Transfer Money

Find the best money transfer deal using our live rate checker above. Once you've found the best deal, follow the link to the broker's website where you'll be asked to create an account. Follow the instructions to set up your account and begin your transfer.

Once you've set up an account on the broker's website you'll need to transfer money into it. You can usually do this by bank transfer or credit or debit card. When you make a transfer, the broker will convert your funds into the currency you want to transfer, then send them to the recipient's bank account so the recipient receives the full amount in their local currency. You'll be able to see the exchange rate and any fees before you make the transfer so you know exactly how much will be received by the recipient and how much it will cost you.

Yes, specialist money transfer brokers are typically around 5% cheaper than high street banks which means you could save £50 for every £1000 that you transfer.

To see why, we need to look at the costs involved in making a money transfer. There are usually two costs:

• Transfer fees
• Exchange rates

Transfer fees are fixed or percentage-based fees that are charged by the money transfer broker for using their service. Not all brokers charge a transfer fee, and some brokers charge different fees depending on how you pay. For example, many high street banks do not charge a transfer fee if you make the transfer using online banking on via their app, but if you make the transfer in a branch or over the phone you will be charged a fixed transfer fee of around £25.

In addition there's also the exchange rate. This is the rate that's used by the broker to convert your funds from one currency to the other, and it usually has a much bigger impact on the final amount being received.

To determine your exchange rate, most brokers will take the interbank rate (which is the rate that banks use to trade currencies with each other) and subtract a percentage from it. The more a broker subtracts from the interbank rate, the lower the exchange rate you'll receive and the more profit the broker will make. Hight street banks are notorious for shaving 5% or more off interbank rate at your expense, but you won't know this until the last minute because they don't publish their rates online (they will give you a 'live quote' just before you make the transfer).

So how can a specialist money transfer broker save you money? Simply by cutting down on the transfer fees and / or offering better exchange rates. In fact, many money transfer brokers are now offering the actual interbank exchange rate on money transfers and just charging a small transfer fee instead which could save you a huge amount of money, especially on larger transfers. But don't just take our word for it - use our live rate checker above to compare the deals on offer and see how much you could save.

Simple transfers between the UK and Europe normally clear within a few hours. For other currencies the vast majority of transfers are completed within 1-3 working days. When you make a transfer the broker will estimate the length of time it will take for your funds to arrive before you confirm your order, and in some cases you can pay an extra fee to speed the transfer up.

The biggest factors affecting the speed of a money transfer are the country the funds are being sent to, and the recipient's bank. Money transfers to some countries are subject to stricter identity and anti-money laundering checks which can delay the process by a day or two. Also, some banks process payments in batches once or twice per day which means if you funds arrive in the recipient's bank after the payments have been processed, the recipient will have to wait until the bank processes the next batch of payments for the funds to clear which may not be until the next working day.

If you pay by bank transfer there are no limits on the amount of money you can send with a money transfer. However, if you pay by card there may be transactional or daily spending limits that restrict the amount you can transfer at any one time. You can usually get around these restrictions by spitting the transfer up into smaller chunks or by making multiple transfers over more than one day.

Depending on how much money you're transferring and where you're transferring it to / from, you may be asked to verify your identity. Sometimes your identity can be verified automatically when you pay (for example by matching your personal details with those held by your bank), but other times you may be asked for some additional documents like a scan of your passport or driving licence and a recent utility bill.

You're more likely to be asked for extra identity documents if you are making a transfer over £10,000 (or equivalent), or if you're transferring funds to or from a country that is considered to be at high risk for money laundering.

It's important to make sure you're transferring money in your own name and from your own bank account or card. If the details you provide don't match the information held by your bank or card issuer your transfer may be rejected or you may have to provide extra documents to prove your identity.

Yes, you can receive funds as well as send funds with a money transfer.

Once you've created an account with your chosen broker you'll be given your own unique bank details for the country you want to receive money from, so for example if you want to receive euros you'll be given a European IBAN number, or for US dollars you'll be given a US account and routing number. You can give these bank details to the person you want to receive money from so they can make a payment to you in their local currency as though you were both in the same country. The funds they send to you will be converted into British pounds and forwarded directly into your UK bank account.