For a few months in 2026, Venmo did something it had never done before: it let you send money straight from the Venmo app to friends and family who only have a PayPal account, in more than 90 countries — with no international transaction fee. That promotional window ended on August 24, 2026. Starting August 25, the fee that was being waived is back in force.
If you sent a birthday gift to a cousin in the Philippines or split a hotel with a friend in Spain during the summer, you may have paid very little. Do the same transfer today and the receipt looks different. Here’s exactly what changed, what you pay now, and how to keep the cost down.
What actually ended on August 24, 2026
Venmo launched cross-border sending to PayPal users earlier in 2026, letting U.S. Venmo users pay hundreds of millions of PayPal accounts in 90+ countries using 25 supported currencies. Your recipient doesn’t need Venmo at all — just a PayPal account in an eligible country.
To get people using it, Venmo waived its international transaction fee through August 24, 2026. Important nuance that trips a lot of people up: even during that window, sending abroad was never truly “free.” A currency conversion fee still applied whenever your dollars were converted into another currency. What ended on the 24th was the waiver of the separate percentage-based transaction fee — not the conversion cost, which was always there.
The fees you pay now
There are two separate charges to understand. They stack on top of each other.
| Fee | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| International transaction fee | 5.00% (minimum $0.99, maximum $4.99) | Every international send funded by your Venmo balance, bank account, or debit card |
| Credit card surcharge | +3.00% on top | Only if you fund the payment with a credit card |
| Currency conversion fee (spread) | Up to 4.00%, baked into the exchange rate | Whenever dollars are converted to another currency |
Two things are worth flagging. First, the transaction fee is capped at $4.99, so it hits its maximum at around a $100 transfer and stays flat above that — larger sends are proportionally cheaper on this fee. Second, the 4% currency conversion is a spread, meaning it’s built into the exchange rate you’re shown rather than listed as a line item. Venmo displays the rate and all fees before you tap send, so you can see the real cost up front.
Worked examples: before vs. now
Say you fund each of these with your bank account or debit card (no credit card surcharge), and a currency conversion applies.
Sending $20
- Transaction fee: 5% of $20 = $1.00
- Currency conversion (~4%): roughly $0.80 baked into the rate
- Total cost now: about $1.80 | During the free window: about $0.80
Sending $100
- Transaction fee: 5% of $100 = $5.00, capped at $4.99
- Currency conversion (~4%): roughly $4.00
- Total cost now: about $8.99 | During the free window: about $4.00
Sending $500
- Transaction fee: 5% would be $25, but the cap holds it to $4.99
- Currency conversion (~4%): roughly $20.00
- Total cost now: about $24.99 | During the free window: about $20.00
The pattern: the transaction fee is what came back, and it stings most on mid-sized transfers around $100. The conversion spread — the bigger cost on large transfers — was there the whole time.
How to keep the cost down
- Never fund with a credit card. That adds a flat 3% and, with many card issuers, a cash-advance charge too. Use your Venmo balance, a linked bank account, or a debit card.
- Send fewer, larger transfers. Because the transaction fee caps at $4.99, one $300 send costs far less in fees than three $100 sends.
- Check whether a conversion is even happening. Sending to a recipient who receives in U.S. dollars can avoid the conversion spread entirely. Read the summary screen before confirming.
- Compare a dedicated remittance service for big amounts. For a large one-time transfer, services built for cross-border payments sometimes beat a combined ~9% all-in cost. For quick person-to-person sends, Venmo’s convenience often wins.
- Read the pre-send screen every time. Venmo shows the exchange rate and all fees before you commit. That preview is your best protection against surprises.
A quick reality check
Venmo’s international feature is genuinely useful — paying a PayPal account anywhere in 90+ countries from an app most Americans already have is a real convenience. But “no international fee” was a limited-time offer, not the permanent price. Now that the waiver has expired, treat every cross-border send as a paid transaction and glance at the fee preview before confirming.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Venmo raise its fees, or did a discount just end?
Technically the latter. The 5% international transaction fee (capped at $4.99) was always on the books — Venmo simply waived it through August 24, 2026 to promote the new feature. As of August 25, it’s being charged again. The currency conversion fee was never waived.
Does my recipient need a Venmo account to get the money?
No. That’s the point of the feature. Your recipient only needs a PayPal account in one of the 90+ eligible countries. You send from Venmo; they receive in PayPal, in their local currency.
Why is there a fee even when Venmo says “no international transaction fee”?
Those older marketing lines referred only to the waived transaction fee. A separate currency conversion fee — a spread of up to 4% built into the exchange rate — applies any time your dollars are converted to another currency. That cost applied during the free window and still applies now.
How can I see the exact cost before I send?
Venmo displays the exchange rate and every fee on the confirmation screen before you tap send. Enter the amount, pick the currency and funding source, and review that summary — the all-in cost, including the conversion spread, is shown up front with no hidden charges.
The bottom line
The free-international honeymoon is over. Sending to a PayPal friend abroad now costs a 5% transaction fee (min $0.99, max $4.99) plus up to a 4% currency conversion spread — roughly $9 on a $100 transfer versus about $4 during the waiver. Avoid credit-card funding, batch larger sends to take advantage of the $4.99 cap, and always check the fee preview before confirming.
WalletWisp is an independent, informational resource and does not provide financial advice. Fees and terms change often — always confirm current rates in the Venmo app before you send.
