How to send money to India

Following are the most convenient and secured way of sending money to India.

1. ICICI bank offers Money2India service to help you to send money to India from USA, UK, Singapore, Europe, Canada and from various other countries. To send money they have various options like e-transfer (from – US only), Web based wire transfer, Web-based Cheque Transfer, Direct credit facility to other banks/SEFT. Web based wire transfer is much more efficient and faster than offline wire transfer. E-transfer is also an online mechanism to send money directly from your bank account in USA to your loved ones in India.
2. Western Union Money Transfer is also good to send money to India. WUMT has so many collection offices; you can find it at everywhere. To send money via WUMT, you have to fill-up a form and deposit the money and they will deliver the money to your loved ones in India. Its good reliable and fast as well. But cost is a factor here, so please check all the options you have.
3. Xoom.com is a good option to send money. Money will get encased within four days (Read XOOM). They have several options for you like direct bank deposit or collection from their pick up locations in India. You can send the money online and choose whether you want them to deposit the money in the beneficiary’s bank account (bank account details will be required) or money can be collected from their distribution partners in India (pick up location). They provide you a tracking number to see the status of the transaction and have online live support as well.
4. Remit2India.com provides you one of the fastest and secured ways to send money to India. They have various options like InstantRemit, InstantRemit allows you to send maximum up to $1000, but its will be delivered overnight directly into your recipient's bank account in India. This is the fastest option to send money to India. Check this to know more about them.They have other option called Rupee Express, where you can specify the amount in Indian Rupees and they will show you the dollar amount that is required as per the current exchange rate. But at the moment this service is limited to USA only.
5. Rupee Checking Account from Citi bank, if you open a rupee checking account in citi bank, they will provide you check books that can be used by your family members in India. They provide you ATM/Debit cards, money transfers, Demand drafts and Internet banking.