Guide to sending large payments with Barclays Business UK, including transfer limits

Need to make a large business payment? Whether you’re paying invoices, buying equipment or transferring money between accounts - you’ll need a fast, secure and cost-effective way to do it.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at how large payments work with Barclays Business here in the UK. This includes how to set up a transfer, average transfer times, security considerations and fees.

We’ll also quickly show you an alternative - Wise Business. You can securely send large transfers with Wise Business for low fees and mid-market exchange rates. This makes it ideal if you’re making a transfer across international borders.

💡 Learn more about Wise Business

Can you use Barclays Business for large transfers?

Yes, Barclays Business accounts have relatively generous transfer limits - so you can send large amounts through the bank.

You can use the usual routes to set up a Barclays Business large transfer, such as online banking, phone banking or branch banking. If you’re often on the move, you may prefer to set up your payment via the Barclays mobile banking app.

You can send both UK and international large payments with your Barclays Business account.

Is Barclays Business safe for large payments?

Security will always be a top priority when sending large amounts, so it’s important to choose a regulated, trustworthy provider.

As an established and licensed UK bank regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Barclays Business is completely safe for large payments. It’s trusted by over 900,000 businesses.¹

It offers a number of advanced security measures to protect your account and transfers, including:

• 24/7 anti-fraud protection and monitoring service
• An online banking guarantee, which issues refunds if a payment from your account wasn’t authorised by you
• Strong Customer Authentication to safeguard your account (i.e. texting you a passcode when you login to online banking)
• Data encryption
• Biometric authentication to login to the Barclays app
• Timed logout when using digital banking.

However, you should also take sensible precautions yourself when sending payments. These include double-checking recipient bank details, keeping your online banking details secure and being vigilant against scams.

How to make a large payment with Barclays Business

You can make a Barclays Business large payment via online banking, mobile banking, in branch or by phone.

The easiest method is online, although you can also get support for particularly large transactions in a branch if you prefer. Bear in mind that there may be an additional fee to pay for any assisted transfers - we’ll look at this in more detail shortly.

Before you can send your transfer, you’ll need to have the recipient’s details to hand. Here’s what you’ll need:

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

To set up the payment online, follow these steps:

1. Sign into your Barclays Business account
2. Select ‘Pay’ from the account you want to pay from
3. Select an existing recipient from the list, or add their details if it’s a new recipient
4. Enter the amount
5. Add a payment reference
6. Authorise the payment (if requested) using your PINsentry card reader or Mobile PINsentry
7. Check all the details and select ‘Complete payment’ to confirm.

There’s no shortcut for sending payments to another Barclays Business account - you’ll just need to enter the recipient details and make sure to save them in case of future payments.

In the case of very large payments, you may be contacted by the bank for extra checks or asked to provide additional verification documents showing the source of the funds (for example, business bank statements).

How long do large transfers take with Barclays Business?

Now, let’s take a look at average Barclays Business large transfer times, so you know roughly how long your payment will take to arrive:

What's the Barclays Business maximum transfer limit?

You’ll also need to know how much you can send in one payment, and per day. Barclays Business transfer limits vary depending on the payment type:⁴

What are the Barclays Business fees for large transfers?

Now for the all-important question - how much does it cost to use Barclays Business for large transfers?

The bank charges a flat fee for each payment type, which includes high value UK and international payments.

Here’s a quick look at Barclays Business large transfer fees, including the costs for both online and staff-assisted payments:⁵

• fees correct as of 12.01.26

While these fees may seem pretty straightforward, there’s another cost to consider that is a little more complicated. This is the exchange rate for converting currency, which will be essential to know if you’re sending an international payment.

Banks such as Barclays typically add their own margin (which Barclays calls a conversion charge) to the mid-market exchange rate, which can make the transfer more expensive - especially if you’re sending large amounts.

For Barclays Business Banking customers, the conversion charge will be no more than 2%. If you’re sending more than £25,000, the charge will reduce as the amount increases.³ You’ll see exactly what the exchange rate will be before you send.

Barclays Business alternative, utilise Wise Business for large transfers

As an alternative to Barclays Business, check out Wise Business - which has multi-currency account and card solutions for businesses of all sizes.

It also has a dedicated secure service for sending large payments. Transfer limits depend on what currency is being sent, here's a few of the most popular:

• GBP - £20 million GBP per transfer
• EUR - €20 million EUR per transfer
• USD - $20 million USD when paying from your USD account, $1.6 million per SWIFT transfer.

It’s also worth knowing that Wise offers discounts for sending large amounts over £20,000 (or the currency equivalent). The more you send, the more you save.

See High Amount Transfer Comparison 2026 for more info.

You can open an account for £50 (Advanced plan) or for free (Essentials plan), with no ongoing monthly fees and no minimum balance requirements.All accounts can hold and exchange 40+ currencies, and Wise Business Advanced accounts let you receive payments like a local with major currency account details. Whenever you need to convert currencies, to send a payment or spend with your Wise debit card, you’ll get the mid-market exchange rate and low conversion costs from 0.33%.

Want more? Here are some of the many brilliant Wise Business features you can access:

• Send money quickly or instantly to bank accounts in 140+ countries
• Issue business debit and expense cards for you and your team with no foreign transaction fees, and low conversion costs from 0.33%
• 0.5% cashback on eligible card spending
• Connect seamlessly to your accounting software
• Generate invoices and payment links to receive money easily from customers
• Automate payouts with the powerful Wise Business API.
• Make your money work harder with Wise Interest (Capital at risk, growth not guaranteed)

Register with Wise Business🚀

Investments can fluctuate, and your capital is at risk. Interest is offered by Wise Assets UK Ltd, a subsidiary of Wise Payments Ltd. Wise Assets UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority with registration number 839689. When facilitating access to Wise investment products, Wise Payments Ltd acts as an Introducer Appointed Representative of Wise Assets UK Ltd. Please be aware that we do not offer investment advice, and you may be liable for taxes on any earnings. If you're uncertain, we urge you to seek professional advice. To find out more about the Funds, visit our website.

*Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changing with effect from 26/11/2025 date. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QuickPay QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.

Register with Wise Business🚀

*Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changing with effect from 26/11/2025 date. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QuickPay QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.

sources used:

Sources last checked 12-Jan-2026