You can wire money from a US bank account straight to a Guatemalan bank account. Chase, Bank of America, Citi and Wells Fargo each publish their outgoing international wire fee. In US dollars, the standard online wire fee is $40 at Chase (waived on some account types), $45 at Bank of America, $40 at Citi on a Standard account, and up to $30 at Wells Fargo through Digital Wires. The Guatemalan bank can then take its own cut on arrival (US$8.00 at BAM, $10.00 at Promerica), and your family has to give you a 28-character account number that starts with GT. Zelle is not an option: it only works between US bank accounts.
Quick summary
| Bank | Online wire abroad in US dollars | Online wire abroad in foreign currency | Banker or branch wire | Source date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase | $40 (standard; waived on some account types) | $5, or $0 if $5,000 or more | $50 (dollars or foreign currency) | Fee schedule effective 14 June 2026 |
| Bank of America | $45 | No wire fee (exchange rate markups apply) | Not listed on the wire page | Wire transfer page, read 1 November 2026 |
| Citi | $40 Standard; $35 Citi Priority; waived for Citigold and Citigold Private Client | Waived on every tier | Not listed on the wire page | Online wire page, read 1 November 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Up to $30 (Digital Wires, depends on account type) | No fee for consumer accounts via Digital Wires | $40 | Wires page and FAQ, read 1 November 2026 |
| Receiving bank in Guatemala | BAM US$8.00; Promerica $10.00 | — | — | BAM page; Promerica tariff updated January 2026 |
All figures are each institution’s own published fees as of 1 November 2026. Bank of America and Wells Fargo both state that other banks, including the recipient’s, may charge fees of their own on top.
Your bank’s fee for the wire
Chase. The Additional Banking Services and Fees schedule for personal accounts (effective 14 June 2026) lists four ways to send a wire abroad. Sent online or in the Chase Mobile app in US dollars: $40. Sent online in foreign currency: $5, or $0 when the amount is $5,000 or more. Sent with a banker’s help, in dollars or foreign currency: $50. These are the standard fees: the schedule adds, “These fees may be waived with certain personal checking and savings account types.” Chase Private Client Checking lists incoming or outgoing wire transfers among the fees you don’t pay, and Chase Secure Checking lists outgoing wire transfers under services not available. On foreign-currency wires, Chase says the exchange rate includes a spread and adds: “You should expect that these foreign exchange rates will be less favorable than rates quoted online or in publications”.
Bank of America. Its wire transfer page lists $45 for an international wire in US dollars and, for an international wire in foreign currency, “No wire transfer fee, but exchange rate markups apply”. The page says funds typically arrive in 1 to 5 business days, with a 5 p.m. Eastern cutoff, and that an inbound wire may cost $15.
Citi. The online wire page splits fees by relationship tier. An outgoing online international wire in US dollars costs $40.00 on a Standard account and $35.00 with Citi Priority, and is waived for Citigold and Citigold Private Client. An online international wire in foreign currency is waived on every tier; Citi states that its exchange rate for foreign-currency wires includes a commission for the conversion.
Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo charges up to $30 for digital wires, depending on account type, and $40 for a branch wire. Its wires FAQ adds that “consumer accounts are not charged a fee when a wire is sent in a foreign currency using Wells Fargo Digital Wires”. Two limits matter for Guatemala. First, the Digital Wires country list (last updated May 2023) shows Guatemala with the US dollar as its only supported currency. Second, the wires page states: “You must have a current residence in the United States to send a Digital Wire”. Wells Fargo also warns that “Third parties, including non-U.S. branches of Wells Fargo, or other banks may also apply fees”.
Dollars or quetzales?
When one of these banks converts the money for you, it earns on the exchange rate. That holds even where the wire fee is zero. Chase, Bank of America, Citi and Wells Fargo all say so on the pages cited here. Chase calls it a spread, Bank of America a markup, Citi a commission, and Wells Fargo a markup set at its own discretion.
The Guatemalan account number tells you which currency the account is held in. Under Banco de Guatemala’s standardized-account rules, two digits of the number identify the currency: quetzales, US dollars or euros. If your family holds a dollar account (see opening a USD account in Guatemala from the US), a dollar wire needs no conversion on the US side.
What the Guatemalan bank charges on arrival
The receiving bank can charge its own fee on top of yours. BAM and Banco Promerica publish theirs:
| Guatemalan bank | Fee to credit an incoming international transfer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| BAM | US$8.00 for a transfer in USD; €6.00 for one in EUR | BAM international transfers page, read 1 November 2026 |
| Banco Promerica | $10.00 (Comisión Transferencia Recibida del Exterior) | Promerica tariff, updated January 2026 |
For more Guatemalan banks’ wire tariffs, see the international wire transfers in Guatemala guide.
The account number your family must send you
For money sent from abroad, Banco de Guatemala’s FAQ on the cuenta bancaria estandarizada (standardized bank account, based on the IBAN, under Junta Monetaria resolution JM-95-2011) says that whoever sends a remittance or payment from abroad “deberá de conocer el número de cuenta bancaria estandarizada”, meaning they must know that standardized number. Its structure, per the same FAQ:
| Positions | What it is |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | GT, the country code |
| 3-4 | Two check digits |
| 5-8 | Four letters identifying the bank |
| 9-10 | Two digits for the currency (quetzales, US dollars or euros) |
| 11-12 | Two digits for the product (monetary or savings deposits) |
| 13-28 | The account number, padded with zeros on the left to 16 characters |
That makes 28 characters in total. Banguat runs a converter on its site, and the Guatemala IBAN guide covers the standard in more detail. Wells Fargo’s wires page also says it may ask for an IBAN, depending on the country.
Why not Zelle?
Zelle’s FAQ answers the question directly: to use Zelle, the sender and the recipient must both have US bank accounts. A Guatemalan bank account is outside that network. For what PayPal, Venmo, Wise and other apps can and cannot do here, see US payment apps in Guatemala.
The 1% remittance tax does not reach a bank-funded wire
Internal Revenue Code section 4475 puts a 1 percent tax on remittance transfers made after 31 December 2025. It applies only when the sender pays the provider with cash, a money order, a cashier’s check or a similar physical instrument. Section 4475(d)(1) excludes transfers whose funds are “withdrawn from an account held in or by a financial institution” described in 31 U.S.C. 5312(a)(2) and subject to subchapter II of chapter 53 of title 31, and section 4475(d)(2) excludes transfers funded with a US-issued debit or credit card. The US remittance tax guide covers the details.
Your rights on a personal wire abroad
Bank of America’s page sets out how it handles consumer wires sent abroad for personal, family or household purposes:
- Exact fees up front: it says the law requires it to disclose the exact fees it and its agent banks will charge. When it does not have the exact fees for a request, it says it will not be able to process it.
- Cancellation: a wire can be cancelled within 30 minutes of submission for a full refund, fees included.
- Errors: you must contact the bank within 180 days of the date it said the funds would be available to the recipient.
When a wire is not the right tool
A wire needs a bank account at the other end. If your family collects cash, or the amount is small enough that a $40 to $45 fee is a large share of it, compare bank deposit and cash pickup services before you send.
Sources
- Chase, Deposit Account Agreement: Additional Banking Services and Fees for personal accounts (effective 14 June 2026), chase.com, read 1 November 2026
- Bank of America, Wire transfers, bankofamerica.com, read 1 November 2026
- Citi, Online wire transfer services, citi.com, read 1 November 2026
- Wells Fargo, Digital Wires, wellsfargo.com, read 1 November 2026
- Wells Fargo, Wires FAQs, wellsfargo.com, read 1 November 2026
- Wells Fargo, Digital wire countries and currencies (PDF, last updated May 2023), wellsfargo.com, read 1 November 2026
- Zelle, FAQ, zellepay.com, read 1 November 2026
- Banco de Guatemala, Estandarización de cuentas, banguat.gob.gt, and FAQ on the standardized account (PDF), banguat.gob.gt, read 1 November 2026
- BAM, Transferencias internacionales, bam.com.gt, read 1 November 2026
- Banco Promerica, Tarifa de Operaciones Bancarias, international transfers (updated January 2026), bancopromerica.com.gt, read 1 November 2026
- 26 U.S.C. § 4475, Imposition of tax on remittance transfers (Cornell LII text, with effective-date note), law.cornell.edu, read 1 November 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Chase charge to wire money to Guatemala?
Chase’s fee schedule for personal accounts, effective 14 June 2026, lists standard fees of $40 for an online international wire sent in US dollars, $50 when a banker helps you send it (dollars or foreign currency), and $5 for an online wire in foreign currency, or $0 when that foreign-currency wire is $5,000 or more. Chase also warns that its exchange rates for foreign-currency wires include a spread. The schedule notes that these fees may be waived with certain personal checking and savings account types; Chase Private Client Checking lists no Chase fee for outgoing wires, and Chase Secure Checking does not offer outgoing wires.
Can I use Zelle to send money to Guatemala?
No. Zelle’s own FAQ says both the sender and the recipient must have US bank accounts. A Guatemalan bank account cannot receive a Zelle payment.
What account number does my family in Guatemala need to give me?
Their standardized account number (cuenta bancaria estandarizada), which Banco de Guatemala built on the IBAN standard. It has 28 alphanumeric characters and starts with GT. Banguat’s FAQ says that for remittances or payments from abroad, the sender must know this number.
Does the 1% US remittance tax apply to a wire from my bank account?
Internal Revenue Code section 4475 taxes remittance transfers paid for with cash, a money order, a cashier’s check or a similar physical instrument, and section 4475(d)(1) excludes transfers whose funds are withdrawn from an account at a covered financial institution. It applies to transfers made after 31 December 2025.
Is it cheaper to send the wire in dollars or in foreign currency?
On the published fee schedules, a foreign-currency wire carries a lower wire fee at all four banks: Bank of America, Citi and Wells Fargo (digital, consumer accounts) charge no wire fee, and Chase charges $5 or $0. But each bank states that its exchange rate carries a markup, spread or commission. For Guatemala, the zero-fee Wells Fargo option is not open: its digital-wire country list (last updated May 2023) shows only the US dollar for Guatemala. Ask Chase, Bank of America or Citi whether they send quetzales before counting on the lower fee.
