compare the total dirhams received every time, because the cheapest provider changes by month. Italian banks will not get cheaper — the gap between a SWIFT bonifico and a specialist is structural, not temporary.
→ Best money transfer services in Europe — compared
Send money to Morocco cheaper
Compare the live quote, then send — the best rate is the one you check today: