Guide to Business Bank Account Fees in the UK

Looking for a new business bank account in the UK? Cost is likely to be a crucial factor in which account you choose, as you won’t want to pay more than necessary for business banking services.

In this helpful guide, we’ll compare business bank account fees from all the most popular providers in the UK, including high-street banks like HSBC and Barclays, and non-banking providers like Tide.

We’ll also cover international solutions like Wise Business, a fantastic non-bank alternative which lets you manage your money in 40+ currencies with no monthly fees.

💡 Learn more about Wise Business

Business banking charges - pricing model

Most UK business bank account providers use a monthly pricing model. This means you’ll pay a monthly charge rather than any upfront fees.

Bear in mind though that there are likely to be usage fees on top of that - we’ll look at those next.

Business bank account fees

The most common usage fees you’re likely to come across are:

• International transfer fees - for both sending and receiving money across borders
• Currency conversion fees
• ATM withdrawal fees - both in the UK and overseas (this fee is often called a non-Sterling transaction fee, and applies to international card payments too)
• Overdraft fees/interest.

You might also encounter additional fees to pay cash into your account, or to use branch services for banking transactions.

One-time vs. monthly fee: comparison of providers

To make it easy to compare options, here’s a quick look at the fees charged by popular UK business bank account providers:

Usage fees: comparison of providers

It’s not just the upfront or monthly fee you need to know about when choosing a new business account. You should also check the full pricing or fees list to find out about usage charges.

These are charges for everyday transactions, like sending money or withdrawing cash from an ATM. They can be particularly expensive if you use your debit card abroad.

To help you compare options, let’s run through the usage fees for all of our business bank account providers in detail.

Barclays

Barclays fees for everyday business accounts are as follows:¹

HSBC

Here are HSBC’s business banking charges for both its Small Business Banking Account and Business Banking Account:²

Lloyds

Here’s what Lloyds Bank charges for everyday business banking services:

Mettle

Mettle by NatWest is completely free for eligible businesses, having no upfront or monthly fees.⁶ You can upgrade to Mettle+ for £4 per month for more advanced features.

There are small transaction fees for banking services like cash deposits, withdrawls and ordering a new card if lost/damanged. See Mettle's fee documentation.

Mettle also now offer international inbound/receive payments. For values above £10, there is a £4 fixed fee plus 1.5% if the currency requires an exchange to GBP. For receiving values below £10 internationally, there is no fixed fees, only a 1.5% currency conversion fee if it is required. See more at Mettle's website.

Revolut Business

Revolut Business charges a monthly fee of £10 to £90,⁷ offering limits and allowances on transactions depending on your plan.

But it also has some usage charges for going over your monthly allowance. Here are some of these, based on the £10 Basic plan:⁸

Santander

Santander’s Business Account Classic comes with the following usage fees:¹³

Starling Bank

Here are the everyday usage fees you need to know about for the Starling Bank business account:⁹

Tide

Lastly, we have Tide. Here’s what it charges for everyday business banking services:¹¹

Wise Business

Wise Business offers a free Essential plan for basic spending and transferring. If you need to receive money, set up direct debits, or generate invoices, you'll pay a one-time £50 setup fee to unlock the Advanced features.

Here’s how much it costs in day-to-day fees to use Wise Business:

Manage your business finances with Wise

Want to manage your business finances in a simple way, across multiple currencies, all in one place? Check out the Wise Business account. Wise isn’t a bank, but an electronic money instituion (EMI) that offers a great alternative for UK businesses that are growing fast, especially internationally.

With Wise Business, you can:

• 🌍 Send money to 70+ countries and pay overseas invoices at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees and no hidden exchange rate markups (product availability varies by region)
• 📥 Receive payments in 24 currencies and counting
• 💵 Get local account details for 8+ currencies, including USD and EUR, to let your customers pay in a currency they know and trust - convenience for them and peace of mind for you
• 💰 Hold money in 40+ currencies
• 🔁 Convert currencies anytime at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees
• ⚡ Use the batch payments tool to create and send up to 1,000 payments in a single transfer
• 👥 Run payroll and make international payments for up to 1,000 employees all over the world - including paying suppliers using local payment methods like ACH, SEPA, and Faster Payments
• 💳 Get business debit cards with 0.5% cashback for you and your team to keep track of team expenses and spend all over the world, with real-time visibility and categorisation. See full cashback terms and conditions
• 🏢 Manage cash in 55+ currencies across international offices from a single business account and move money between business accounts in seconds (exact speeds can vary depending on individual circumstances and may not be the same for all transactions)
• 🧾 Connect and sync every business transaction to your favourite accounting software, including Xero, Quickbooks, and more
• 🔐 Create your own payment approvals process to manage your team better with customised access for different team members, roles and permissions
• 📑 Create custom professional invoices and schedule invoice payments for future dates
• 📈 Earn variable returns on GBP, USD and EUR with Wise Interest (Capital at risk, growth not guaranteed. Your money is at risk if governments default or interest rates go negative. Rates vary by country and currency. Rates are variable. Visit Wise Interest to find out more)
• 🔗 Create payment links and QR codes to get paid easily (Card payment acceptance for new Wise Business customers is currently unavailable. Payment methods subject to eligibility and availability.)
• ⚙️ Automate payouts with the Wise API (comes with 24/7 customer support, a sandbox account to test integrations, API tokens, and clear documents on how to implement and make the most of our API)

Make the wise choice when selecting a business account for your domestic and global needs.

Be Smart, Get Wise.

Register for Wise Business ✍️

**Investments are not guaranteed, and your capital is at risk.

Wise is an Electronic Money Institution (EMI), so features like Interest and Stocks may be covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). For standard cash balances, we safeguard your funds to meet regulatory obligations.

In the UK, Interest and Stocks are provided by Wise Assets, the trading name of Wise Assets UK Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA number 839689).

We do not provide investment advice, and taxes may apply. If unsure, seek qualified financial advice. Full fund information is available on our website.

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After reading this, you should have all the info you need to compare business bank account fees and choose the most cost-effective solution for you.

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Sources used:

1. Barclays - Barclays Business Account tariff
2. HSBC Business - Business banking price list
3. Santander - Business Current Account – Classic
4. Lloyds Bank- Business Accounts
5. Lloyds Bank - Business Banking Account Charges and Processing Times
6. Mettle FAQs - Is Mettle free?
7. Revolut - Business account plans
8. Revolut - Business Basic fees
9. Starling Bank - Business Account Rates, Fees and Charges
10. Starling Bank - Euro bank account
11. Tide
12. Tide - International payments
13. Santander - Business Banking General Terms and Conditions and Important Information
14. Santander - Business Current Account - Classic, Key Facts
15. Lloyds- Business Overdraft
16. Tide- How much will a Tide account cost?

Sources last checked on date: 24-Oct-2025