An international money order is essentially a cheque that is issued by the postal service, bank or another remittance provider, which can be used to send money abroad. International money orders are a safe alternative to cash since the money order can only be cashed by either the sender or payee. The money order is pre-paid at issuance by the sender and then paid out to the beneficiary at another location, with all the details of the recipient and the amount being listed on the money order form.  Popular issuers of international money orders in Canada are: MoneyGram Western Union Bank of Montreal (BOM) Scotiabank CIBC Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)  Canada Post - They partner with MoneyGram to facilitate sending money abroad Just like any other international money transfer service, money orders have their pros and cons.  Advantages of money orders: They are safer than sending cash and even if the money order is lost, it can be re-issued by the issuer  Money is guaranteed since the amount is prepaid by the sender The recipient does not need to have a bank account since the money can be withdrawn in cash Disadvantages of money orders: The process can be slow since the money order often has to be physically sent to the recipient and is therefore reliant on international postal services Money order issuers often use poor exchange rates  There are often limits on the amount of money that can be sent Money orders come with high fees that are paid for by the sender, and also sometimes by the recipient