How we built it: Corridor-specific remittance at Careem Pay

When we first started building international money transfers at Careem Pay, we asked a simple question: how do people send money abroad?

Turns out that question has over 30 different answers.

From a parent in the UAE preparing to send their child to university in the UK and budgeting for tuition and rent, to the father in Dubai who sends money weekly to support his parents in Pakistan, each remittance has a unique purpose and pattern. 

So we stopped thinking about remittances as a one-size-fits-all feature. Instead, we started listening more closely to our users; to what they’re sending money for, how they want to send it, and what makes them feel confident along the way. These stories inspire how we build and how we support users through every life moment.  

That’s why we moved away from generic flows and started designing experiences grounded in user stories and refined by corridor-specific infrastructure.

Why user stories shape how we design remittance

Every remittance tells a different story, shaped by urgency, emotion, or habit. And while corridors matter — in terms of inflation, regulation, and partner capabilities — we build with our users at the centre.

Through user interviews and ongoing research, we saw a spectrum of behaviours:

• Some are event-driven senders — reacting to birthdays, rent due dates, or hospital bills.

• Others are routine planners — sending on salary day, topping up investments monthly.

• And many are emotion-led senders, focused on trust and assurance.

It’s not just who you’re building for, it’s what you’re building with

Our ability to deliver a high-quality remittance experience depends as much on infrastructure as it does on design, and both are driven by user needs:

1. Speed — A father sending emergency medical funds doesn’t want “fast”, he wants now. To make that possible, we’re building fallback options; if one partner is slow, we switch to another.
2. Price competitiveness — A budget-conscious worker sending half their salary home deserves the best possible rate. That means having multiple partners per corridor and negotiating hard behind the scenes.
3. Breadth of payout options — A user topping up their mother’s wallet shouldn’t have to ask if it’s supported. So we are building a stellar partner ecosystem that supports direct and aggregated integrations with banks, wallets, and cash pickup.
4. Rate locks — For students planning tuition or users watching FX trends, we offer a “lock now, pay later” feature, backed by trusted commercial relationships.

How we mapped behaviours to build smarter solutions 

Rather than group users by destination alone, we started with their motivations and patterns:

1. The Supporters — high-frequency, value-conscious senders

They send smaller amounts regularly, often to help family with recurring needs.

• Behaviours: Weekly/monthly cadence, sensitive to FX swings, urgent but predictable.
• Corridors they use most: India, Pakistan, Philippines, Egypt

🛠️ What we built for them:

• Rate alerts to track their preferred conversion windows
• Instant transfers with minimal taps

2. The Planners & Investors — episodic, higher-value senders

They send money less frequently, but often in large amounts, to fund education, repay loans, or grow savings.

• Behaviours: Deliberate and schedule-based, focused on timing and reliability.
• Corridors they use most: UK, Europe, Canada

🛠️ What we built for them:

• Higher transfer limits for smoother, larger payments
• Scheduling tools that align with tuition or savings timelines
• Strong partner ecosystems for seamless delivery with trust signals 

Outliers? Absolutely. But the majority align with these archetypes, so we optimise for them while allowing flexibility for the rest.

What we’ve learned

Building for users means constantly evolving how we serve their needs, and it’s never just about the market.

• A mother in the Philippines might check three rates before sending her weekly support.
• A student in Manchester needs a reliable way to plan a tuition payment months in advance.
• A son sending USD to Beirut wants the reassurance of a delivery receipt in a volatile system.

Each case reminded us: we’re not just building features, we’re designing for trust, timing, and care. By anchoring our flows in these moments, we’ve built for real life, not just corridors.

Careem Plus members save more!

Careem Plus members in the UAE save an average of AED 300 every month with unlimited free deliveries, member-only offers on food and grocery orders, credit back on rides, and discounts on dining out, home cleaning, laundry, Careem Bike, and more. 

With our new zero-fee international transfers benefit, Careem Plus members can now save hundreds of dirhams more every month through zero fees and access to member-only FX rates.

Looking ahead

We now support transfers to 30+ countries, each inspired by a unique user story. Every journey has taught us something remarkable, shaping both our roadmap and the future we’re building.

Because when remitting, no two journeys are the same, but every dirham counts.