17 Smart Ways to Avoid The Most Common Pesky Fees

Bank Accounts: Transfer Fees

Some banks charge $3 or so for a standard ACH transfer to an account with another institution, which may take a few days to clear. For a wire transfer—which often goes through on the same day—your bank may charge about $25 to $35 to send money domestically and as much as $45 or more to wire money internationally. (Many banks levy fees for incoming wires, too—typically less than $20.)

To quickly send money to another person in the U.S., check out a peer-to-peer payment service, such as Zelle. It offers instant transfers directly to other bank accounts (at least one member of the transaction must have an account with a participating bank), and most banks don’t charge fees for the service. TransferWise is an inexpensive choice for international transactions of a couple of thousand dollars or less, but the transfer may take a few days. Recently, sending $500 to someone in Great Britain incurred a fee of about $5.