Personal Finance Money transfer

How long does a bank transfer take with Nationwide?

Alex Beaney

29.09.25 (last updated)

Read time 3 minutes

New Nationwide customer? If you’ve just opened a new personal account with the UK building society, you’ll be ready and raring to make your first payment.

But before you do, it can be handy to know how long it takes, especially if you ever need to make an urgent transfer.

Here, we’ll give you the lowdown on transfer times with Nationwide, for both UK and international payments.

We’ll also show you a non-bank alternative - the money services provider Wise, which lets you send money worldwide for low fees* and mid-market exchange rates 24/7.

Jump to
Things you need to make a bank transfer with Nationwide How long does a bank transfer take with Nationwide? Isn’t a bank transfer instant? Are there any faster international money transfer options? How do I make a transfer with Wise?

Things you need to make a bank transfer with Nationwide

If you’d like to transfer money to a person or business using Nationwide, here’s the important info you’ll need to hand:¹

The recipient’s full name (as it is on their bank account)

Their bank account number and sort code

A payment reference – to help the recipient understand what the payment is for.

To make your payment, you’ll need to register for online banking with Nationwide, or sign up for its mobile banking app.

To verify a new recipient, you’ll need to use either account biometrics (such as your fingerprint or face recognition, if you set this up in the app) or your card reader.¹

Transferring money to someone in another country? You can do it through your Nationwide account, but you’ll need the following²

The name, address and bank details for the recipient

The recipient’s International Bank Account Number (IBAN) - use our IBAN checker finder tool to find this information or calculate any Nationwide IBAN number here.

The Bank Identifier Code (BIC) for their bank

The name and address of the recipient’s bank.

You’ll also need to verify international payments with either your card reader or the app. You can set up and send your payment via online banking or a local Nationwide branch, but not in the app.²

How long does a bank transfer take with Nationwide?

For UK bank transfers with Nationwide, the payment should arrive instantly – if you set it to leave your account right away. But be aware that it can potentially take up to 2 hours.¹

This is for payments up to £25,000, as these are made through the Faster Payments system.³

International payments with Nationwide usually take longer than this. The time can vary depending on the country you’re sending to. For example:²

SEPA payments in euros to a European country should arrive by the end of the next working day

SWIFT payments to all other countries (in any currency) can take up to 4 working days or even longer.

Isn’t a bank transfer instant?

If you’re sending money to someone in the UK using Nationwide and the Faster Payments system, it should arrive instantly or under 2 hours.¹

However, there are situations where transfers can take longer. These include:

If you want to send more than Nationwide’s £25,000 Faster Payments daily limit

If the receiving bank isn’t a part of Faster Payments

If you’re sending money to another country.

Are there any faster international money transfer options?

Don’t fancy waiting 4 days or more to send money to friends or family in another country? Luckily, there is another solution available besides your bank.

Open a Wise account and you can send money worldwide for low fees* and mid-market exchange rates. It’s not a bank account but offers some similar features. Payments are fast, secure and easy to track, so your recipient gets their money in no time at all.

You’ll get upfront estimates of when your money will arrive, and it could be just minutes - although some transfers take a day or two depending on destination and currency**.

Here are the main benefits for using Wise:
Fast and easy setup with no physical paperwork Dedicated support for large transfers Low, upfront, transparent fees* Mid-market exchange rate for currency conversions 24/7 Fully trackable transfers Fast transfer times Two-factor authentication and real-time notifications Send money to 140+ countries in 40+ currencies

How do I make a transfer with Wise?

You can set up and send an international payment with Wise in just a few easy steps:

Open your Wise account.
Enter the amount you want to send and the country/currency you’re sending to.
Enter a few essential details about yourself and the recipient, including their account details.
Check the fee, exchange rate, estimated transfer time and other details of the transfer to make sure everything’s ok.
Send the money and receive instant confirmation via email or the Wise app.

So that’s it – sending money with Nationwide in a nutshell, including how to set up a payment and how long it takes. You should now be all ready to make your first transfer.

**Transaction speed claimed depends on funds availability, approval by Wise’s proprietary verification system and systems availability of our partners’ banking system, and may not be available for all transactions.

Sources used for this article:

Nationwide - Help - How to transfer money in the UK with a current account
Nationwide - Help - How to send and receive international payments
Nationwide - Help - Payment and transfer limits

Sources checked on 16-Sep-2025.

*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.