Currency exchange and transfer fees in Australia

When you send money overseas or spend in another currency, you usually pay in two ways. There's the fee your bank or card provider lists, and there's the margin built into the exchange rate it gives you. The first is easy to find. The second rarely appears as a dollar figure anywhere. FXRate.com.au explains both, using the banks' own fee pages and official guidance from Moneysmart, the ACCC and the Reserve Bank, all checked on 30 October 2026.

FXRate.com.au is a general information site operated by Dominet BV. This page is general information only and is not financial advice. It does not consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. Dominet BV does not hold an Australian financial services licence (AFSL). We don't arrange transfers, recommend or rank providers, forecast exchange rates or receive payments from providers. Fees and rates change, so check the provider's own page and documents before you send or spend money. Facts were checked on 30 October 2026. Read our general information notice. Every fee on this site carries the date and the page it came from.

How a transfer is priced

• International money transfer fees: the two parts of a transfer's price, the fees other banks can take, and how to compare two quotes on the same terms.
• Exchange rate margin: what a margin is, why a "no fee" transfer can still cost money, and why we don't publish margin figures.
• Mid market rate: what the term means, how the Reserve Bank publishes its daily rates and why they aren't rates you can buy at.
• SWIFT fees: why the recipient can get less than you sent, and how correspondent and receiving bank charges work.

Bank fees

• Bank international transfer fees: the published sending and receiving fees of ANZ, CommBank, NAB and Westpac side by side.
• ANZ international transfer fee
• CommBank international transfer fee
• NAB international transfer fee
• Westpac international transfer fee

Spending overseas

• Travel money: how cash, travel money cards, debit cards and credit cards are charged, what an international transaction fee is, and what happens when you pay in Australian dollars overseas.

A few facts as at 30 October 2026

• Online foreign currency transfers carried no sending fee at any big four bank. ANZ, CommBank, NAB and Westpac each listed $0, or a waived fee, for sending foreign currency through their app or internet banking.
• Sending Australian dollars cost more. The published online fees for sending AUD were $18 at ANZ Internet Banking (up to $15 in the ANZ Plus app), $30 at CommBank, $30 at NAB and $20 at Westpac.
• The sending fee isn't the whole cost. The ACCC says retail exchange rates include a margin or mark-up, and that a service advertised as "fee free" isn't necessarily the cheapest.
• Other banks can take a cut. Correspondent banks along the route and the recipient's bank can charge too, and each big four bank covers a different part of those charges.

How we work

We only publish facts we can check on the provider's own website or an official source such as Moneysmart, the ACCC or the Reserve Bank. Each guide lists its sources with the date we read them. We don't publish exchange rates, because they change through the day and a figure on a web page would soon be out of date. We don't forecast where rates are heading.

Banks are listed in alphabetical order. That order isn't a ranking, and we don't say which provider is best for anyone. As at 30 October 2026, we don't take payments from providers, and there are no partner or referral links on this site. Our research and sources page explains the process, and about this site says who runs it.

Frequently asked questions

Does FXRate.com.au show live exchange rates?

No. Rates change constantly, so we explain how rates and margins work and point to the provider's own quote. The Reserve Bank publishes daily reference rates, which it says are indications of market value only.

Why can a transfer with no fee still cost money?

Because the cost can sit inside the exchange rate. The ACCC says retail rates include a margin or mark-up, so the amount the recipient receives is a better measure than the fee alone.

Can you tell me which provider is cheapest?

No. We don't rank or recommend providers, and the answer depends on the amount, currency, destination and the time you get the quote. The ACCC suggests comparing the total price and the amount the recipient will receive, on the providers' own websites at the same time on the same day.

Is this financial advice?

No. It's general information only. Dominet BV doesn't hold an Australian financial services licence. Read our general information notice.