As any of our Serbian customers will be aware, as the weather gets colder and the days get darker, Serbia moves into Slava season.
We take a look at what this unique tradition is, and the best ways to send money to Serbia to help friends and loved ones celebrate in this not-so-normal year.
What is Slava?
Celebrated only in Serbia, Slava honours patron saints like no other festival and is seen by many as second most important national holiday. While many countries collectively observe patron saint days, Serbian families each celebrate their own patron saint — passed down from generation to generation — on the day that is important to them.
The majority of these days, though, fall between November and January.
Families celebrate Slava together, and usually serve a feast of traditional dishes on the day. As well as a feast, the most important parts of the festival are the icon of the patron-saint, (slavski kolač), “žito” (boiled wheat) and wine.
send money to Serbia, to make sure they’re able to make the most of their holiday?
How can I send money to Serbia with Small World?
Small World offers three ways to transfer money to Serbia.
- Anywhere pick-up
- Bank deposit
- Cash pick-up
While all have their benefits, the two that offer the most flexibility over Slava season are definitely anywhere pick-up and bank deposit.
Send money to Serbia with bank deposit
Bank deposit is a quick, easy and secure way of putting digital money straight into your loved one’s bank account. It’s great as it means you can make online or card payments efficiently, and is useful for helping your recipient pay bills and other standing orders.
Transfer money to Serbia with anywhere pick-up
Anywhere pick-up is just as quick, easy and secure as transferring money to a Serbian bank account but even more flexible. It differs in that the money can be picked up in cash — particularly useful when on the move and travelling to more remote parts of the country, but also helpful if your recipient is wanting to give gifts as cash, or split costs with family members.
Importantly, your beneficiary can pick up cash from any of the UniTransfer branches and sub-agents across Serbia without a bank account. So, if you are sending money to someone who doesn’t have a bank account, anywhere pick-up is the best option.
Unlike traditional cash pick-up, where you are asked to specify your recipient’s pickup location, Small World and UniTransfer provide a personal customer service experience with anywhere pick-up. When you choose the “Anywhere pick-up” option (whether using the Small World app, the website or an agent) a unique PIN will be generated for security, and your recipient will be contacted by phone to ask where they would like to collect their money from. You will receive an SMS when the transaction is complete. If you are a new Small World customer, your first transfer is also fee-free.
Is my recipient’s area covered by anywhere pickup?
For those wanting to send extra money to Serbia for Slava using our Anywhere pick-up service, the important thing to know is the size of the network.
Our current network of branches, agents and sub-agents stretches from Sombor to Vranje and it is always growing. Our network currently covers 38 areas of the country and we are aiming to cover 40 cities, increasing the number of locations available for anywhere pick-up to 115.
If you send money to Serbia regularly, here are just some of the locations available: Kraljevo, Aleksinac, Surdulica, Bojnik, Beograd, Guča, Inđija, Kragujevac, Zemun and Čačak.
A recent article on the Small World blog answers 5 of the most important questions people have when sending money to Serbia.
And for more information on Anywhere pick up specifically, see our recent blog post. [insert link once live]
The most popular ways to send money to Serbia
- Cash pick-up
- Bank Deposit
- Anywhere pickup
And don’t forget, your first online transfer is fee-FREE
Our main partner in Serbia is: UniTransfer
