Learn how to instruct us to make international payments from your account, plus how to use your debit card, credit card or cash card to buy things or withdraw cash abroad.
International payments
Santander customers can make international payments using:
- Online Banking
- Telephone Banking
What you need to receive an international payment
- Santander's BIC (Bank Identifier Code also known as SWIFT code). It’s ABBYGB2LXXX
- Your IBAN (I....number) is on your statements and in your online banking. If you haven't got this, enter your sort code and account number into Find my IBAN below.
Find my IBAN
To send an international payment
Make sure you have the correct details for the person you're paying. You’ll need the information below.
- Their full name and account number or IBAN.
- Their bank’s BIC (not required for SEPA (single euro payments area) payments).
- Any routing code or other information required by the destination country.
- For Mexican peso payments, the beneficiary’s 18 digit CLABE (Clave Bancaria Estandarizada) account number.
The simplest way to send an international payment is to use Online Banking. You can also call us. See our sections below to learn more.
- Log on to Online Banking.
- Go to the 'Payments and transfers.
- Click 'International payments' in the left-hand menu.
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
If you're sending money to companies overseas, you'll need your registered mobile phone to hand as, for security reasons, we will send you a One Time Passcode. You may also need your IBAN or BIC details depending on the destination of the payment.
If you haven't already, you can sign up for Online Banking
Visit our Telephone Banking page for more details.
Santander customers can make 3 types of international payments:
| Payment | Description | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic transfer (standard) | The fastest method of transferring money, directly to an overseas bank account. For payments in EUR and USD, money can arrive on the same day if sent before our cut-off time. For more information on cut-off times, see the Electronic transfers and electronic European transfers section. Now that the UK has left the European Economic Area (EEA), European banks are allowed to take bank fees out of payments you make to accounts in the EEA. For more details see the Electronic transfers and electronic European transfers section. | £25 |
| Electronic euro transfer (non-urgent: SEPA) | This method of transferring euros takes a little longer and can only be used if the bank you’re sending the money to takes SEPA transfers. Money arrives next working day subject to cut-off times. For more details on cut-off times, see the Electronic transfers and electronic European transfers section. | No fee charged |
| Currency draft (cheque) | We can give you a currency draft (cheque) which you can then give or send to the beneficiary. | £10 |
Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), comprising all the countries of the European Union, the EEA, the UK, the British Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, plus Andorra, French collectives of Mayotte and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland and Vatican City State/Holy See.
The fastest method of transferring money, directly to an overseas bank account. For payments in EUR and USD, funds can arrive on the same day if sent before our cut-off time.
An electronic transfer can be done through Online Banking or Telephone Banking.
| Payment | Available currencies |
|---|---|
| Electronic transfer (urgent) | Australian dollar Canadian dollar Czech koruna Danish krone Euro Hong Kong dollar Hungarian forint Indian rupee Israeli shekel Japanese yen Mexican peso Moroccan dirham New Zealand dollar Norwegian krone Philippine peso Polish zloty Pound sterling Qatari Riyal Romanian Leu Saudi Riyal Singapore dollar South African rand Swedish krona Swiss franc Thai baht Turkish Lira UAE dirham US dollar |
| Electronic euro transfer (non-urgent: SEPA) | Euro only |
Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), comprising all the countries of the European Union, the EEA, the UK, the British Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, plus Andorra, French collectives of Mayotte and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland and Vatican City State/Holy See.
What are the time limits?
There will be different cut-off times depending on the currency of your payment and how you ask for it. The cut-off time is the latest you can submit and authorise your payment for it to be processed on the same day.
Payments aren’t processed on non-working days. This includes weekends, bank holidays, and any non-working days in the beneficiary country.
| Payment type | Cut-off time (contact centre) | Cut-off time (online) | When the money usually arrives at the recipient's bank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sending money within the UK by CHAPs | 1:00pm | 3:00pm | Same working day |
| Sending money outside the UK in pounds | 1:00pm | 3:00pm | Within the EEA – same day Outside the EEA – usually within 4 working days |
| Sending money outside the UK not in pounds, euros or US dollars | 1:00pm | 3:00pm | May take up to 4 working days* |
| Sending money inside or outside the UK in euros** | 11:30am | 11:30am | Within the EEA – same working day Outside the EEA – usually within 4 working days |
| Sending money within the SEPA in euros using non-urgent methods | 1:00pm | 2:30pm | Next working day |
| Sending money inside or outside the UK in US dollars | 1:00pm | 3:00pm | Within the UK/US – same working day Outside the UK/US – usually within 4 working days |
*This will depend on the currency and destination of your payment.
**Please note that a cut off time of 1pm may apply to a small number of banks. Any payments made after this time will arrive the next working day.
Charging options
The charging options available to you will depend on the destination country of your payment:
EEA payments are payments to a country in the European Economic Area*, made in any currency using SWIFT or non-urgent payments in euros using the SEPA scheme.
Now that the UK has left the European Economic Area (EEA), European banks are allowed to take bank fees out of payments you make to accounts in the EEA. So, while we, Santander UK plc, aren't changing our charges when you send or receive payments to or from the EEA, you may find that European banks now apply charges.
Payments you send using SWIFT to an EEA beneficiary may arrive with deductions taken from either the beneficiary’s bank or a correspondent bank. However, deductions can’t be taken from SEPA payments, so you may prefer to send and request payments this way.
It’s also possible that payments you receive from an EEA bank, both in foreign currency (other than SEPA payments) and in GBP, may have deductions taken before the payment reaches Santander in the UK.
For other EEA currencies we offer including Czech koruna, Danish krone, Norwegian krone, Swedish krona, Polish zloty, Hungarian forint and Romanian leu, SWIFT is the only payment method available and these payments may be subject to deductions. Payments in Pound sterling (GBP) to/from EEA countries may also be affected.
If you have any questions or concerns about the charges which could be applied within the EEA, the owner of the account held in the EEA should check with their bank as we can’t see what charges other banks will apply and are unable to advise on this.
International payments - these are payments anywhere in the world outside of the European Economic Area*, made in sterling or any other currency, using SWIFT. For these payments:
- the beneficiary can pay all the charges or
- you can pay the beneficiary’s charges in addition to your own (sender’s) charges. This option will make it more likely (although not guaranteed) that the beneficiary will receive the full amount that you send.
If you want to change the charging option from the default setting (which is that you pay the sender’s charges only), this can be found in the section ‘Expenses paid by’ in Online Banking - alternatively the telephone operator or branch staff can select the correct option for you.
* European Economic Area Countries;
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
For currency drafts (cheques), you need to ask for a draft drawn on the country where it’ll be paid in. We can give you currency drafts for the countries listed below.
Santander can provide currency drafts drawn in the following currencies:
| Country | Currency |
|---|---|
| Canada | Canadian dollar |
| Switzerland | Swiss franc |
| France | Euro |
| Germany | Euro |
| Portugal | Euro |
| United States | US dollar |
Please see our Banking and Savings General Terms & Conditions (266 KB) for more information on foreign currency cheques.
How do I ask for a foreign currency cheque/draft?
You’ll need to get in touch with us and ask for one.
What you need to know
- We’ll charge your account immediately for the equivalent sterling amount using our exchange rate for payments.
- If you’d like to cancel the cheque after we’ve sent it to you, we can do this but there will be a charge. Due to exchange rate fluctuations and different rates for payments into and out of your account, you may get back less than you originally paid.
- If you tell us that a cheque is lost or stolen, we’ll place a stop on it and refund your account, but there will be a charge. It’ll take at least 5 working days for your account to be re-credited. Due to exchange rate fluctuations and different rates for payments into and out of your account, you may get back less than you originally paid.
- If after 6 months the payee hasn’t banked the cheque, we may cancel it. Your account will be re-credited with the sterling amount, based on our exchange rate applicable to payments made into your account on the day we stop the cheque. This means you may get back less than you originally paid.
Paying in a foreign currency cheque/ draft
- Sign the back of the cheque/ draft and include the sort code and account number you want it to be paid into.
- Make a copy of the cheque/ draft for your own records.
- Send the original to: Santander UK, Payments Team, PO BOX 13220, Foreign Cheques, Harlow, Essex CM20 9UF.
For the Terms & Conditions of paying in a foreign currency cheque/ draft please see General Terms & Conditions (pdf) (266 KB)
- Paying a foreign cheque into your account costs £10.
- There are a couple of ways to clear a foreign cheque. We’ll decide which one to use based on the value, currency and country the cheque is drawn on.
Negotiation:
- Payment by negotiation can be used when criteria can be met.
- The funds will normally be made available to you after six working days.
Collection:
- Payment by collection is used if the cheque can’t be paid by negotiation.
- When the cheque is paid, the money will be credited to your account. This is normally between 2-8 weeks, depending on the foreign bank.
- If we pay by collection, we’ll usually have to use the services of another bank (called a correspondent bank) to deal with the cheque for us. Their costs will be taken away from the final amount paid into your account.
- We won’t accept liability for any foreign cheques until they’ve been received by the Santander UK Foreign Cheque Team.
- If we get a foreign cheque but can’t process it, we’ll return the cheque to you with the reason as soon as possible.
- The exchange rate used to convert the cheque from the foreign currency into pounds will be on the date of processing for cheques paid by negotiation. On the day, we’ll get a settlement from the drawing bank for cheques paid by collection.
- A £5 charge for our costs in dealing with the unpaid cheque.
- If there have been any other charges incurred for the unpaid cheque, for example Correspondent bank charges, these will debit your account and we will write to you about any charges as soon as possible after they debit. This applies to both Negotiated and Collected cheques.
- If the cheque is returned unpaid and we have already credited your account, the value of the cheque will be debited using the exchange rates which apply on the day the cheque debits. This means that the amount that goes out of your account could be different to what was originally received.
Fraudsters send foreign cheques and ask for money to be returned or forwarded once funds have been made available. After the money is returned or forwarded, the cheque then bounces and leaves the customer out of pocket.
Please let us know if:
- The cheque is a payment for goods or services and exceeds the value of the goods/services being provided.
- The buyer has asked to return or forward any overpayment once the cheque has cleared.
- The cheque has cleared, but the person is now asking for the money to be returned
- An online friend has asked you to cash a foreign cheque and forward them the money.
If any of the above has happened, please don’t send any funds and contact us as soon as possible. Our Security Team are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so we can take immediate action to protect you.
The funds from a foreign cheque may be debited after they have been credited to your account. The reasons for this are:
- It can take 2-8 weeks for a non-fraudulent foreign cheque to clear. The cheque can bounce for any reason in this time.
- Even after 8 weeks a foreign cheque can bounce up to a maximum of 7 years from the date of issue, if fraud is identified by the issuing bank.
- Therefore we can’t provide an absolute guarantee that a foreign cheque won’t bounce for up to 7 years after it's issued.
Going away
If you're planning a trip abroad, we've put together a quick checklist to make sure you have a stress-free experience when it comes to managing your money.
Using your card abroad
Let us know if you're travelling
We’ll continue to monitor your account for fraud and unusual transactions while you’re abroad and we’ll contact you if we detect unusual activity. If you keep your mobile phone with you, you’ll be able to confirm genuine transactions as soon as we contact you. Learn more about fraud and security
If you need a new PIN, please contact us
If you’re travelling outside the EU, please contact us so we can place a note on your account to say you are travelling.
Fees and charges abroad - debit card and cash card
This depends on which card you have with us and which type of transaction you make. The 2 kinds of transaction are:
- Buy something abroad or online in a currency other than pounds sterling to buy goods or services
- Withdraw money (foreign currency) and buying traveller's cheques - withdrawing cash abroad (either in a bank or at a cash machine), or buying traveller's cheques or foreign currency when abroad (at another bank, bureau de change or other outlet displaying the Mastercard/Visa sign) in a currency other than pounds sterling
What are the charges?
When you use your card abroad you’ll be charged a foreign currency conversion fee.
The tables below show the charges on our cards when used abroad:
Foreign currency conversion fee (making purchases) | Foreign currency conversion fee (making withdrawals) | |
|---|---|---|
| Debit card | 2.95% | 2.95% |
| Cash card | N/A | 2.95% |
Mastercard - Illustrative cost examples based on a €100 (Euro) transaction
| Transaction | Transaction value ^ | Foreign currency conversion fee | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debit card purchase | €100 £86.07 | 2.95% | £88.61 |
| Debit card and cash card cash withdrawal | €100 £86.07 | 2.95% £2.54 | £88.61 |
| Debit card cash withdrawal at Santander cash machine in Spain | €100 £86.07 | n/a £0 | £86.07 |
Visa - Illustrative cost examples based on a €100 (Euro) transaction
| Transaction | Transaction value ^^ | Foreign currency conversion fee | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debit card purchase | €100 £86.63 | 2.95% £2.56 | £89.19 |
| Debit card and cash card cash withdrawal | €100 £86.63 | 2.95% £2.56 | £89.19 |
| Debit card cash withdrawal at Santander cash machine in Spain | €100 £86.63 | n/a £0 | £86.63 |
^ Mastercard exchange rate of €1 = £0.86068 as at 1 June 2023
^^ Visa exchange rate of €1 = £0.866278 as at 1 June 2023
The exchange rates reflect the rate applicable when the payment scheme (Visa or Mastercard) processed the transaction and not the date on which the transaction took place.
Remember to pay using local currency
When you use your card abroad, retailers will often give you the choice of paying in either the local currency or pounds sterling. Always choose to pay using the local currency unless you're sure the exchange rate is more favourable. If you choose pounds sterling, the retailer will handle the conversion and may charge you a fee.
We’ll convert the foreign currency using the exchange rate set by Visa or Mastercard (subject to card type) on the date the transaction is charged to your account, together with any applicable foreign currency conversion fees as set out in the table above.
The exchange rate used may differ from the rate that applied on the actual date of the transaction as exchange rates vary on a daily basis. The exchange rate used when the transaction is processed and the amount of the transaction in pounds sterling after the application of the exchange rate will be detailed on your statement.
Exchange rates for using your debit or cash card can be found in our calculator. You can also see how this exchange rate compares to the European Central Bank (ECB) exchange rate.
All Business Banking customers using a debit card or a cash card can benefit from free cash machine withdrawals in Spain at a Santander-branded cash machine.
Daily cash withdrawal limits apply. Please see your Key Facts Document for details.
Fees and charges abroad – Business Cashback Credit Card
This depends on if you buy something or withdraw cash.
- Buy something abroad or online in a currency other than pounds sterling to buy goods or services.
- Withdraw money (foreign currency) and buying traveller's cheques - withdrawing cash abroad (either in a bank or at a cash machine), or buying traveller's cheques or foreign currency when abroad (at another bank, bureau de change or other outlet displaying the Mastercard sign) in a currency other than pounds sterling. Please note there is no interest free period on cash withdrawals or traveller's cheques purchases and interest will be charged from the date of withdrawal.
What are the charges?
When you use your card abroad you may be charged a non-sterling transaction fee or a cash withdrawal fee, depending on if you’re making a purchase or withdrawing money.
The following charges apply to our Business Cashback Credit Card:
- Non-sterling transaction fee - 0%
- Cash withdrawal fee - 3% (min £3)
Illustrative cost examples based on a €100 (Euro) transaction using the Business Cashback Credit Card
| Transaction | Transaction value ^ | Non-sterling transaction fee | Non-sterling cash fee | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card purchase | €100 £86.07 | 0.00% £0 | n/a £0 | £86.07 |
| Credit card cash withdrawal | €100 £86.07 | 0.00% £0 | 3% (min £3) £3 | £89.07 |
^Mastercard exchange rate of €1 = £0.86068 as at 1 June 2023
The exchange rates reflect the rate applicable when Mastercard processed the transaction and not the date on which the transaction took place.
Remember to pay using local currency
When you use your card abroad, retailers will often give you the choice of paying in either the local currency or pounds sterling. Always choose to pay using the local currency unless you're sure the exchange rate is means that you’ll pay less. If you choose pounds sterling, the retailer will handle the conversion and may charge you a fee.
We will convert the foreign currency using the exchange rate set by Visa or Mastercard (subject to card type) on the date the transaction is charged to your account, together with any applicable foreign usage fees as set out in the table above.
The exchange rate used may differ from the rate that applied on the actual date of the transaction as exchange rates vary on a daily basis. The exchange rate used when the transaction is processed and the amount of the transaction in pounds sterling after the application of the exchange rate will be detailed on your statement.
Exchange rates for using your credit card can be found in our calculator. You can also see how this exchange rate compares to the ECB exchange rate.
Please see the Business Cashback Credit Card Terms and Conditions for details of the limit on cash transactions.
Using our mobile banking app abroad
Using Mobile Banking on your phone or device is an easy way to track what you're spending during your trip. Check the latest transactions and balances, transfer money and even find details on how to report a lost or stolen card.
Using the app through your mobile's 3G, 4G or 5G signal may incur charges, so please check with your mobile provider to confirm if your device is set up to use (has 'roaming') in the country you're visiting and what the charges may be. To avoid data roaming charges, you can connect to local Wi-Fi hotspots. But, these aren't always secure, so only use them if you feel comfortable.
Learn about Mobile Banking with us
Stay up-to-date with alerts
Our free text and email alerts let you stay up-to-date with what’s happening in your accounts while you’re away.
Learn more and how to set up your alerts
Your travel company has gone into administration
If you have been affected by your travel provider going into administration, and have paid using your credit or debit card, you can use our Travel Company Liquidation Form (2.47 MB) to raise a claim.