Instant Transfer Costs 2026: What They Really Cost
Since 9 January 2025 the instant transfer cannot cost more than the ordinary one: it is the rule of EU Regulation 2024/300, confirmed by Banca d'Italia (L'economia per tutti). Before, fees ranged from 0 to 3-5 euro per operation by bank; today the gap is closed on the ordinary price.
Instant transfer: costs and times per channel
| Channel | Typical cost | Crediting time |
|---|---|---|
| RoxPay - Instant transfer via open banking (PIS) | €0.13 + 0.10% per transaction | Under 10 seconds, 24/7 |
| Instant transfer from online banking | Same cost as the bank's ordinary transfer (from 9 January 2025) | Under 10 seconds, 24/7 |
| Ordinary SEPA transfer | €0-3 per operation by bank price list | 1 business day (SEPA rules) |
Sources: EU Regulation 2024/300, Banca d'Italia (L'economia per tutti, instant transfer section), RoxPay price list. Ordinary transfer costs depend on the bank contract.
How much the instant transfer costs since 9 January 2025
The cost of the instant transfer was capped by EU Regulation 2024/300: from 9 January 2025 payment operators cannot charge the instant transfer more than the ordinary one, as confirmed by the dedicated section of Banca d'Italia (L'economia per tutti). Before that date, the surcharge was the norm: from 1 to 3-5 euro per operation by bank price list, the reason why instant stayed a niche service.
The rule is symmetric and covers both sending and receiving: if your bank's ordinary online transfer is free, the instant one is too; if the contract has a fixed fee on the ordinary, the instant cannot cost more. As sector press reported, since 9 January 2025 the surcharge is gone.
Watch the channel: the rule applies to SEPA payments in euro. Transfers outside the SEPA area or in other currencies stay outside the capped regime.
Costs per channel: bank, branch, open banking
With the gap closed on the ordinary cost, differences play on how your contract prices the ordinary transfer:
- Online banking: in most price lists the ordinary online transfer is free or a few cents, so the instant is too.
- Branch: the ordinary branch fee (often €1-5) applies to the instant as well.
- Open banking (PIS): for collection, the cost is per transaction: in the RoxPay list the instant transfer via open banking starts at €0.13 + 0.10%, with a technical cap of €100,000 per transaction.
For a collector what matters is not the bank surcharge but the collection service: webhooks, automatic matching and reconciliation, which a retail bank does not provide.
Why for a merchant the right cost is the per-collection one
For a consumer the instant transfer cost is a banking service expense. For a merchant it is a collection fee, to be compared with the other collection methods, not with the bank channel.
On volume: per 100 takings of €50 (€5,000 volume) RoxPay's instant transfer via open banking costs €18, SEPA Direct Debit €25-31.50 (€0.25 + 0-0.13%), SEE cards €100 (1.5% + €0.25 at Stripe's public list). The instant transfer is structurally the cheapest method: no interchange, no chargeback, irrevocable payment.
The [B2B payments guide](/en/resources/b2b-payments-guide) compares the collection channels for business clients, and the [supplier payments guide](/en/resources/supplier-payments-guide) covers outgoing payments.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the instant transfer cost in 2026?
Since 9 January 2025 the instant transfer cost cannot exceed the ordinary transfer cost of the same bank (EU Regulation 2024/300, confirmed by Banca d'Italia). If your ordinary online transfer is free, the instant one is too.
Is the instant transfer free at every bank?
Not necessarily: the rule is that it costs at most as much as the ordinary one. If the contract has a fee on the ordinary transfer, the same fee applies to the instant. For collection via open banking the model is per transaction: in the RoxPay list €0.13 + 0.10%.
Why is the instant transfer so cheap for collectors?
Because on the SEPA Instant rail there is no interchange (the card-fee component regulated by EU Regulation 2015/751) and no chargeback: the payment is irrevocable and the cost is a fixed share per transaction. Per 100 takings of €50 it costs €18 with RoxPay versus €100 for SEE cards.
What is the instant transfer limit?
There is no legal cap on the amount. Banks may apply their own operational limits for sending; in the RoxPay list the technical cap per A2A transaction is €100,000. The instant transfer covers euro payments between SEPA accounts.
Do I need a new bank account to collect with instant transfers?
No. RoxPay is not a bank and does not open bank accounts: the instant transfer via open banking credits in under 10 seconds, 24/7, to the existing business account of your company.
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