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The short answer
UK credit unions are member-owned co-operatives built around savings and loans, and their trade body's own description of them does not list international payments, so do not assume yours can send to Nigeria. The usual route is to move the money from the credit union to a UK current account or straight into a regulated money transfer app by UK bank transfer, then send from there. Ask your credit union what outgoing payments its account supports before you plan around it.
Many Nigerians in the UK save with a credit union through work, church or their local area. It is a sensible place for a rainy-day pot or a modest loan. The question comes up when that pot needs to go home: a parent's hospital bill in Enugu, a sibling's school fees in Ibadan, a contribution to a building project. Can the credit union send it to Nigeria directly, and if not, what is the cleanest way round?
What a credit union is set up to do
All Together Money, the trade body formerly known as ABCUL (it took the new name in April 2026), describes a credit union as "a financial co-operative which provides savings, loans and a range of services to its members". Its page talks about savings accounts, loans, online and phone access and payroll partnerships with employers. It does not mention international or foreign payments, and it does not mention current accounts.
That matches how most members use them: money goes in by payroll deduction or standing order, sits in savings, and comes out to the member's own bank account. Some credit unions offer more, so the answer for your account is in your own credit union's terms, not in a general rule. What you can rely on is this: a credit union is a deposit-taker, and the FSCS lists credit unions alongside banks and building societies for deposit protection of up to £120,000 per eligible person per firm (FSCS, checked October 2026). That protection is about the money while it sits there, not about any payment you send abroad.
The three routes members actually use
- Withdraw to your own UK current account, then send. The credit union pays your savings out to your bank. From the bank you either make an international payment (SWIFT) or fund a money transfer app. This adds a step and some waiting, but every stage is in your name and easy to evidence.
- Pay a money transfer app directly from the credit union account. This only works if your credit union account has its own sort code and account number and can make outgoing UK payments. If it can, the app sees an ordinary UK bank transfer. Check the app's instructions: some ask you to pay from an account in your own name only.
- Ask the credit union to send it for you. If yours does offer international payments, ask for the fee, the exchange rate it uses and who the payment travels through before you commit. Banks that send by SWIFT to Nigeria publish a fee plus a margin on the rate; a credit union that offers it should be able to tell you the same.
For most members the first or second route is the one that works. Our guide to sending by SWIFT from a UK bank walks through the bank option, and paying an app by open banking covers the direct bank-transfer route.
Why paying an app by bank transfer suits a credit union saver
Money transfer apps accept several payment methods, and bank transfer usually carries the highest limits. WorldRemit's UK FAQ, for example, caps card and Apple Pay payments at £8,000 per transaction and £50,000 per 24 hours, but allows £100,000 per transaction and per 24 hours by bank account transfer (checked October 2026). Remitly's UK Nigeria page lists "Easy Bank Transfers" for UK senders and says its non-promotional rate applies when you pay that way above the first £250. If the money is sitting in a credit union rather than on a card, a bank transfer is also the natural way to move it.
| Step | What can slow it down | What to have ready |
|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal from the credit union | Notice periods on some savings, or loan conditions that lock part of the balance | Your member number and the UK account it pays out to |
| Bank transfer into the app or account | Your bank's daily limit and fraud checks on a new payee | The app's payment reference, entered exactly |
| Transfer to Nigeria | Provider checks on larger amounts, including where the money came from | The recipient's bank, 10-digit account number and name as the bank holds it |
Source of funds when the money is savings
If you send a larger sum, the provider may ask where it came from. UK firms must assess the purpose and intended nature of a transaction under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, and Western Union says it may ask about source of funds, purpose and relationship regardless of the amount. Credit union savings are easy to explain: a statement showing regular deposits, ideally from payroll, tells the story in one page. Keep the withdrawal confirmation too, so the trail from savings to transfer is unbroken.
What to check first
- Whether your credit union account can make outgoing UK payments at all, and whether it has its own sort code and account number.
- Any notice period or withdrawal rule on the savings you plan to use, and whether a loan affects what you can take out.
- Whether your credit union offers international payments; if so, the fee and the rate it applies.
- Your chosen provider's limits for bank-transfer payments, and its rule on paying from an account in your own name.
- The recipient's details exactly as the Nigerian bank shows them.
Where Pryme fits
A Pryme Personal Account can be opened from the UK and gives you local account details for pounds, so you can move savings in by ordinary bank transfer and keep them in sterling until you choose to convert with Swap. The app shows the rate and the fee before you approve, and you can then send naira to family. In the UK, Pryme's activities are carried out through regulated partners; naira is held by a licensed Nigerian microfinance bank, regulated by the CBN and insured by the NDIC up to the applicable limit.
Questions people ask
Can my credit union send money to Nigeria?
Some may, but the trade body's description of credit unions covers savings and loans, not international payments. Ask yours directly; most members move the money to a bank or app first.
Can I pay Remitly or WorldRemit from a credit union account?
Only if the account can make outgoing UK bank payments. If it can, the app sees an ordinary bank transfer. Check the app's rule on paying from an account in your own name.
Is my money protected while it is in a credit union?
The FSCS covers deposits at credit unions up to £120,000 per eligible person per firm, as at October 2026. That protection does not extend to a transfer firm once the money leaves.
Will I be asked where the money came from?
Possibly, for larger sums. A credit union statement showing regular saving and the withdrawal confirmation usually answers the question.
Sources
- All Together Money (formerly ABCUL): About credit unions (modified 21 Oct 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- FSCS: Check your money is protected · accessed Oct 2026
- WorldRemit: Send money from the United Kingdom (FAQ) · accessed Oct 2026
- Remitly: Send money to Nigeria from the UK · accessed Oct 2026
- legislation.gov.uk: Money Laundering Regulations 2017, regulation 28 · accessed Oct 2026
- Western Union: Verifying your identity in the UK · 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.