How much does an instant bank transfer cost in Italy?
An instant euro transfer cannot cost more than the corresponding ordinary transfer, so the instant-speed surcharge for sending or receiving it is EUR 0. If your ordinary online transfer is free, its instant equivalent must be free too.
Verifiable answer
An instant euro transfer cannot cost more than the corresponding ordinary transfer, so the instant-speed surcharge for sending or receiving it is EUR 0. If your ordinary online transfer is free, its instant equivalent must be free too.
- How much does an instant bank transfer cost in Italy?
- €0 / transfer
- €0
- Italy and euro transfers in the SEPA area
- 9 September 2026
- Confidence: High
- EUR 0 instant-speed surcharge; The corresponding ordinary-transfer tariff; Sending and receiving where the applicable obligations apply; Payee verification where available
- Current-account fee; Transfers in currencies other than euro; Currency-conversion charges; Non-equivalent payment services with extra features; Recovery costs after fraud or an error
- Your contract's ordinary-transfer tariff; Channel used: app, online banking or branch; Customer and account type; Euro transfer or another currency; Extra services included in the payment; Correctness of IBAN and beneficiary
- 3 sources
Short answer
Since 2025, the price is no longer set by speed but by the tariff already charged for an equivalent ordinary transfer. What instant settlement changes most is timing and risk: a completed order cannot normally be recalled.
An instant bank transfer puts money into the beneficiary's account in under ten seconds, around the clock and every day of the year. For years, that speed was often sold as a paid extra. Under the European rules covering euro transfers, a provider can no longer charge more for an instant transfer than for the corresponding ordinary transfer. The useful figure is therefore EUR 0, but it needs to be read correctly: it is zero extra for speed, not a promise that every transfer on every account is free. If your account charges EUR 0 for an online SEPA transfer, the equivalent instant transfer must also cost EUR 0. If your contract charges for an in-branch transfer, the instant one can cost no more than that same charge. The important difference is operational rather than financial: once executed, the transfer is immediate and effectively irrevocable. Check the beneficiary's name and IBAN carefully before confirming.
What is included
- EUR 0 instant-speed surcharge
- The corresponding ordinary-transfer tariff
- Sending and receiving where the applicable obligations apply
- Payee verification where available
What is not included
- Current-account fee
- Transfers in currencies other than euro
- Currency-conversion charges
- Non-equivalent payment services with extra features
- Recovery costs after fraud or an error
How the price breaks down
| Item | Type | Frequency | Typical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instant-transfer surchargeFor an equivalent euro transfer using the same channel, a bank cannot add a fee solely because the transfer is instant. | Compulsory | one-off | €0 |
| Corresponding ordinary-transfer tariffThe actual price follows your tariff for an ordinary transfer through the same channel; it may already be free or chargeable, but it cannot rise because it is instant. | Compulsory | one-off | €0 |
What the price depends on
- Your contract's ordinary-transfer tariff
- Channel used: app, online banking or branch
- Customer and account type
- Euro transfer or another currency
- Extra services included in the payment
- Correctness of IBAN and beneficiary
Hidden costs
- No surcharge does not mean your ordinary transfer is free.
- An executed instant transfer is irrevocable, so money sent to a real but wrong IBAN is hard to recover.
- An in-branch transfer can cost differently from one made in an app; compare the same channel.
- A service with features beyond a transfer may have its own price without breaching the equivalent-transfer rule.
How to spend less
- Compare instant and ordinary transfers through the same channel, such as app to app rather than app to branch.
- If your online tariff makes ordinary transfers free, keep the receipt for any unexpected instant-transfer charge and raise it with the provider.
- Check the name returned by payee verification and the IBAN before confirming: after a few seconds the transfer cannot normally be cancelled.
- Use instant settlement when speed genuinely matters, not as a reason to skip normal checks on a sale or payment.
- Keep the receipt, date, amount and IBAN if you need to challenge a charge or seek recovery after an error.
Frequently asked questions
Are instant transfers always free?
Not necessarily in absolute terms. The rule says they cannot cost more than the corresponding ordinary transfer. If your account includes free online SEPA transfers, the online instant transfer must also be free. If your tariff charges for an ordinary transfer through that channel, the instant version can cost no more than that. This is why the guide gives EUR 0 as the surcharge, not as a universal price.
Since when have instant transfers been barred from costing more?
Regulation (EU) 2024/886 introduced the ban on higher charges than for corresponding transfers. In Italy, the Bank of Italy notes that providers already offering instant transfers could not charge more from 9 January 2025, and that from 9 October 2025 the obligation to offer sending extended to banks and Poste that offer ordinary transfers.
How long does an instant transfer take?
The Bank of Italy describes it as reaching the beneficiary in under ten seconds, available 24 hours a day and every day of the year. That continuous availability, rather than a higher tariff, is what distinguishes it from an ordinary transfer. Temporary technical downtime does not change the price rule when the service is available.
Can I cancel an instant transfer?
Normally not once the order has been executed. The speed that makes it useful also makes it very hard to stop or recover if you enter an existing but wrong IBAN, or if you are defrauded. Payee verification can flag a mismatch between name and IBAN, but it does not replace checking who will actually receive the money.
Can a bank raise ordinary-transfer fees to charge for instant transfers?
The regulation compares an instant transfer with its corresponding ordinary transfer, taking account of features such as channel, customer type and included services. It does not allow a surcharge merely for speed. The price of your account and ordinary transfers still follows the contract and its notices, so compare equivalent transactions and keep the information sheet if a charge looks unexpected.
Sources and methodology
How we worked it out
The number published is the maximum surcharge, not an average bank commission. We opened Regulation (EU) 2024/886, which says charges for instant euro transfers cannot exceed those for corresponding ordinary transfers. The rule was cross-checked against the Bank of Italy's consumer information page and Poste Italiane's FAQ. We did not assign every customer one absolute transfer price, because an ordinary transfer can be free, included in an account package or charged differently by channel and contract. We also exclude additional services that are not equivalent to a simple transfer, such as payment products carrying extra features.
Why this confidence level
Confidence is High because the price published is not an estimate: it is the maximum surcharge fixed by a European Union regulation. The Bank of Italy and Poste Italiane confirm the same rule. The guide does not claim to know every account's ordinary transfer fee, which depends on the customer's contract.
Binding rule: instant-transfer charges cannot exceed those for the corresponding ordinary transfer
Regolamento (UE) 2024/886 sui bonifici istantanei in euro (opens in a new tab)
Unione europea — EUR-Lex · Public authority · Verified on 9 September 2026
Official text opened on 9 September 2026. Article 5b prevents higher charges for sending and receiving instant euro transfers than for corresponding transfers; this is the source for a maximum surcharge of zero.
Authority5/5
Bank of Italy confirmation that the price cannot exceed an ordinary transfer's cost
Bonifico istantaneo — L'economia per tutti (opens in a new tab)
Banca d'Italia · Public authority · Verified on 9 September 2026
The Bank of Italy financial-education page was opened on 9 September 2026. It confirms the price cap, settlement in under ten seconds and the irrevocable nature of an executed order.
Authority4/5
Poste confirmation that instant SEPA transfers cost the same as corresponding ordinary transfers
FAQ sui pagamenti — Poste Italiane (opens in a new tab)
Poste Italiane S.p.A. · Official tariff · Verified on 9 September 2026
Official FAQ opened on 9 September 2026. It was used as an operational cross-check from a payment provider, not to assign one tariff to every account.
Authority4/5
Revision history
First published on 9 September 2026 after checking Regulation (EU) 2024/886 and operational confirmation from the Bank of Italy and Poste Italiane.
- 9 September 2026
- 9 September 2026
- 9 December 2026
What did you actually pay?
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