There are no hidden fees when you send money to El Salvador with MAJORITY: a flat $3.00 destination fee per transfer, shown in the app before you confirm.
Quick answer
When people ask about hidden fees on a money transfer, they usually mean two things: surprise charges added at the end, and a marked-up exchange rate buried in the math. With MAJORITY, neither happens on an El Salvador transfer. The cost is a flat $3.00 destination fee per transaction, the same on both bank transfer and cash pickup, and it is shown in the app before you confirm. Because El Salvador uses the US dollar as legal tender, the transfer is dollar to dollar, so there is no exchange-rate margin to hide. The only other cost is the $6.99 monthly membership, which you already know about.
What you need to know
- The cost of sending money to El Salvador is a flat $3.00 destination fee per transaction, the same every time.
- The $3.00 destination fee is identical on both delivery methods, bank transfer and cash pickup, so the method you choose does not change the price.
- The fee is shown in the app before you confirm, so there is nothing added at the end and nothing hidden in the rate.
- El Salvador uses the US dollar as legal tender, so transfers are dollar to dollar and no exchange-rate margin applies on top of the $3.00 fee.
- The $6.99 monthly membership is the only other cost, and the app shows the estimated delivery time before you confirm.
What "no hidden fees" actually means
Hidden fees on a money transfer usually show up in two places. The first is a surprise charge that appears only at the final confirmation screen, after you have already entered the amount. The second is a marked-up exchange rate, where the provider quotes a "no fee" transfer but builds its margin into the rate you receive, so the recipient gets fewer local-currency units than the mid-market rate would give.
MAJORITY handles both of these plainly on the El Salvador route:
- The fee is flat and shown upfront. The destination fee is $3.00 per transaction, the same every time, and it is visible in the app before you confirm. There is no charge that appears only at the end.
- There is no rate to mark up. El Salvador is dollarized, so the transfer is dollar to dollar. There is no US-dollar-to-local-currency conversion, which means there is no exchange-rate spread for a margin to hide inside.
So the full cost of sending money to El Salvador is the $3.00 destination fee per transfer plus the $6.99 monthly membership. That is the whole picture, with nothing held back for the confirmation screen.
Why the flat fee is the same every time
A flat fee is easier to plan around than a percentage or a sliding charge. On the El Salvador route, the $3.00 destination fee does not move with the amount you send or the delivery method you pick.
- Same fee regardless of amount. Whether you send a small amount or a larger one, the destination fee stays at $3.00 per transaction. A percentage-based fee would grow with the amount; this one does not.
- Same fee on both delivery methods. Bank transfer and cash pickup both carry the same $3.00 destination fee, so you can choose the method that is most convenient for your recipient without it changing the cost.
Because the figure is fixed, you can do the math before you open the app. One transfer costs $3.00. Two transfers in a month cost $6.00. Add the $6.99 membership, and you have your total for the month.
El Salvador delivery methods compared
You have supported ways to deliver money to a recipient in El Salvador. The table below summarizes what your recipient needs for each, the typical speed, and the destination fee per transfer.
| Delivery method | What your recipient needs | Typical speed | Destination fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer to a Salvadoran bank | An account at Banco Agrícola, Banco Promerica, Davivienda El Salvador, Banco Cuscatlán, Banco de América Central, Banco Hipotecario de El Salvador, Banco de Fomento Agropecuario, Banco Atlántida El Salvador, or Banco Azul de El Salvador | Most transfers are instant; some bank transfers across providers can take 30 minutes to a few business days | Flat $3.00 per transaction |
| Cash pickup | A government-issued ID at a participating partner location, including Banco Agrícola, Banco Promerica, Davivienda El Salvador, Fedecrédito, and Fedecaces branches | Same day at participating locations | Flat $3.00 per transaction |
The right delivery method depends on what your recipient can use most easily, and the destination fee is the same flat $3.00 either way. A relative with a Banco Cuscatlán account will usually prefer a direct bank transfer. A relative outside a city center may find a Fedecrédito or Fedecaces branch closer than a bank, in which case cash pickup is the better option.
How the cost adds up
A common question is how the $6.99 monthly membership and the flat $3.00 destination fee combine across a month of sends. The answer depends on how often you send to El Salvador.
- One transfer a month. If you send once a month, the total is $6.99 for the membership plus $3.00 for that single destination fee. Compare that against a pay-per-transfer provider's fee for the same amount and delivery method.
- Two to four transfers a month. The membership stays flat at $6.99 no matter how many times you send, and each transfer adds a flat $3.00 destination fee. Two sends are $6.00 in destination fees, three are $9.00, and so on, on top of the one membership.
- Higher-frequency senders. If you send weekly or more, the membership effectively flattens your fixed cost relative to a per-transfer provider, while each send still carries the same predictable $3.00 destination fee.
Run the math against your own monthly send count. Add the $6.99 membership, the $3.00 destination fee on each send, and any receive-side handling, then compare the total against a pay-per-transfer provider's total for the same set of sends.
A few clarifications worth keeping in mind
"No hidden fees" describes how the cost is shown, not a claim that the transfer is free. A few points worth keeping in mind:
- The $6.99 monthly membership applies regardless. It covers your access along with other included services, and it is a real cost to factor into your total.
- The flat $3.00 destination fee applies on every El Salvador transfer, on both bank transfer and cash pickup. It is disclosed in the app before you confirm, not added at the end.
- Receive-side handling can occasionally apply if your recipient's bank or pickup partner has its own handling step. On the El Salvador route this is usually small or zero, but it is worth confirming with your recipient.
- Promotional or limited-time language is not used here. The cost described is the standard member tier, not a first-transfer promo.
The transparency is the point: the cost is the membership plus the disclosed flat $3.00 destination fee, the delivery method determines the convenience, and the exact amount and estimated delivery time are visible in the app before you confirm.
What you pay when you send on WhatsApp
MAJORITY does not charge anything for the use of WhatsApp itself. There is no per-message charge, no charge for opening a chat with MAJORITY, and nothing withheld from what your recipient collects because a chat was involved. Every charge on the transfer is a MAJORITY charge, and each one is named on the review screen before you confirm.
With a membership at $6.99 per month, you pay a $0 MAJORITY transfer fee and the $3.00 El Salvador destination fee on each transfer. Without a membership, sending on WhatsApp is $1.99 per transfer, and the same $3.00 destination fee still applies. That $3.00 is charged once per transfer on this destination and does not stack with the cash-pickup fee, so a cash-pickup send carries it once rather than twice. El Salvador is dollarized, so the payout is dollar to dollar and there is no exchange-rate margin sitting behind the total.
The list is short enough to check yourself. Count the transfer fee, count the destination fee, count the membership if you hold one, and there is nothing else to find. The app shows the destination fee and the estimated delivery time before you confirm. Current pricing is on the MAJORITY El Salvador page.
What to do next
- Decide which delivery method works best for your recipient (a Salvadoran bank account at one of the named banks or cash pickup at a Fedecrédito or Fedecaces branch).
- Confirm with your recipient that the chosen method is convenient on their side (a nearby branch or an active account at one of the supported banks).
- Open the app, enter the USD amount, and review the flat $3.00 destination fee and estimated delivery time before you confirm.
- If you are comparing to a pay-per-transfer provider, total your typical monthly send count against the $6.99 membership plus the $3.00 destination fee per send to see which model is lower-cost at your volume.
How MAJORITY can help
MAJORITY is a financial membership for migrants in the US, and El Salvador is one of the more than 30 destinations supported. With a MAJORITY membership, you can send to Salvadoran bank accounts at Banco Agrícola, Banco Promerica, Davivienda El Salvador, Banco Cuscatlán, Banco de América Central, Banco Hipotecario de El Salvador, Banco de Fomento Agropecuario, Banco Atlántida El Salvador, and Banco Azul de El Salvador, or send for cash pickup at Banco Agrícola, Banco Promerica, Davivienda El Salvador, Fedecrédito, and Fedecaces. Mobile wallet delivery is not currently available for El Salvador. The membership is $6.99 per month, and the destination fee for El Salvador is a flat $3.00 per transaction on both bank transfer and cash pickup.
To learn more or get started:
Frequently asked questions
Are there hidden fees when you send money to El Salvador with MAJORITY?
No. The cost is a flat $3.00 destination fee per transaction, the same on both bank transfer and cash pickup, and it is shown in the app before you confirm. Because El Salvador is dollar to dollar, there is also no exchange-rate margin to hide, and the only other cost is the $6.99 monthly membership.
How much is the fee to send money to El Salvador?
The destination fee is a flat $3.00 per transaction, the same every time and the same on both delivery methods. The exact figure is shown in the app before you confirm, on top of the $6.99 monthly membership.
Does the fee change with the amount or the delivery method?
No. The $3.00 destination fee is flat. It does not grow with the amount you send, and it is the same whether you use bank transfer or cash pickup, so you can pick the method that is most convenient for your recipient without it changing the price.
Why is there no exchange-rate margin on an El Salvador transfer?
El Salvador adopted the US dollar as legal tender in 2001 and added Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021. Because the dollar is the local currency, there is no US-dollar-to-local-currency conversion on a transfer from the US, so there is no exchange-rate spread where a margin could be hidden.
How long does a money transfer to El Salvador take?
The app shows the estimated delivery time for El Salvador transfers before you confirm. Across providers in general, bank transfers can take from 30 minutes to a few business days, and cash pickup is usually available the same day at participating locations.
Do I need a US Social Security number to open an account and send money to El Salvador?
No. The account can be opened with an international government-issued ID such as a passport, driver's license, or matrícula consular, without a US Social Security number. Once your account is open, you can send money to El Salvador on the supported delivery methods.
Disclosures
The MAJORITY app facilitates banking services through Axiom Bank, N.A. ("Axiom"), Member FDIC. The funds deposited in the account held at Axiom, Member FDIC, are FDIC-insured on a pass-through basis up to $250,000 per depositor in the event Axiom fails and subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. Non-deposit products or services such as money transfers and telecom services are not FDIC-insured.
MAJORITY Visa® Debit Card is issued by Axiom Bank, N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.