Sending money from the United States to Jamaica: the payments stack
Sending USD 200 from the United States to Jamaica cost 6.06% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 20 services in the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide survey. Payouts in Jamaica typically run over JamClear-RTGS, ACH; between now and the end of 2027 there are 10 weekdays when banks in the United States are closed but Jamaica keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 6.06% of USD 200 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 6.21% across 19 services |
| Banks | 3.25% across 1 services |
| Collect in United States | FedNow Service, FedNow network limit, RTP network, Fedwire Funds Service, FedACH and Same Day ACH, Same Day ACH limit |
| Pay out in Jamaica | JamClear-RTGS, ACH, JAM-DEX |
What it costs to send USD 200
The World Bank surveyed 20 services sending from the United States to Jamaica from 13 August 2025 to 28 August 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 6.06% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 6.21% and banks 3.25%. source
Bank and operator averages are worked out from the survey's provider types.
The send side: the United States
- With few exceptions, each money services business must register with the US Treasury through FinCEN by filing FinCEN Form 107 within 180 days of being established, and must renew the registration every two years; a business that is an MSB only because it acts as agent of another MSB does not register. source
- Money transmission is also licensed state by state. As of September 2026, 31 states have enacted the CSBS Money Transmission Modernization Act in full or in part, and money transmitters licensed in at least one adopting state account for 99% of reported money transmission activity. source
- The Money Transmission Modernization Act sets a minimum tangible net worth of the greater of US$100,000 or 3% of total assets for the first US$100 million, 2% of assets from US$100 million to US$1 billion and 0.5% of assets above US$1 billion, and encourages states to run licensing, surety bonds and reporting through NMLS. source
Licences, sponsor banks, collections, ramps and KYC providers: sending from the United States.
The payout side: Jamaica
| Payout partner | What it does in Jamaica | Source |
|---|---|---|
| GraceKennedy Money Services | Western Union's partner in Jamaica since 1990; recipients collect cash at GraceKennedy locations or receive Western Union transfers directly into accounts at FGB, BNS, NCB, CIBC, JN, Sagicor, VMBS and JMMB. | source |
| LASCO Money Transfer | Pays remittances from partners including MoneyGram, Ria, Boss Money and Remitly for cash pickup at LASCO Money Stores and LASCO Money Agents island-wide, or onto the LASCO GOLD Visa prepaid card. | source |
| JMMB Money Transfer | Pays remittances from overseas partners including Ria, MoneyGram, Xoom, Remitly, Paysend, Taptap Send and Thunes, for pickup at JMMB Bank branches and agent locations or onto the JMMB Money Transfer Visa prepaid card. | source |
| Lynk (TFOB (2021) Limited) | Mobile wallet where users claim MoneyGram and Western Union remittances, with MoneyGram claims of up to J$100,000 a day. | source |
| Nium · our guide | Pays JMD by local wire to all SWIFT-enabled banks in Jamaica, listed as T2 delivery with a 07:30 UTC processing cut-off. | source |
Licensing, local banks, stablecoin ramps, FX and KYC in Jamaica: launching payments in Jamaica.
Payout rails in Jamaica
| Rail | Operator | What matters for payouts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| JamClear-RTGS | Bank of Jamaica | Real-time gross settlement for large-value (J$1 million and above) and time-critical payments on accounts at the BOJ, with final and irrevocable settlement; participants include deposit-taking institutions, primary dealers and the Accountant General's Department. | source |
| ACH | Automated Payments Limited, operated by JETS Limited | Systemically important retail system, live since October 2002, that clears and settles cheques, direct debits and direct credits on a deferred net settlement basis; Retail Payments Jamaica Limited, chaired by the BOJ, oversees it. | source |
| JAM-DEX | Bank of Jamaica | Central bank digital currency held in wallets issued by banks, building societies, merchant banks or authorised payment service providers, paid by QR code or wallet ID. | source |
Holiday gaps to plan for, to December 2027
Weekdays when one side of the corridor is closed. On the 10 dates when the United States is closed and Jamaica is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them. On the 8 dates when Jamaica is closed, instant rails may still pay out.
| Date | United States | Jamaica | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 11 Nov 2026 | Veterans Day | Open | Prefund Jamaica the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Thu 26 Nov 2026 | Thanksgiving Day | Open | Prefund Jamaica the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | Christmas Day | Both closed |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | New Year's Day | Both closed |
| Mon 18 Jan 2027 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Open | Prefund Jamaica the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Wed 10 Feb 2027 | Open | Ash Wednesday | Jamaica banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 15 Feb 2027 | Washington's Birthday (Presidents Day) | Open | Prefund Jamaica the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Open | Good Friday | Jamaica banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 29 Mar 2027 | Open | Easter Monday | Jamaica banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 24 May 2027 | Open | National Labour Day (observed) | Jamaica banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 31 May 2027 | Memorial Day | Open | Prefund Jamaica the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 5 Jul 2027 | Independence Day (observed) | Open | Prefund Jamaica the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 2 Aug 2027 | Open | Emancipation Day (observed) | Jamaica banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 6 Aug 2027 | Open | Independence Day | Jamaica banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 6 Sep 2027 | Labor Day | Open | Prefund Jamaica the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 11 Oct 2027 | Columbus Day | Open | Prefund Jamaica the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 18 Oct 2027 | Open | National Heroes' Day | Jamaica banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 11 Nov 2027 | Veterans Day | Open | Prefund Jamaica the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Thu 25 Nov 2027 | Thanksgiving Day | Open | Prefund Jamaica the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 27 Dec 2027 | Open | Boxing Day holiday (by ministerial appointment) | Jamaica banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
Full calendars: United States and Jamaica. Size the buffer with the corridor runway calculator.
Funding the corridor
- Fedwire does not run on Saturdays, Sundays or Federal Reserve holidays; the Monday business day opens at 9:00 p.m. ET on Sunday and every business day closes at 7:00 p.m. ET, with customer transfers cut off at 6:45 p.m. ET. source
- Federal Reserve holidays in the rest of 2026 are Veterans Day (11 November), Thanksgiving (26 November) and Christmas (Friday 25 December); in 2027, Juneteenth (19 June) and Christmas (25 December) fall on Saturdays, so the Reserve Banks open on the Friday before. source
- Primary agents must hold foreign currency settlement accounts for netting with their overseas providers, and they can convert only where it is incidental to the business, such as paying the JMD equivalent of an inbound remittance. source
- Customer RTGS transfers at Scotiabank Jamaica run from 08:00 to 14:30 on business days; transfers after the cut-off, at weekends and on public holidays are processed the next business day. source
- The BOJ's B-FXITT sale of US$40 million on Friday 16 October 2026 took bids until 09:45, settled on Tuesday 20 October, limited each entity to 20% of the offer, and capped resale to end-users at a J$0.20 spread over the buy price. source
Running the corridor
Polynopsis shows every balance on both sides of this corridor in one live position: the collection accounts in United States, the payout partners and banks in Jamaica and any stablecoin in between. It warns before the Jamaica balance runs dry, holidays included. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from the United States to Jamaica?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending USD 200 at 6.06% in Q3 2025, across 20 services. Money transfer operators averaged 6.21%.
Which rails pay out in Jamaica?
Local payouts run over JamClear-RTGS, ACH, JAM-DEX.
When do I need to prefund Jamaica payouts ahead of holidays?
Between now and December 2027 there are 10 weekdays when the United States is closed and Jamaica is open, the first on Wed 11 Nov 2026. The payout balance has to cover those days before they start.
Related corridors
Sources
- World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset · World Bank
- Holiday Schedules (Federal Reserve Banks, 2026 to 2030, plus FedACH holiday processing) · Federal Reserve Financial Services
- Fedwire Funds Service and National Settlement Service Operating Hours · Federal Reserve Financial Services
- The Holidays (Public General) Act · Ministry of Justice, Laws of Jamaica
- Observance of National Labour Day 2026 · Jamaica Information Service
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.
About Polynopsis
Polynopsis is liquidity management software for cross-border payment companies. The name joins poly, many, and synopsis, a seeing together: one live view of money spread across many banks, payout partners, exchanges and stablecoin wallets, including money in flight, with a warning before any corridor runs dry.
Why it is called Polynopsis · About Polynopsis · Glossary · Corridor runway calculator