Before sending a cross-border payment, verify the recipient and currency first, then confirm the rate, fee allocation, delivery timing and refund rules. Do not submit while the currency direction or recipient data is uncertain, because corrections and refunds can be slower and more expensive than the original payment.
Verify the recipient and account details
Confirm the recipient name, account number, bank code, address, payment purpose and reference requirements. For a business payment, match the invoice, contract and approval. Review every pasted field for spaces, character errors and similarly named accounts.
Confirm the payment currency
Identify the currency required by the receiving account and whether automatic conversion is allowed. If the sent currency differs from the account currency, the receiving bank may convert again and charge a fee. Do not infer the currency from the country alone; use the recipient’s confirmed instructions.
Compare the rate and charges
Record the customer rate, fixed fee, percentage fee, intermediary-charge option and expected delivered amount. A neutral estimate can be checked with the CurrencyFlow converter. If only the sender fee is shown, ask whether the recipient may receive less because of downstream charges.
Confirm timing and tracking
Distinguish the provider’s processing estimate from the time when the recipient can actually use the funds. Holidays, compliance review, incomplete information and intermediary banks can cause delays. Retain the transaction number and status page and allow a buffer for urgent payments.
Refunds, cancellation and evidence
Before submission, read the cancellation conditions, refund currency, refund rate and whether fees are returned. After completion, retain the confirmation page, rate, charges, transaction number and proof of receipt. A small test transfer can reduce risk for a new recipient, but fixed-fee impact should be considered.
Use the provider comparison checklist when selecting a channel.
Sources, scope and review date
This article is general educational information and is not financial, investment, tax or accounting advice. For a specific payment, filing or bookkeeping decision, use the terms supplied by your bank or payment provider and the rules that apply to you.
Data and method note: when CurrencyFlow displays conversions or historical rates, it uses reference data with an actual provider date. Last reviewed: 2026-08-03.
Frequently asked questions
Which currency should I send?
Use the receiving account and recipient’s confirmed instructions to avoid a second, less transparent conversion.
What do OUR, SHA and BEN mean?
They generally describe whether charges are paid by the sender, shared or paid by the beneficiary; use the bank’s exact definition.
Should I send a small test payment first?
It can reduce recipient-detail risk, although fixed fees may be proportionally high on a small test.
How this guide is maintained
This guide is maintained by CurrencyFlow. Automated checks cover structure, duplication and basic consistency; they are not a claim of human expert endorsement. Dated public reference data is used as a comparison benchmark, while banks, cards, ATMs and transfer providers may add spreads, fees or use another processing date.
- Maintained by
- CurrencyFlow
- Last updated
- 2026-08-27