When you set up a transfer, we give you an estimated delivery time. While most transfers arrive on schedule, delays can sometimes happen.
The best way to see what's happening is to track your transfer in your activity list.
Every transfer goes through three stages. A delay can happen at any of them.
Your money is on its way to Wise.
We're processing your transfer.
Your money is on its way to the recipient.
Here are the most common reasons for delays.
The payment method you used
Some payment methods take longer for the money to reach us. The delay often happens in stage 1.
Card payments are usually instant
Bank transfers can take 1-4 working days for the money to reach us
Swift transfers can take 1-6 working days to arrive. Learn more about Swift transfers
We always show you an estimate for each payment method when you set up your transfer.
Weekends and public holidays
Banks don't process transfers on weekends or public holidays. So, we only count working days (Monday to Friday) in our estimates. This includes public holidays in both the country you're sending from and the country you're sending to.
If your transfer is due on a Friday, it might not arrive until the next working day.
Extra checks by Wise or our partners
We sometimes need to carry out extra checks to keep your money safe. This might be to verify your address or to meet financial regulations. This happens during stage 2, ‘processing’.
We know these checks can be frustrating, but they help us keep your transfer secure. If we need any information from you, we’ll email you right away.
Learn more about extra checks on your transfer
The recipient’s bank is processing the money
Once we send the money out (stage 3), it’s up to the recipient’s bank to process and credit their account. Some banks are faster than others — it can take up to 2 working days for some. At this point, the money is in their system, and they’re responsible for crediting the account.
If your transfer is taking longer than expected at this stage, your recipient can ask their bank to check on the payment. You can download a transfer confirmation from the transfer details screen to help them.
There’s a mistake in the recipient’s details
If there's a mistake in the recipient's bank details, the bank may reject the payment. They’ll then send the money back to us, and we'll let you know so you can either fix the details or cancel the transfer.
Note that returning the money can take a few days. The speed depends on the currency, payment method, and bank working hours.
Learn more about what to do if you entered the wrong account details