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The short answer
You can keep sending money to Nigeria after a US bank closes your account by paying cash at a licensed agent such as Western Union or MoneyGram, or by funding a remittance app with a debit card from another account in your own name. Avoid borrowed accounts, split cash deposits and informal agents, and check your ChexSystems report before applying for a new account.
A closure letter from a US bank tends to arrive at the worst moment: school fees due in Lagos, rent for a parent in Enugu, a hospital bill. The good news is that sending money to Nigeria does not depend on any one bank. The care needed is in how you bridge the gap, because some quick fixes create bigger problems than the closure itself.
First, find out what the closure means for you
Closure letters tend to be short and give little reason, and where a Suspicious Activity Report has been filed they are not permitted to say so. What you can find out is whether the closure was reported to a checking-account reporting company. The CFPB names Chex Systems and Early Warning Services and says banks report unpaid negative balances, suspected fraud and bad cheques. If you are later refused an account, the bank's adverse action notice must name the company it relied on.
- Request your free ChexSystems report (one a year from each nationwide company, per the CFPB).
- Dispute anything wrong with both the reporting company and the bank that furnished it; the CFPB has sample letters.
- If the dispute is not resolved, you may add a short statement that must be included in your file.
Our guides to what happens when a US bank closes your account and ChexSystems refusals go into this in more detail.
Ways to keep sending while you open a new account
Cash at an agent
Western Union and MoneyGram both say on their US Nigeria pages that you can pay cash at an agent. That needs no US bank account at all, only ID. Expect to be asked for identification and, for larger amounts, more details: FinCEN's guidance for money services businesses says transfers of $3,000 or more require the provider to verify identity and keep a record.
A debit card from another account you hold
If you have a second account, at a credit union or an online bank, most remittance apps accept a debit card linked to it. Sendwave's page says it takes debit cards only (Visa and Mastercard); Remitly's lists debit and credit cards and bank accounts.
A credit card, with care
Some providers accept credit cards, but Western Union warns that the card issuer may treat the payment as a cash advance with its own fee and interest. That can make a small transfer expensive. Check with your card issuer first.
What not to do
- Do not use a friend's or relative's US account to send your money. It can put their account at risk and breaks most account terms. See the risks of using someone else's account.
- Do not split cash deposits to stay under $10,000. FinCEN's customer notice says structuring, breaking up transactions to avoid a report, is a federal crime in its own right, whatever the source of the money.
- Do not pay an informal "black market" agent to deliver naira. If the money is lost you have no protection, and receiving or sending money for others can stray into unlicensed money transmission.
- Do not open several new accounts at once. Each application may check the same reporting companies, and a cluster of refusals helps no one.
Tidy up the links to the old account
A closed account breaks everything attached to it. Remittance apps that used it as a funding source will fail or reverse payments, and any scheduled transfers to Nigeria will stop. Go through each app, remove the old bank or card and add the new one once it is open. If a provider tries to pull money from the closed account, the debit will fail, so update the funding source before the next payment date.
Watch for the cheque with your remaining balance and deposit it promptly into the new account. Tell family in Nigeria that a scheduled payment may arrive late, so they do not chase it through an informal agent or accept offers from someone claiming to be "from the bank". Impersonation of bank staff is a commonly reported scam on both sides.
Your rights when you send through a provider
Whatever route you choose, a transfer above $15 through a licensed remittance provider gives you federal protections. The CFPB says you get the fee, exchange rate and amount to be delivered before you pay, up to 30 minutes to cancel free of charge (unless the money has been picked up or deposited), and 180 days to report an error. Keep each receipt; the 30-minute window is short, and the receipt is your proof.
Where Pryme fits
A Pryme Personal account can be opened from any country and holds NGN, USD, GBP and EUR in your own name, with local account details for each, so it can sit alongside your new US bank account rather than replace it. You can open an account in the app, and Send shows the rate and the fee before you approve each transfer. Outside Nigeria, Pryme's activities are carried out through regulated partners. Security uses an authenticator app and a transaction PIN, set out on the security page.
Questions people ask
Can I send money to Nigeria without a US bank account?
Yes. Western Union and MoneyGram both say you can pay cash at an agent in the US. You need valid ID, and larger transfers bring more checks.
Will my closed account stop remittance apps from working?
An app needs a working funding source, such as a debit card or bank account. A closed account cannot fund it, but a debit card from another account in your name can.
Can my cousin send it for me from his account?
He can send his own money as a gift, but routing your money through his account puts his account at risk and can look like third-party activity. Use a route in your own name.
How long does a ChexSystems record last?
The CFPB says most negative information on checking-account reports cannot be reported for more than seven years, and some banks ignore information older than five.
Sources
- CFPB: What is a ChexSystems report (reviewed 18 Dec 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
- Western Union US: Send money to Nigeria · accessed Oct 2026
- MoneyGram US: Send money to Nigeria · accessed Oct 2026
- FinCEN: Notice to customers, Currency Transaction Reports · accessed Oct 2026
- CFPB: What is a remittance transfer and what are my rights (reviewed 3 Oct 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
- Sendwave: Send money from the US to Nigeria · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.