International payments

Sending money overseas is a piece of cake with fuss-free international transfers.

Send money to friends, family and businesses overseas using the first direct App.

Our fees explained

Open all

Sending money outside the UK

Below are the details around the fees and charges for sending money outside the UK:

Payment to an HSBC account anywhere in the world - No fee.
Euro payment within the EEA (European Economic Area) - No fee.
Euro payment outside EEA - £5 fee.
Non-euro payment within the UK - £5 fee.
Non-euro payment outside of the UK - £5 fee.

Payments made within the EEA may incur intermediary and agency bank charges. For euro payments in the EEA, banks are required to process them on a shared-cost basis. This means you can't cover these charges for the payee and any charge applied will be deducted from the amount that arrives.

When making a payment outside the EEA, you might also need to pay intermediary and agency bank charges. However, you can:

pay all the fees yourself
share the fees with the recipient
ask the recipient to pay the fees.

If you choose to pay all the fees or share the fees with the recipient, the payment fee will apply alongside any intermediary, agency and beneficiary bank charges.

Any fees to be paid by the payee will be deducted from the payment amount before arriving with the recipient where applicable.

Receiving money from outside the UK

Below are the fees you may be charged to receive money from friends, family or businesses from outside the UK:

receiving money in euro from within the EEA (European Economic Area). - No fee.
receiving money in euro from outside of the EEA - £5 fee.
receiving money in a foreign currency excluding euro - £5 fee.
foreign currency payments and sterling payments from outside the UK - £5 fee.

When receiving money from someone within the EEA, you will only pay the receiving fee.

But, if you are receiving money from outside the EEA, the sender can choose to:

pay all the fees
share the fees with you
ask you to pay all the fees.

If the sender asks you to pay all the fees or share the fees with them, the receiving fee will apply alongside any intermediary, agency and beneficiary bank charges.

Useful documents - T&Cs

FAQs

Open all

What will I need to send money outside the UK?

the payee’s full name and address.
the payee’s account number / IBAN (International Bank Account Number).
the payee’s SWIFT / BIC code (Business Identifier Code) if applicable.
the payee bank address.
sometimes you’ll also need to add a payment reference and/or the reason for payment.

As part of our ongoing protection against fraud, one of our team may give you a call to confirm your payment.

How do I receive money from outside the UK?

To receive a payment from overseas, you will need:

your personal details
your SWIFT or BIC (Business Identifier Code)
your account number or IBAN (International Bank Account Number).

Your SWIFT/BIC or IBAN is unique to you and helps ensure a payment is made to the right person. You can find yours on your bank statements. If you need your SWIFT please chat with us in our App - go to 'Help' and select 'Chat now'. Or in Online Banking, select 'Message us’.

For more information on your IBAN and BIC, please visit our dedicated BIC and IBAN FAQ page.

If money is received in a different currency to sterling, we'll convert it using the most up-to-date exchange rates before crediting it to your account.

How much money can I send outside the UK?

How long will it take to send money outside the UK?

International payments will normally be received by the next working day for accounts in the EEA (European Economic Area). For countries outside of the EEA, this normally takes up to 4 working days but can sometimes be longer.

Sometimes payments outside the UK will be subject to further fraud checks and currency cut off times. Please take this into account when making a time-sensitive payment.

Can I change or cancel a payment?

If you make a payment immediately, unfortunately you can’t change or cancel it. But, to change or cancel future-dated or recurring payments, you have until 23.59 (UK time) on the working day before the payment is due.

You can do this by calling us on 03 456 100 100.

How can I check the first direct exchange rate applied?

For immediate payments you'll be shown the exchange rate before you make the payment, which you can choose to accept or reject.

For future-dated or recurring payments, you can check the actual exchange rate applied after the payment is made. If you have any questions please chat with us in our App - go to 'Help' and select 'Chat now'. Or in Online Banking, select 'Message us’.

The foreign currency markets are closed from 22:00 Friday until midnight Sunday. The first direct exchange rate shown outside of market hours includes an additional premium to guarantee the current rate. You can wait for the foreign currency markets to reopen for a live exchange rate, but this may be higher or lower than the rate provided.

How do I manage my international payees?

After selecting your account, click 'Payments' and 'View and delete a saved payee', followed by 'International payees' – which you can find at the top of the screen.

If you'd like to delete a payee, choose one from your list and select 'Delete payee', then follow the instructions.

This will cancel any future dated or recurring payments to them.

We can't cancel any payments we've already started processing.

To set up recurring and future dated payments, please give us a call on 03 456 100 100.