RBS Review Verdict
RBS makes sending money abroad simple if you bank there, with no fee on standard transfers and same-day euro payments. As a fully regulated UK bank, it also offers FSCS protection that no transfer app can match.
The cost is the catch. RBS builds its charge into the exchange rate, a margin of up to 2.75%, so on £1,000 a specialist usually leaves your recipient £25-plus better off. Even its sister bank NatWest is fractionally cheaper.
Best for
- Existing RBS customers sending the odd payment abroad
- Free, same-day euro transfers within Europe
- People who value FSCS protection on the money they hold
Look elsewhere if
- You want the lowest cost on a transfer abroad
- Your recipient needs cash pickup or a mobile wallet
- You send regularly or in large amounts, where the margin bites
How Much Does RBS Cost to Send Money?
RBS's exchange rate and margin
A standard RBS transfer has no explicit fee, so the cost hides in the exchange rate. RBS states its margin "will not be more than 2.75%", and personal customers tend to sit right near that cap.
That margin does not shrink for larger retail transfers, unlike a specialist's tiered pricing, so the more you send, the more you lose in absolute terms. Only Private Banking clients moving over £250,000 see it fall.
Curiously, sister bank NatWest, on the very same FX engine, caps its margin slightly lower at 2.65%, making RBS marginally the dearer of the two.
RBS transfer fees
The explicit fee depends on speed and channel.
| Channel | Fee |
|---|---|
| Standard online / app (2–4 days) | £0 |
| Urgent online / app (1–2 days) | £15 |
| Branch or telephone | £15 |
On SWIFT routes you can pay an OUR agent fee (£8.50 to many destinations) so the recipient gets the full amount; otherwise an intermediary may deduct from it. Receiving a non-Euro payment over £100 costs a £7 fee.
Sending £1,000 to India with RBS
Standard transfer. Figures are illustrative, on the 2.75% margin and the mid-market rate of 24 June 2026, so confirm the live quote.
| Rate | Fee | Recipient gets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RBS, GBP to INR (~2.75% margin) | ~123.4 | £0 | ~₹123,400 |
| RBS, GBP to EUR (~2.75% margin) | ~1.118 | £0 | ~€1,118 |
A specialist on the mid-market rate would send roughly €1,146 or ₹126,000 on the same £1,000. That £25-or-so gap is the cost of the margin, even with no fee.
Costs to watch
- The "£0 fee" hides a margin of up to 2.75%
- The margin does not fall for larger retail transfers
- Standard debit-card spending abroad adds a 2.75% non-sterling fee
Where Can You Send Money With RBS?
Countries and currencies supported
We confirmed RBS sends to most countries via SWIFT, including popular corridors such as India, and across Europe via SEPA, sharing the NatWest Group's global payment network. It is bank-to-bank throughout.
Payout methods
- Bank-to-bank only, using IBAN and SWIFT/BIC details
- No cash pickup, in any country
- No mobile wallet or home delivery
- A traditional correspondent-banking model, not a remittance network
Transfer speed and limits
| SEPA (euro) | Same working day if sent before 2pm; otherwise next day |
| SWIFT standard | 2–4 working days |
| SWIFT urgent (£15) | 1–2 working days |
| App limits | £20,000/day to a saved payee; £750/day to a new payee without biometrics |
Who Is RBS Best For?
Sending money to family overseas
Fine for euros, weak otherwise. A same-day, fee-free SEPA payment to a relative's European account is genuinely convenient.
But the margin makes other currencies costly, and there is no cash pickup for family who collect in person. Outside the eurozone, RBS rarely earns its keep here.
Business and supplier payments
Rarely cheapest. RBS routes business payments through Bankline, with SWIFT at £15 and SEPA at just 50p, but the same up-to-2.75% FX margin still applies.
Larger firms can negotiate tighter rates with a relationship manager; smaller ones simply absorb the spread.
Large one-off transfers
The bank's edge is protection, not price. FSCS cover applies to the money you hold, which an app cannot offer.
But RBS cannot lock a rate, the margin is heavy on large sums, and a six-figure transfer means a trip to a branch with your ID. For a property payment, a broker usually wins comfortably.
When another provider fits better
- You want the best rate on a transfer abroad
- Your recipient needs cash in hand or a wallet top-up
- You want to fix a rate for a future payment
RBS Pros and Cons
✓Pros
- FSCS protection on the money you hold, which apps cannot match
- £0 fee on standard transfers, and same-day fee-free euro payments
- A well-rated app with real-time SWIFT payment tracking
- A Travel Account for fee-free euro and dollar spending abroad
- Strong security: two-factor authentication and biometrics
✕Cons
- An FX margin of up to 2.75%, the real and hidden cost
- Slightly dearer than sister bank NatWest, at 2.65%
- Bank-to-bank only: no cash pickup or mobile wallet
- The margin does not fall for larger retail transfers
- A very low Trustpilot score for the bank overall
Is RBS Safe?
How RBS protects your money
We checked RBS against the FCA Register. The Royal Bank of Scotland plc is a fully authorised UK bank, regulated by the FCA and PRA under FRN 114724, and your eligible deposits are FSCS-protected, a genuine advantage over the safeguarding used by transfer apps.
One nuance worth knowing: FSCS cover is per banking licence, not per brand. RBS shares its licence with Child & Co, Drummonds and Holt's, but not with NatWest, so balances held with RBS and NatWest are protected separately.
Account security and fraud protection
RBS uses two-factor authentication via a card reader or app biometrics for high-value transfers. Confirmation of Payee protects domestic transfers but is not available on international SWIFT payments, so check the recipient's details carefully before you send.
Using RBS: Sign-Up, App and Support
Signing up and verification. International transfers are available to existing current-account customers online and in the app, with tighter limits on new payees until you set up biometrics.
App and website. The RBS app scores 4.8 on the App Store and lets you track SWIFT payments in real time, though some Android users report update-related lockouts.
Customer support. Help is available by phone, app and branch. The common friction is fraud and verification holds on payments, and the bank's overall service reviews are poor.
RBS Customer Reviews and Reputation
We read the recent reviews, and the split between the app and the service is stark.
| Source | Score | Reviews | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot (RBS overall) | 1.2–1.3/5 | — | Jun 2026 |
| Apple App Store | 4.8/5 | 239,000+ | 2026 |
The Trustpilot score reflects RBS banking overall, heavily weighted to branch and service complaints, not international transfers specifically.
What people praise: the app, the real-time payment tracking, and the security of a regulated bank.
What goes wrong: customer-service holds, fraud-verification friction, and branch closures.
How Does RBS Compare?
Against Wise, the gap is wide: Wise uses the mid-market rate with a sub-1% fee, while RBS's up-to-2.75% margin makes it far dearer.
Against its sister bank NatWest, RBS is fractionally more expensive, with a 2.75% margin versus NatWest's 2.65%, on the same underlying system. Our money transfer comparison ranks both against the specialists.
For the cheapest transfer, a specialist almost always wins; for protected money in a bank, RBS has a point. We compared these routes ourselves, and we refresh the live figures daily, so use our live comparison of today's rates and fees for the route you care about.
Final Verdict: Is RBS Worth It?
For sending money abroad, RBS is the convenient choice, not the economical one.
If you bank with RBS, send mainly euros, and value FSCS protection, the fee-free, same-day SEPA option does the job well. We rate it 3.2 out of 5.
But the margin is real and hidden, and even sister bank NatWest undercuts it. For anything regular, large, or outside Europe, a specialist will leave your recipient better off.
RBS FAQs
Only the explicit fee on a standard transfer is free. The real cost is an exchange-rate margin of up to 2.75%, so a £1,000 transfer can cost around £25–£28 once the rate is counted, against a few pounds with a specialist.
Euro payments via SEPA arrive the same working day if sent before 2pm, otherwise the next day. SWIFT transfers take 2–4 working days as standard, or 1–2 days for an urgent transfer costing £15.
Yes. The Royal Bank of Scotland plc is FCA/PRA-authorised (FRN 114724) and your deposits are FSCS-protected, stronger than the safeguarding used by transfer apps. Confirm the current FSCS limit, as the threshold has been subject to change.
No. RBS sends bank-to-bank only, with no cash pickup or mobile wallet. If your recipient needs cash, use a remittance specialist such as Western Union or Remitly instead.
Only the explicit fee on a standard transfer is free. The real cost is an exchange-rate margin of up to 2.75%, so a £1,000 transfer can cost around £25–£28 once the rate is counted, against a few pounds with a specialist.
Euro payments via SEPA arrive the same working day if sent before 2pm, otherwise the next day. SWIFT transfers take 2–4 working days as standard, or 1–2 days for an urgent transfer costing £15.
Yes. The Royal Bank of Scotland plc is FCA/PRA-authorised (FRN 114724) and your deposits are FSCS-protected, stronger than the safeguarding used by transfer apps. Confirm the current FSCS limit, as the threshold has been subject to change.
No. RBS sends bank-to-bank only, with no cash pickup or mobile wallet. If your recipient needs cash, use a remittance specialist such as Western Union or Remitly instead.
Verified 24 June 2026. Provider data cross-checked against the FCA Register, rbs.co.uk and Trustpilot via the RBS deep-research source set. Live transfer figures are illustrative and refreshed by the Currency Expert comparison engine.
Currency Expert compares money transfer providers and may earn a commission when you use our links. It does not change how we rank providers or what we say below. Rates and fees move daily, so the figures here are dated; confirm the live amount with RBS before you send.