Santander UK large transfers and transfer limits in 2025

Need to make a large transfer? Perhaps you’re putting down the deposit on a house, buying a car or paying a bill for building work.

Whatever your reason for sending a large payment, you’ll need to find the safest, most convenient and cheapest way to do it.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at using Santander for large payments. We’ll run through how to set up a large payment with the UK bank, along with transfer times, limits, fees and security considerations.

If you’re looking for a reliable and cost-effective way to transfer large sums internationally, consider the money services provider Wise. With low, transparent fees*, great mid-market exchange rates, and secure, trackable transfers, Wise makes international money transfers simple and stress-free.

Plus, you’ll get dedicated support and volume discounts when sending large amounts.

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Can you send large transfers with Santander?

Yes, Santander offers a number of ways to make large transfers. It all depends on how much you’re sending, and where you’re sending to.

And of course, you’ll also need to be an existing Santander personal, business or private banking customer before you can send money.

If you’re sending money via Faster Payments in your online or mobile banking, you can send up to £25,000 at any one time without incurring transfer fees (up to a maximum of £100,000 a day in multiple payments).

If you want to send more than £100,000 at once, you’ll need to make a CHAPS payment.¹ This comes with a fee of £25, regardless of how much you send.²

Santander also lets you make international payments of large amounts, and these will also involve money transfer fees.

Santander transfer limits

Let's take a look at each of the transfer methods available with Santander and the sending limit for each:¹

The limits for international payments are the same as the Faster Payments limits.

You can adjust your limits in the Santander app and online banking, but you won’t be able to increase them beyond the maximum limits given above.

What’s the maximum amount you can send with Santander?

The most you can send with Santander is £100,000 per day, with a maximum of £25,000 per transfer.¹

If you need to send more than this though, you can pay the £25 fee and send a CHAPS payment.² These have no upper limit.

Can you send multiple large transfers per day?

Yes, you can send multiple large transfers per day with Santander, up to a maximum of £100,000 within 24 hours.¹

How to transfer large amounts with Santander: Step-by-step process

To send a large payment with Santander using Faster Payments, the easiest option is to use online or mobile banking.

Here’s what you’ll usually need to have ready, including details for sending money abroad:

• The recipient’s name as it appears on their bank account
• Their bank account number and sort code
• The type of account (personal or business)
• The International Bank Account Number (IBAN) - for international transfers
• The SWIFT/BIC code for their bank - for international transfers.

Then to send your payment, follow these steps:

1. Login to your account - here’s how to open a Santander account online if you don’t already have one
2. Select the ‘Payments & Transfers’ tab, or ‘Pay and Transfer’ if using the app
3. Select ‘Pay existing payee’ or add a new recipient - entering their bank details when prompted
4. Choose the account you want to send money from
5. Enter the amount and payment date
6. Add a payment reference (optional)
7. Check the details and confirm the payment.

International payments can be made online, but not through mobile banking.³

If you’re sending over £100,000 at once, you’ll need to make a CHAPS payment. This can’t be done online, so you’ll need to use telephone banking or visit a Santander branch with your photo ID.²

Is Santander safe for large payments?

Santander is a fully licensed UK bank and is strictly regulated.

As such, it is required to use sophisticated security measures to protect customers’ data, money and transfers.

However, it’s always wise to take steps to protect yourself when sending a large sum. These include:

• Double-check the recipient’s bank details
• Avoid sending money to people you don’t know - it’s always worth doing extra checks and online research to make sure that payment requests are genuine.
• Never feel pressured into sending a payment - it could be a scam.
• Avoid sharing your online or mobile banking details with anyone.

How long do large transfers take with Santander?

If your payment is time-sensitive (i.e. you’re exchanging contracts on a property purchase and need the money to arrive fast), you’ll need to know average transfer times for large transfers with Santander.

Here’s a quick look at how long large transfers usually take, based on you initiating the payment before the given cut-off time:

Santander large amount transfer fees and costs

So, how much does it cost to send Santander large transfers in the UK? Here are the main fees and charges you need to know about:

When sending an international transfer with Santander, you’ll also need to check the exchange rate - as well as the upfront fee.

The bank uses its own standard exchange rate for converting currency, and this is likely to include a margin or mark-up on the mid-market exchange rate. This can potentially make the transfer a little more expensive for you.

You may be able to check this rate in online or mobile banking before you send your transfer, or you can contact Santander to find out the latest rates.

Wise – A low-cost alternative to bank transfers

Looking for a secure, convenient and low-cost way to send large sums of money internationally? Take a look at the Wise account from the money services provider Wise. It's not a bank account but offers some similar features and your money is safeguarded.

With Wise, you can send large amount transfers worldwide to 140+ countries in 40+ currencies for low, transparent fees* and mid-market exchange rates with no markup.

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**Investments in funds are never guaranteed and your capital can be at risk. In the UK, Interest and Stocks are provided by Wise Assets — this is the trading name of Wise Assets UK Ltd, a subsidiary of Wise. Wise Assets UK Ltd is authorised as an investment firm and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Our FCA number is 839689. We do not give investment advice, and you may be subject to pay tax. If you're not sure, seek qualified advice. You can find more information about the funds on our website.

Sources used:

Sources last checked on date: 22-Oct-2025