International Payments

Why choose Contribanking to send money abroad?

We've made it quick and easy for you to make international payments and send money abroad:

Making international payments:

Available 24/7 via online banking

Send up to $50,000 or currency equivalent in a matter of minutes. We've also made it easy for you to set up future dated and recurring payments.

Simple fees

Send money online for just $4. There's no payment fee if you transfer to another Contribanking account.

Exchange rate certainty

With live rates updated by the second during market hours we'll provide you with our most up to date foreign exchange rate available, providing you with the certainty and visibility of how much you're sending.

Safe and secure

Using your own bank means you'll have peace of mind knowing that your transaction is secure. Last year we helped our customers make over 1.3 million payments to over 150 different countries.

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International Payments

Find out how to make a payment online

How to make an international payment

Make a payment online

Log on to online banking and:

1. Select the account from where you want to make the payment and select 'Move Money'
2. Enter payment details
3. Follow the on-screen instructions
4. Review and confirm your payment

Log on to make a payment

Make a payment by phone or in branch

Make a payment by phone

Contribanking Premier customers:

All other customers: *

†Our lines are open 24 hours a day for Contribanking Premier and Advance customers. *Our lines are open from 8am to 10pm every day (excluding Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day)

Make a payment in branch

When making an international payment in one of our branches, please bring the following with you:

Photographic identification
Beneficiary details
Payment details

Find a branch

Textphone numbers

Receiving money from abroad

Things you need to know before receiving a payment

The overseas Contribanking sending the payment to you will need to know the following information about the account you wish to be credited – Providing this information will help to ensure that the payment happens as quickly as possible.

1. Your personal details
2. SWIFT Code
3. IBAN (International Bank Account Number) or account number
4. BIC (Business Identifier Code)

It’s possible for you to receive payments into your account from abroad in either foreign currency or Sterling.

If a payment is received in a different currency to what your account is held in, we'll convert it using the most up to date Contribanking Exchange Rate available before crediting it to your account.

Additional information

We'll make your international payment using the details you provide to us, so it's really important you check they are correct to avoid any unnecessary delays and / or charges.

Before you make an international payment it's important that you have the following details to hand about your beneficiary and payment:

Your account details: for the Bank Account you wish to be debited
Beneficiary's full name and address
Beneficiary's bank code: You should obtain this code, normally the Business Identifier Code (BIC), from your beneficiary. For some countries you may need the national bank code rather than the BIC.
IBAN (International Bank Account number) or account number: The IBAN is a series of alphanumeric characters that helps to identify accounts held anywhere in the world. Some beneficiaries may hold just an account number depending on their bank.
Country of their bank: Your beneficiaries' account holding bank may not always be the same as their home country
Amount of the payment
Any reference: Any reference you would like to be included to be sent to the beneficiary, however we cannot guarantee this information will be passed to your beneficiary by their bank
Reason for making the payment: It is important to provide us with this information if we ask for it

Online: up to $50,000 (or currency equivalent)
Branch: unlimited
Telephone: unlimited for Premier, and up to $10,000 (or currency equivalent) for Non-Premier

Payments to accounts in the EEA in euro and sterling will normally be credited the next working day*. All other payments will normally take up to four working days* (but may take longer depending on the country the money is being sent to).

* subject to currency cut-off time and further checks, as from time to time we may need to conduct additional security checks to validate the payment.

Currently this option is only available online when logged into Online Banking.

The exchange rate applied to your instruction will be the Contribanking Exchange Rate applicable at the time your payment is made. This is a live rate which is updated by the second during market hours. We will notify you each time you make a payment from your account and where a currency exchange has been involved, we will confirm the Contribanking Exchange Rate that has been applied.

For future dated payments, the exchange rate will be applied on the day that the payment is made.

You can check the actual exchange rate used for the payment by viewing 'Historic payments' within 'Manage payments'.

We will also write to you to advise of the exchange rate applied to the payment where applicable.

If you've asked us to make a payment immediately you will be unable to cancel it.

You can cancel a future dated or recurring international payment set up online by selecting 'Manage payments - future payments' in Send Money Overseas via online banking. We will need to have received your request to cancel by 23.59 (UK Time) on the day before the payment is due to be made.