Barclays Send Money Abroad: Fees, Rates & Limits (2026)

You can send money abroad with Barclays in the Barclays app or Online Banking with no Barclays fee, to 130+ countries, up to £50,000 a day. The real cost is the exchange rate: Barclays adds a conversion charge of up to 2.75% to its reference rate. Branch and phone payments also cost £25. For anything that needs converting, a specialist like Wise usually gets more money to the other end.

Quick answer: Barclays international payments

Figures from Barclays’ website and personal tariff (checked November 2026).

What Barclays charges

From the Barclays tariff for personal customers (checked November 2026):

The exchange rate is where you pay

If your payment is converted, Barclays uses its Barclays Reference Exchange Rate and applies a conversion charge of no more than 2.75% for Personal and Premier customers. Barclays says the charge reduces for transactions above £25,000. You see the rate and charges before you confirm.

On £1,000, a 2.75% margin is up to £27.50, more than many banks’ flat fees. The fee line says £0, but the transfer isn’t free.

Barclays has also advertised a limited-time reduced FX margin for Premier customers on smaller payments. Check the app if you’re Premier, because terms change.

Who pays the overseas bank fees: SHA, OUR and BEN

Barclays shows you which options are available when you pay:

• SHA (shared): you pay Barclays’ charges; the recipient covers overseas bank charges, so they may receive less.
• OUR: you also pay the fixed overseas bank charge (£4, £6 or £12) upfront, so the payment arrives unreduced.
• BEN: the recipient pays everything.

SEPA euro payments don’t offer the OUR option, and some SEPA countries require shared charges.

Receiving money from abroad

Receiving a SEPA payment or euros from the EEA is free. Barclays’ personal tariff (June 2025) lists other incoming international payments as £0 up to £100 and £6 for £100.01 or more. Overseas banks can deduct their own fees before the money arrives.

How to send money abroad with Barclays

In the Barclays app or Online Banking

1. Get the recipient’s details (see the list below).
2. Log in and start a new payment to a new international payee. You need to be 16 or over with a Barclays current account to use the app.
3. Choose the country and currency, then enter the recipient’s details and the amount.
4. Pick who pays the overseas charges, where you’re offered the choice.
5. Check the exchange rate, any fees and the expected arrival date, which Barclays shows before you send, then confirm.

In branch

Branch international payments cost £25 and must be made at a Barclays branch or banking hub. Bring acceptable photo ID. Some countries can only be paid from a branch, and for a few (for example Bangladesh, Nepal and Ethiopia) you can only send GBP, EUR or USD, not the local currency. Barclays itself says it’s usually cheaper to use the app or Online Banking.

What details you need

• The recipient’s full name as shown on their account, and their address
• Their IBAN (15–33 characters) or account number
• Their bank’s SWIFT/BIC or national clearing code (ABA routing number for the US)
• Their bank’s address
• Extra codes for some countries: IFSC for India, CNAPS for China
• A purpose of payment for many countries. Without it, a payment can be delayed or rejected.

Barclays notes that yen payments may only go to a company, not an individual.

Limits, cut-offs and timing

• Daily limit: up to £50,000 a day in the app or Online Banking. This total includes bill payments, standing orders and future-dated payments set up that day.
• Don’t split to dodge limits. Barclays says its rates are usually better for higher-value transactions, so splitting can cost more.
• Cut-offs (personal tariff): international payments in the app or Online Banking have a 7:50pm cut-off; branch and Telephone Banking 2pm. SEPA online cut-off is 2pm for same-day payment.
• Timing: euros or sterling to the UK/EEA arrive by the end of the next working day after processing. Other currencies to the UK/EEA can take up to 4 working days. Outside the EEA, it depends on the country and currency.

Worked example: £1,000 to euros, Barclays vs Wise vs Revolut

Assumptions (illustrative): mid-market rate €1.20 per £1 (live rate about €1.199 on 5 November 2026). Barclays at its maximum 2.75% conversion charge; your actual margin may be lower, so check the app. Wise fee from a live quote on 5 November 2026.

On these numbers Wise delivers about €28 more. Revolut’s Standard plan includes £1,000 a month of currency exchange, then a 1% fair-usage fee on the excess (checked November 2026). That makes it competitive for a one-off £1,000, less so for larger or regular transfers.

Try your own amount in our transfer cost calculator.

Our pick: Before sending from Barclays, open Wise and compare the amount your recipient gets. If the gap is more than a few pounds, use the cheaper one.

When Barclays is the better choice

• Sending pounds to a sterling account abroad, with no conversion, in the app (no Barclays fee).
• Very large transfers where Barclays’ margin falls below 2.75% (above £25,000). Get quotes from Barclays and a specialist on the same day.
• You need a branch, for a country specialists don’t cover, or because you prefer face-to-face help.
• You want to keep everything with your bank and you’re sending small amounts occasionally.

When to use Wise or Revolut

• Any converted payment of a few hundred pounds or more.
• Regular money home, such as to India, Pakistan or Nigeria, where the margin adds up over a year.
• Euros to Europe: see our guide to sending euros.
• Revolut if you send up to £1,000 a month and like managing money in an app.

Compare the two in Wise vs Revolut, or see all options in the best way to send money abroad.

Bottom line: Barclays’ app is fee-free and easy, but the up-to-2.75% margin makes it pricier than Wise for most converted transfers.