Sending money from the United States to Mexico: the payments stack
Sending USD 200 from the United States to Mexico cost 4.54% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 46 services in the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide survey. Payouts in Mexico typically run over SPEI (Sistema de Pagos Electronicos Interbancarios); between now and the end of 2027 there are 10 weekdays when banks in the United States are closed but Mexico keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 4.54% of USD 200 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 4.23% across 41 services |
| Banks | 7.04% across 5 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 Mexico | SPEI (Sistema de Pagos Electronicos Interbancarios) |
| Corridor playbook | USD to MXN: funding and prefunding |
What it costs to send USD 200
The World Bank surveyed 46 services sending from the United States to Mexico from 4 August 2025 to 28 August 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 4.54% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 4.23% and banks 7.04%. 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: Mexico
| Payout partner | What it does in Mexico | Source |
|---|---|---|
| dLocal · our guide | Supports payouts in Mexico in MXN via bank transfers and cards. | source |
| EBANX | Pays out in Mexico by SPEI (published SLA under 2 minutes), Mercado Pago (under 2 minutes) and bank transfer (up to 3 days). | source |
| Nium · our guide | Pays MXN to bank accounts at all banks in Mexico, listed as instant with real-time, 24x7 availability; beneficiary banks ask for supporting documents above amount thresholds. | source |
| Thunes · our guide | Lists Mexico in its Direct Global Network for payouts to bank accounts, cards, mobile wallets and cash pickup. | source |
| Bitso Business · our guide | Runs mass payouts in Latin America from a single balance, with liquidity from USDC or USDT into MXN and direct local delivery over SPEI through Nvio Pagos Mexico. | source |
| OXXO | Pays out money transfers sent from the United States in more than 24,000 stores in Mexico, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day of the year. | source |
Licensing, local banks, stablecoin ramps, FX and KYC in Mexico: launching payments in Mexico.
Payout rails in Mexico
| Rail | Operator | What matters for payouts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPEI (Sistema de Pagos Electronicos Interbancarios) | Banco de Mexico | Real-time settlement system operated by Banco de Mexico since 13 August 2004 for peso transfers between accounts at different institutions, running 24/7. Participants follow Circular 14/2017, and each transfer produces an electronic payment receipt (CEP). | 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 Mexico is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them. On the 9 dates when Mexico is closed, instant rails may still pay out.
| Date | United States | Mexico | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2 Nov 2026 | Open | Dia de Muertos | Mexico banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 11 Nov 2026 | Veterans Day | Open | Prefund Mexico the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 16 Nov 2026 | Open | Revolution Day (observed, third Monday of November) | Mexico banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 26 Nov 2026 | Thanksgiving Day | Open | Prefund Mexico 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 Mexico the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 1 Feb 2027 | Open | Constitution Day (observed, first Monday of February) | Mexico banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 15 Feb 2027 | Washington's Birthday (Presidents Day) | Open | Prefund Mexico the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 15 Mar 2027 | Open | Benito Juarez's Birthday (observed, third Monday of March) | Mexico banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 25 Mar 2027 | Open | Holy Thursday | Mexico banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Open | Good Friday | Mexico banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 31 May 2027 | Memorial Day | Open | Prefund Mexico the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 5 Jul 2027 | Independence Day (observed) | Open | Prefund Mexico the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 6 Sep 2027 | Labor Day | Open | Prefund Mexico the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Thu 16 Sep 2027 | Open | Independence Day | Mexico banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 11 Oct 2027 | Columbus Day | Open | Prefund Mexico the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Tue 2 Nov 2027 | Open | Dia de Muertos | Mexico banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 11 Nov 2027 | Veterans Day | Open | Prefund Mexico the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 15 Nov 2027 | Open | Revolution Day (observed, third Monday of November) | Mexico banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 25 Nov 2027 | Thanksgiving Day | Open | Prefund Mexico the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
Full calendars: United States and Mexico. 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
- SPEI runs 24/7, while the CNBV sets the days banks and fintech institutions must close: in 2026 these include 2 November, the third Monday of November (16 November), 12 and 25 December, and every Saturday and Sunday. source
- Banxico sets the FIX only on bank business days, from quotes for trades settling two bank business days later, and the rate used each day to convert dollar obligations payable in Mexico is the one published in the Diario Oficial on the previous bank business day. source
- Some Mexican FX providers quote outside market hours: Banco Base lets clients agree FX trades outside traditional banking hours, including on non-business days. 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 Mexico and any stablecoin in between. It warns before the Mexico 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 Mexico?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending USD 200 at 4.54% in Q3 2025, across 46 services. Money transfer operators averaged 4.23%.
Which rails pay out in Mexico?
Local payouts run over SPEI (Sistema de Pagos Electronicos Interbancarios).
When do I need to prefund Mexico payouts ahead of holidays?
Between now and December 2027 there are 10 weekdays when the United States is closed and Mexico 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
- Disposiciones de caracter general que senalan los dias del ano 2026 en que las entidades financieras deberan cerrar sus puertas (DOF 10 Dec 2025, copy hosted by ABM) · Comision Nacional Bancaria y de Valores (CNBV) via Diario Oficial de la Federacion; hosted by Asociacion de Bancos de Mexico
- DOF note: 2026 bank closure days (SIDOF record) · Secretaria de Gobernacion, SIDOF
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.