HSBC Zing closure: 8 alternatives to Zing in 2025

HSBC has announced that it is closing down its new international transfers app Zing, a year after it launched.

Zing was a fintech which was part of the HSBC Group. The app offered a multi-currency account, including EUR details so that customers could receive direct SEPA payments in euros. It also offered global money transfers in multiple currencies for competitive fees and exchange rates.

If you used Zing or were considering it, this guide is for you. We’ve put together a handy list of Zing alternatives, including the likes of Wise, Revolut, MoneyGram, Remitly and many more.

This should make it easy to pick the right app for your global money transfers.

Discover the Wise account 🌍

What happened to Zing?

Zing launched in January 2024 as HSBC’s international money app.

According to a statement, HSBC made the decision to close Zing due to changes in their strategic business priorities. The closure is said to be part of the banking group’s “simplification strategy” announced late in 2024.¹

The underlying technology used to power Zing will be incorporated in HSBC bank.¹

Can I still use Zing if I already have an account?

Zing is no longer accepting applications for new accounts, but it will continue to operate as normal until 2nd April 2025.²

If you have an account, it will be officially closed on 22nd May 2025. Zing recommends transferring funds to another account or closing your account yourself before this date.²

Zing alternatives in the UK

Zing may have ceased operating in the UK (or will soon) but the good news is that there are plenty of alternatives available.

Here’s a quick look at some of the best apps like Zing in the UK, through which you can send and receive international transfers:

Zing alternative	Fees	Transfer speed	Card available?	App features
Wise	From 0.33%* with all fees upfront and transparent	Up to 2 days, with some instant (within 20 seconds)	Yes ✅	FX and international transfers Live FX rates and alerts Fund with Google Pay/Apple Pay Tracking Manage repeat transfers Alerts for preferred rates
Xoom	Varies	From minutes to a few days³	No ⛔	Tracking Notifications Access to PayPal wallet
MoneyGram	Varies	1 hour to next day⁴	No ⛔	Check live exchange rates Manage repeat transfers Tracking
WorldRemit	Varies	Usually within minutes⁵	No ⛔	Rate alerts Repeat payments feature
Western Union	Varies	Within minutes to 7 days6	No ⛔	Check live rates Alerts for preferred rates Tracking Fast repeat transfers
Remitly	Varies	Varies	No ⛔	Tracking Notifications
Revolut	Varies	Up to 5 days9	Yes ✅	Money management tools Card controls FX and international transfers Cryptocurrency
Skrill	0% to 2.99%7	1-3 days8	Yes ✅	Payment links Digital wallet Cryptocurrency

Wise

If you need a low cost, fast and easy way to send international payments, the Wise app may be right for you.

An independent research team found that Wise is on average 4x cheaper to send £250 abroad than several banks and payment apps¹⁶. Wise payments often arrive instantly - with payment arriving within 20 seconds. You can hold 40+ currencies in your account, get local account details for 8+ countries and send money worldwide.

Payments always use the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees starting from 0.33%*.

The Wise app is available on App Store and Google Play. It offers additional features such as tracking, live exchange rates and alerts, and the option to fund payments with Google Pay/Apple Pay.

Another great feature is the international debit card. Open a Wise account and you can get a Wise card to spend and make withdrawals in 150+ countries with no foreign transaction fees*.

Xoom

PayPal company Xoom specialises in international transfers, letting you send money in multiple currencies to 160+ countries worldwide.¹⁰ Using the app, you can also track transfers and get instant notifications when the status of your payment changes.

Fees for transfers vary depending on the destination, payment and collection method. But as an example, sending £200 to a friend in the United States costs £1.99 for a bank deposit, and £6.99 for cash pickup.¹¹

Transfers typically arrive within minutes, but can take up to a few days.³

MoneyGram

Another international transfer specialist, the US-based MoneyGram offers easy online and in-app payments to more than 200 countries worldwide.⁴

In the app, you can set up and track transfers, convert currency, manage repeat transfers and check live exchange rates.

Fees vary depending on the destination, as well as the payment and delivery methods. There’s a handy estimator tool though, so you can see the estimated fee and exchange rate before you send.

Many transfers arrive within an hour, but could arrive the next working day.⁴

WorldRemit

The WorldRemit app is designed for international transfers, letting you send to 150 countries from the UK.⁵

You can choose from cash pickup, bank transfer, airtime top up and mobile money (where available).

Fees vary depending on where you’re sending, as well as the payment and delivery method. You might also want to keep an eye out for new customer offers, as WorldRemit often has free transfers available when you sign up for the first time.

WorldRemit transfers are pretty fast, with most arriving within minutes (although some can take longer).⁵

App features include exchange rate alerts, plus a time-saving service for managing repeat payments.

Western Union

One of the big names in international money transfer, Western Union offers an app for sending transfers to 200 countries worldwide.¹²

With its app for Android or iOS, you can track transfers, check live exchange rates and manage repeat payments.

Fees vary depending on destination, payment and delivery time, but there’s an estimator tool so you can see the charges and exchange rates in advance.

The time it takes for payments to arrive depends on where it’s going and the method you’ve chosen for the recipient to get their money.

For example, with WU’s Money in Minutes service, the recipient can collect their cash within minutes of the payment being processed. But direct-to-bank deposits can take up to 7 working days to arrive.⁶

Remitly

The Remitly app offers international payments, letting you send to 170+ countries in 100+ currencies.¹³

You can also switch on notifications if you want to be kept updated on the status of your payments.

As for fees and transfer times, it varies depending on the amount, currency, destination and payment/delivery methods.

So, you’ll need to enter the details in the Remitly app to see estimated fees and exchange rates, as well as a delivery date.

Revolut

Revolut is a UK fintech offering accounts, cards, international transfers and a wide range of other financial services.

In its app, you can send money in 70+ currencies to 160+ countries.¹⁴

Fees for transfers vary depending on the specifics of the transfer and any limits/discounts which apply to your plan. There are also plan fees of £3.99 to £45 per month to consider - although Revolut also has a free plan available.¹⁵

International payments can take up to 5 days to arrive.⁹

Skrill

Skrill is a UK-based app owned by global payments platform Paysafe Limited.

It’s a digital wallet which lets you shop online, send money overseas and exchange currency.

There’s also the option to invest in cryptocurrency with the Skrill app, if this is something you’re interested in. And there’s a prepaid Mastercard available.

Skrill’s fees for international transfers vary depending on the payment method. It’s free to send money by bank transfer, but fees of up to 2.99% will apply for other payment methods. There’s also a mark-up on the exchange rate of up to 4.99% for international transfers.⁷

Payments with Skrill usually arrive within 1-3 working days.⁸

---

Sources used:

1. Financial Times - HSBC shuts payments app Zing a year after launch
2. Zing - Zing “We are saying goodbye”
3. Xoom Help - Xoom transfer times
4. MoneyGram FAQs - MoneyGram website
5. WorldRemit - WorldRemit website
6. Western Union - Western Union transfer times
7. Skrill - Skrill fees
8. Skrill - Transfer money with Skrill
9. Revolut - Revolut timeframes for transfers
10. Xoom - Xoom website
11. Xoom - Sending money to the United States with Xoom
12. Western Union - Western Union website
13. Remitly - Remitly website
14. Revolut - Revolut international transfers
15. Revolut - Revolut pricing plans
16. Wise - Independent pricing comparison research on sending money abroad

Sources last checked on date: 27-Jan-2025