An international transfer has more than one price. The visible transfer fee may be zero while the exchange-rate margin costs much more. Compare the amount the recipient actually receives, the rate, all fees and delivery time.
Three common transfer situations
| Situation | What to compare |
|---|---|
| EUR to EUR inside SEPA | Transfer fee, speed, recipient details and whether instant transfer is available |
| EUR to another currency | Exchange rate/margin, transfer fee, intermediary/recipient-bank costs and final amount received |
| Non-EUR to Netherlands | Whether to convert before or during transfer, rate, intermediary fees and proof/source-of-funds requirements |
Do not compare only the advertised fee
For currency conversion, record the provider’s quoted rate and the final amount received. Banks and specialist transfer providers can structure pricing differently. “No transfer fee” does not mean “no currency-conversion cost”.
Large transfers: prepare the paperwork
- Check names and IBAN/account details carefully.
- Keep sale contracts, payslips, statements or other source-of-funds evidence for legitimate large transfers.
- Check transfer and receiving limits before moving house-purchase or business-sized amounts.
- Never bypass a bank’s compliance questions by artificially splitting a legitimate payment to avoid scrutiny.
- For property/notary payments, follow the notary’s exact payment instructions and independently verify changed bank details.
Fraud warning
Changed invoice or notary bank details are a classic high-impact fraud scenario. Verify unexpected changes through a trusted contact route you already possess rather than replying to the message containing the new account number.