Both offer multi-currency accounts, business cards and competitive FX and transfer fees – all with a broad global reach.
But which one is right for your business?
While both WorldFirst and Airwallex offer similar capabilities, there are subtle differences – from fees and exchange rates to transfer speed, global coverage, integrations, security, and support.
WorldFirst vs Airwallex at a glance
| Category | WorldFirst | Airwallex |
| Account fees | No setup or monthly fees | Tiered plans: Free (with £10k monthly activity), £19, £49, or £999 |
| International transfer fees | £4 | £10–£20 via SWIFT |
| FX markup | Capped at 0.5% for major currencies, 0.67% (minor) – new customers for 2026 can access a 0.3% rate for up to 180 days of unlimited transfers | 0.5% (major), 1% (others) |
| Receiving fees | Free | Free |
| Transfer speed | Around 90% arrive the same day; instant between WorldFirst accounts | 90% within one day |
| Supported currencies | 100+ | 64 |
| Local account details | 20+ major + offshore options | 20+ via Global Accounts |
| Cards | Up to 20 free virtual cards, zero FX on 15 currencies, and up to 1.2% cashback | Virtual & physical cards, limits by plan |
| Global reach | Send to 210+ countries; collect from 130+ marketplaces | Local to 120+; SWIFT to 200+ |
| FX risk management | Forwards (up to 2 years), target rates, alerts | FX alerts and API automation |
| Integrations | Xero, NetSuite, flexible API | Xero, NetSuite, Amazon, extensive API |
| Security & regulation | FCA regulated, 60+ licences, 2FA, encryption | FCA regulated, AI fraud tools, 2FA |
| Customer support | Multi-lingual support across 30+ global offices via phone, webchat & email | Email support; account manager on top plan |
| Funding | Revenue-based funding (UK only) | None offered |
Costs, exchange rates & fees
Monthly account fees
WorldFirst does not charge any setup or monthly account fees. Instead, it charges for domestic and international payments, as well as for currency conversion. They also offer World Card for free, which gives up to 1.2% uncapped cashback on every eligible business spend.
Airwallex operates on a tiered subscription model. Its entry-level plan is free if you maintain or deposit a minimum of £10,000 per month. Otherwise, it’s £19 per month. The Grow plan, which has a more generous company card allowance and advanced approval functions, is £49 per month. The Accelerate plan is suitable for large businesses and costs £999 per month.
Transfer fees
With WorldFirst, any local transfers you make in GBP, EUR or USD are charged at £0.30, while international transfers cost £4.00.
With the Airwallex Business Account, you can make free local transfers to over 120 countries and pay out to 200+.
Currency conversion
WorldFirst charges 0.5% for major currencies and 0.67% for minor ones. New customers who join in 2026 can enjoy a 0.3% rate for up to 180 days of unlimited transfers.
Airwallex charges 0.5% above the interbank rate for major currencies and 1% for all other currencies.
Receiving fees
Neither WorldFirst nor Airwallex charges you for receiving funds in your local currency account.
Speed of transfers
Typical settlement times
WorldFirst claims that around 90% of transfers arrive on the same day that they’re sent. Airwallex claims that 90% of transfers arrive within a day. Transfers between World Accounts are free and instant, no matter where you are.
Supported transfer routes
Both WorldFirst and Airwallex use local payment rails (such as SEPA, ACH and Faster Payments) for international transfers, as well as the SWIFT network where those are not available.
Cut-off times and real-time payment options
For same-day payments, your funds must arrive with WorldFirst by 1pm for EUR, and 2pm for GBP and USD. The platform supports free and instant peer-to-peer transfer between World Accounts.
Airwallex cut off times depend on the amount and currency.
Multi-currency accounts and cards
Supported currencies
WorldFirst currently supports international transfers in 100+ currencies.
Airwallex currently supports international transfers in 64 currencies.
Local account details
WorldFirst offers local currency account details in 20+ major currencies and offshore accounts in AED, CHF, SEK and PLN.
Airwallex offers Global Accounts to collect and hold in 20+ currencies.
Cards
WorldFirst’s virtual World Card offers zero FX fees on 15 major currencies and allows you to make international payments in 150 currencies. You can have up to 20 cards at no additional cost. It also offers up to 1.2% uncapped cashback on every eligible business spend.
Airwallex offers free virtual and physical company and employee cards. You can have up to 10 company cards on the Explore account and 50 on the Grow account. 5 employee spend users are free, and each additional user is £5 per month.
Global coverage
Available countries and regions
With WorldFirst, you can transfer to 210 countries and territories. You can also collect payments from 130+ global marketplaces and payment gateways.
Airwallex offers free local transfers to over 120 countries, and SWIFT transfers to 200+ countries at £10-£20 per transfer, with sender pays all (OUR) and shared (SHA) payment instruction options available.
Platform and user experience
Web and mobile app functionality
Both WorldFirst and Airwallex offer web and mobile access with login protected by advanced security protocols such as one-time passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA). Both also allow you to add additional users and set roles and permissions.
On WorldFirst’s platform, you can manage your account, receive instant payment and rate alerts, check your currency balances, and get instant custom support from UK agents via chat or phone.
Integrations and APIs
WorldFirst integrates with Xero, helping you to reconcile transactions in 20+ currencies and sync transactions automatically. It also integrates with NetSuite, which streamlines financial management and automates data entry. WorldFirst’s API provides easy, flexible integration, allowing you to offer your clients direct access to global currency accounts and payments from your existing platform.
Airwallex integrates with accounting, productivity and ecommerce platforms, including Xero, Netsuite and Amazon. With accounting integrations, you can create embedded payment links, create bank feeds for automatic reconciliation, and streamline your expense management. With Airwallex’s API and development tools, you can build global payment and checkout experiences tailored to your requirements.
Business features
Mass payments and batch transfers
With WorldFirst, you can make up to 200 international business payments at once by uploading an Excel file that contains details for each payment.
Airwallex allows you to pay up to 1,000 recipients in one go by creating a batch transfer file within the platform.
FX risk management
WorldFirst offers forward contracts, where you can lock in today’s exchange rate for two years to protect against currency volatility. You can also choose a target exchange rate and instruct the platform to execute your trade automatically when the rate is reached. WorldFirst constantly monitors rates so you don’t have to, and sends you live alerts so you can act fast.
Airwallex sends you FX rate alerts and offers automated FX transactions and transfers via API.
Payment approvals and user roles
WorldFirst offers five predefined user roles, including viewer, creator, admin, and authoriser L1 and L2. You can also create custom roles with bespoke permissions. Creators, admins and authorisers can view and authorise pending approvals under the approvals tab in the WorldFirst dashboard.
Airwallex offers customisable workflows and multi-step approvals for employee expenses, reimbursements, bills and card requests. There are seven default user roles available, including owner, admin, bookkeeper, developer and more.
Security and regulation
Licensing and oversight
WorldFirst has over 60 regulatory licences globally and partners with leading banks, ensuring it is effectively authorised in each market and complies with local rules to safeguard your funds. In the UK, it is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as an Electronic Money Institution under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011.
Airwallex is also regulated by the FCA in the UK.
Account security and fraud prevention
WorldFirst employs 2FA for verification, 256-bit encryption to protect your funds during transfer and 3D Secure to keep online card payments safe.
Airwallex’s AI-powered real-time fraud protection scans and blocks suspicious transactions and can be customised to your needs. It also uses network tokenisation, encryption and 2FA.
Customer support
WorldFirst’s local UK customer support team is available Monday to Friday, 8.30 am to 5.30 pm, over the phone, live chat and email. They also have teams in 30+ global offices.
Airwallex offers help articles, FAQs, and email support on all plans. Dedicated account managers and onboarding support are only available on the £999 per month Accelerate Plan.
Summary of pros and cons
Both WorldFirst and Airwallex are strong choices for businesses looking to transfer money overseas, but they stand out in different ways.
Airwallex is a good option if you prioritise free local transfers, expense workflows, and advanced integrations, particularly if you’re comfortable operating within a subscription model.
WorldFirst, on the other hand, is ideal if you’re looking for simple, transparent pricing with no monthly fees, broader currency and country coverage, and hands-on FX tools like forward contracts and target rates. Add in responsive UK-based support and generous access to free virtual cards with cashback for you and your employees, and it’s easy to see why it’s a particularly compelling option for any business that wants to keep costs predictable.
For many businesses, especially those managing multiple currencies without wanting to commit to monthly subscriptions, WorldFirst is the most flexible and cost-efficient platform for global growth.
