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Wire Transfer Fees: What Banks Charge
Banks typically charge for outgoing and incoming wire transfers. Fees range from $0 to more than $50.
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A wire transfer is an electronic method for moving money from one bank account to another. Both domestic and international wire transfers are available, though not all financial institutions offer them. Domestic wire transfers can be completed within the same day, while international wire transfers can take several business days or much longer.
Sending wire transfers can be an expensive way to move money from one bank account to another, with typical outgoing fees of $25 per transfer within the United States. But if you’re sending a lot of money or need a transfer to happen quickly, it may be a good option.
How much does a wire transfer cost?
Wire transfer fees generally range from $0 to about $50. The median wire transfer fee for the institutions we surveyed is $15 for incoming domestic wire transfers, $25 for outgoing domestic wire transfers, $15 for incoming international wire transfers and $45 for outgoing international wire transfers.
Many banks charge fees both for sending wire transfers (outgoing) and receiving them (incoming). Not all financial institutions offer wire transfers.
4.00%Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of 10/09/2025. APY may change at any time before or after the account is opened. Available only online.
5.00%Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of June 17th, 2025. Start earning 2.50% APY, then qualify to earn 5.00% APY on your balance up to $5,000.00 and 2.50% APY on balances over $5,000 next month by 1) Receiving direct deposit(s) totaling $1,000 or more; and 2) Ending the month with a positive balance in all your Varo Accounts. No fees, no minimums required. Rates subject to change at any time.
3.50%Annual Percentage Yield (APY) may change at any time and fees may reduce earnings. Please visit etrade.com/ratesheet for more information.
Min. balance for APY
$0
These cash accounts combine services and features similar to checking, savings and/or investment accounts in one product. Cash management accounts are typically offered by non-bank financial institutions.
These cash accounts combine services and features similar to checking, savings and/or investment accounts in one product. Cash management accounts are typically offered by non-bank financial institutions.
Up to 4.15%The Base Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is 3.50%, from program banks, is as of 11/07/25, is variable and is subject to change. If you are eligible for the overall boosted rate of 4.15% offered in connection with this promo, your boosted rate is also subject to change if the base rate decreases during the three-month promotional period. This limited-time promo offers eligible new Wealthfront clients a 0.65% APY increase over the standard base APY for 3 months on up to $150k in their Cash Accounts. Cash Account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC, and is not a bank. Base APY (is representative, subject to change, requires no minimum) is paid from our Program Banks.
3.90%Cash Reserve offered by Betterment LLC and requires a Betterment Securities brokerage account. Betterment is not a bank. Learn More (https://www.betterment.com/cash-portfolio). Annual percentage yield (variable) is 3.25% as of 12/12/25, plus a 0.65% boost (“APY Boost”) for new clients with a qualifying deposit. $10 min deposit for base APY. Terms apply (betterment.com/boost); if the base APY changes, the Boosted APY will change. FDIC insurance provided by Program Banks (https://www.betterment.com/cash-portfolio), subject to certain conditions.
Min. balance for APY
$0
CDs (certificates of deposit) are a type of savings account with a fixed rate and term, and usually have higher interest rates than regular savings accounts.
CDs (certificates of deposit) are a type of savings account with a fixed rate and term, and usually have higher interest rates than regular savings accounts.
4.10%All Bread Savings APYs are accurate as of 12/04/2025. APYs are subject to change at any time without notice. Offers apply to personal accounts only. Fees may reduce earnings. To open a CD, a minimum of $1,500 is required and must be deposited in a single transaction. A penalty will be imposed for early withdrawals on CDs. At maturity, your CD will automatically renew and earn the base interest rate in effect at that time. Rates are compared against competitor rates published by NerdWallet.com and the institutions themselves as of 12/04/2025. NerdWallet.com obtains the data from the various banks that it tracks and its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
4.10%Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is subject to change at any time without notice. Offer applies to personal non-IRA accounts only. Fees may reduce earnings. For CD accounts, a penalty may be imposed for early withdrawals. After maturity, if your CD rolls over, you will earn the offered rate of interest in effect at that time. Visit synchrony.com/banking for current rates, terms and account requirements. Member FDIC.
Term
9 months
Checking accounts are used for day-to-day cash deposits and withdrawals.
Checking accounts are used for day-to-day cash deposits and withdrawals.
2.00%Annual Percentage Yield (APY). APY may change at any time and fees may reduce earnings. Please visit etrade.com/ratesheet for more information. The $15 monthly account fee can be waived when you maintain an average monthly balance of at least $5,000 in the account on or after the end of the second calendar month from opening the account.
Monthly fee
$15
Money market accounts pay rates similar to savings accounts and have some checking features.
Money market accounts pay rates similar to savings accounts and have some checking features.
This list only includes fees charged directly by banks and credit unions on their standard accounts (some premium accounts offer free wire transfers). If intermediary banks or a teller help you process a wire transfer, you may be charged an additional. International transfers also usually cost more than domestic wire transfers.
Here are the wire transfer fees for a few banks. You'll find more banks and their fees in the tables below.
Ally Bank Wire Transfer Fees
Incoming domestic: $0*.
Outgoing domestic: $20.
Incoming international: $0*.
Outgoing international: Not available.
Bank of America Wire Transfer Fees
Incoming domestic: $15.
Outgoing domestic: $30.
Incoming international: $15.
Outgoing international: $0 if sent in foreign currency; $45 if sent in U.S. dollars.
Chase Wire Transfer Fees
Incoming domestic: $15 ($0 if coming from Chase).
Outgoing domestic: $25 online; $35 in a branch.
Incoming international: $15 ($0 if coming from Chase).
Outgoing international: $5 if sent in foreign currency (or $0 for transfers of $5,000 or more); $40 if sent online in U.S. dollars (or $50, with banker assistance, in either foreign currency or U.S. dollars).
Wells Fargo Wire Transfer Fees
Incoming domestic: $15.
Outgoing domestic: $25; $40 in a branch.
Incoming international: $15.
Outgoing international: $0 if sent online in foreign currency; $25 if sent online in U.S. dollars; $40 in a branch for either U.S. dollars or foreign currency.
Note that Wells Fargo also offers a remittance transfer service called ExpressSend, which mainly works with Latin American and Asian countries. Only certain foreign banks participate.
Incoming/outgoing domestic wire transfer fees
Incoming/outgoing international wire transfer fees
*The boosted 4.15% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is offered on up to $250,000 in deposits for the first 6 months when you open a Cash Account offered by Atomic Brokerage LLC and deposit funds within 14 days. Balances above $250,000 will earn the standard 3.50% APY. After the 6 month introductory period, all balances will earn the standard 3.5% APY. The 4.15% boosted introductory APY is available through NerdWallet’s promotional program. APYs are accurate as of 11/05/2025 and are subject to change without notice.
+ Click to compare fees at over 20 more national and online banks and credit unions
Incoming/outgoing domestic wire transfer fees
Incoming/outgoing international wire transfer fees
*At some banks, an intermediary bank may be used to facilitate the transfer, and that institution may charge a fee.
Frequently asked questions
How can I avoid a wire transfer fee?
You can avoid a wire transfer fee on domestic transfers by using free payment services such as Zelle or Venmo to send money from an account at one bank to an account at another bank. See banks that use Zelle.
Which banks offer free wire transfers?
Some financial institutions offer free wire transfers depending on your account type. Fidelity, for example, offers free incoming and outgoing domestic and international wire transfers in U.S. dollars.
Why do banks charge for wire transfers?
Some banks charge a fee for the work required to receive incoming wire transfers or process outgoing wire transfers. And when banks convert money for consumers, they charge a higher markup, a percentage of the amount being sent. You might also pay a higher fee if you require assistance from a teller.
If your bank doesn’t convert your money for an international money transfer, then generally, a foreign bank will do it and charge a markup. The best way to avoid high markups when transferring money is to consider using a nonbank option.
Some financial institutions offer free wire transfers depending on your account type. Fidelity, for example, offers free incoming and outgoing domestic and international wire transfers in U.S. dollars.
Why do banks charge for wire transfers?
Some banks charge a fee for the work required to receive incoming wire transfers or process outgoing wire transfers. And when banks convert money for consumers, they charge a higher markup, a percentage of the amount being sent. You might also pay a higher fee if you require assistance from a teller.
If your bank doesn’t convert your money for an international money transfer, then generally, a foreign bank will do it and charge a markup. The best way to avoid high markups when transferring money is to consider using a nonbank option.
Domestic vs. international wire transfer fees
Domestic wire transfers tend to be cheaper and faster, since they can be completed through one payment system, such as that provided by the Federal Reserve. (Learn about the Fed's real-time transfer service: FedNow?)
International bank wire transfers involve more parties, including a U.S. bank, a foreign bank and wire processing systems in both countries.
Additional costs for international wires
Banks charge other banks what’s called a midmarket — or interbank — rate for trading large amounts of foreign currency. But when banks convert money for consumers, they charge a higher markup. That markup is a percentage of the amount being sent. You can see how much more your bank is charging you above the midmarket rate by comparing rates on currency platforms such as Bloomberg or Reuters.
If your bank doesn’t convert your money for an international money transfer, then a foreign bank will do it and usually charge its own markup. The best way to avoid high markups is to consider using a nonbank option. (Compare international money transfer providers.)
Other ways to cut wire-transfer costs
Fees can differ based on how you initiate the wire transfer: Doing it yourself online tends to be the cheapest way. Requesting the transfer at a branch or on the phone can add $10 or more to your fee. The Chase wire transfer fee, for instance, is $35 for domestic wire transfers set up for you by a banker and $25 for the same transfer if you do it yourself online.
Transfers sent in foreign currency can be cheaper: Some banks offer lower fees if you let them convert U.S. dollars into a foreign currency before transferring the funds rather than simply sending U.S. dollars abroad.
Recurring wires can be slightly cheaper: Some financial institutions, like Citizens Bank, let you send a recurring wire transfer for a few dollars less per transfer. To save money on recurring transfers, though, using your bank’s bill pay or other transfer service is a better and cheaper option unless the transfer amount exceeds the maximum allowed by your bank. Wire transfers can handle larger amounts.
Cheaper ways to send money
Bank wire transfers aren't the only way to send money. For transfers within the U.S. to friends and family, consider Venmo or Cash App, and other nonbank providers that charge fewer fees. If you need to send money abroad, look for money transfer service providers that offer better exchange rates, such as Wise, PayPal's Xoom and others listed in our roundup of the best ways to send money internationally. Note that these methods each have limitations to how much you can send.
METHODOLOGY
We looked at nearly 40 financial institutions: the largest U.S. banks based on assets, debit card volume and internet search traffic; the nation’s largest credit unions with broad-based membership requirements; and other notable and/or emerging players in the industry. For calculating medians, financial institutions that don't provide domestic or international outgoing wire transfers were excluded from the relevant fee category. If there were two or more fees for a certain type of wire transfer, we chose the price that would apply to standard checking accounts. In the case of international wire transfers with different fees based on currency conversion or processing, we averaged each bank's fees first.
Details on how data for the chart was gathered: These are standard fees for one-time wire transfers based on each financial institution’s disclosures and policies. If there are multiple ways to perform a wire transfer, the price of the cheapest way, which is usually through online banking, is shown. If a bank asked for a ZIP code, we used the ZIP code for the bank's headquarters and compared with ZIP codes in different states to check for variations.
