When you need to send or receive money quickly, a wire transfer might be the right tool for the job. Wire transfers are fast, reliable, and generally safe. For some big transactions, a wire transfer might be your only option. This is because the funds are available to the recipient more or less right away. If you are buying a house, for example, your settlement agent may require you to use a wire transfer to pay your down payment and closing costs. U.S. consumers can also wire money to people abroad through international wire transfers, also known as remittance transfers. Credit unions and other financial services companies can act as the money transfer provider, not just banks. Alternate names: money wire, bank wire transfer
How Wire Transfers Work
When you send a wire transfer, you’ll provide your bank with information about how much money you want to transfer and where you want the money to go. Once the bank processes the transfer, the money can move fairly quickly. If you are sending a domestic wire transfer, it often leaves your account and arrives the same day. Since you can only send funds that are in your account, the recipient’s bank doesn’t need to wait for them to clear. This means the money will be available to the recipient right away. International wire transfers usually take a few business days, depending on the country. Wire transfers are a safe way to send money. Within the U.S., each party to a wire transfer needs a bank account. To open an account, federal regulations require that banks verify your identity (among other things) and ask for a physical address where you can be found. This lack of anonymity when banking in the U.S. makes it harder for thieves to pull off a scam with a bank wire transfer than with other payment methods. Scams are more common with personal checks or payment services like PayPal.
What You Need for a Wire Transfer
To initiate a wire transfer, you will need to contact your bank. They will ask for certain information about where the money needs to be sent. This often includes:
Which bank account you want the money to come fromRecipient’s nameRecipient’s bank account numberRecipient’s address and ZIP codeBank name where the money is being sentBank ABA routing number
You may need to fill out and sign a form providing this information in order to initiate the wire transfer.
How Much Does a Wire Transfer Cost?
Unlike some electronic payments, bank wires cost money. The cost may range from $15 to $50 per transfer. The fee depends on:
The bankWhether the wire is outgoing or incomingWhether the wire is domestic or internationalThe transfer amount
Domestic incoming wires fall at the lower end of this price range. International outgoing wires are the most expensive. Some banks may waive domestic wire transfer fees for certain account types.
Pros and Cons of Wire Transfers
Pros Explained
Quick process: It only takes a few minutes to set up and initiate a wire transfer. Within the U.S., transfers can often be processed on the same day, depending on how early you submit your request. International transfers take an extra day or two. Funds available as soon as the transfer is complete: The recipient doesn’t have to wait several days for funds to clear before claiming or using the money. In other words, there is usually no bank hold placed on money received via wire transfer. More reliable than checks: A money wire poses less risk of fraud than a check because a sender must already have sufficient funds in their account to initiate a wire. In contrast, checks can bounce, and it can take several weeks (or more) to find out that a payment was bad.
Cons Explained
Hard to verify recipient: If you wire money to a stranger or use a business that pays out cash (such as a retail “money transfer” shop or Western Union), it’s harder to verify who got the money. Someone with a fake ID could collect the cash, and it may be hard to track the recipient.Beware of mortgage wire scams: Down payments, closing costs, and other wires to a title company can be targeted by hackers. Always verify by phone where the money is supposed to go, especially if you get wire instructions by email.Difficult to cancel once in motion: Money transfer providers make it difficult for the sender to pull money back after it has been transferred. International transfers can be reversed in certain situations.
Alternatives to Wire Transfers
The term “wire transfer” is often used for various electronic transfers. In fact, most payments are electronic (even checks get digitized). These transfers are an option when you can’t or don’t want to send a wire transfer. Not all of them are as instant or safe as bank wire transfers.
Money Transfer Services
Financial services companies like Western Union operate independently. You can bring cash for an in-person transfer. The amount of time this type of transfer will need varies; it could take a few minutes or a few days. On the receiving end, the business pays cash to the recipient. The recipient is identified through personal information like their name and address.
ACH Transfers
These are bank-to-bank transfers that move through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network. ACH transfers usually take one to two days. These transfers can be reversed, but only in limited circumstances.
P2P Payment Tools
Person-to-person (P2P) services are often easy and inexpensive to use. They include PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, and Popmoney. Each tool has different time frames for transfers. Popmoney, for example, enables three-day standard transfers from bank accounts. They also have different strengths and weaknesses. The one you use may depend on whether you are making a money exchange, repayment, and another type of transfer.
