BPI international money transfer 2025

BPI offers a comprehensive international remittance service online and in branches. However, using your bank to make a transfer isn’t always the most cost effective or convenient choice. As well as paying a transfer fee there’s often a charge added to the international transfer exchange rate which pushes up the cost without you even realising.

Read on to learn how to send a BPI international bank transfer and the BPI international transfer fee that’ll apply. We’ll also cover how long your transfer will take, the details you need from your recipient, and some alternative services you may prefer. We’ll touch on Wise and PayPal as different providers which could offer a faster, more convenient or cheaper transfer.

BPI international money transfer comparison

In this guide we'll look in detail at how to send a BPI international money transfer, but before we do, let’s take a look at how BPI measures up against other specialist services like Wise and PayPal.

When you consider the cost of sending an international payment it’s important to know that there can be several different fees:

• A transfer fee - this is usually upfront and easy to spot, and can be a percentage or a flat charge

• Exchange rate fees - this may not be easy to see, and could be a percentage mark up or fee added into the rate you’re quoted

• Third party fees - such as correspondent bank fees if your payment is processed through the SWIFT network

To assess which is the best service to use for your international transfer it’s worth considering all possible fees, as well as the speed and convenience of making a payment.

Here’s a comparison of BPI against a couple of popular alternatives, imagining we are sending 50,000 PHP to someone in the US:

*Details correct at time of research - 29th October 2025 **The speed of transaction claims depends on individual circumstances and may not be available for all transactions

In this comparison you can see there’s a lot of variation in both the exchange costs and the transfer fees applied. Often where an exchange rate markup is added it can be around 3% - 4% which can mount up very quickly on higher value payments until it’s the most expensive of all the fees which apply. Finding a provider which has no exchange rate markups and which uses fair transparent charges, like Wise, can help keep down your overall costs. More on that in a moment.

BPI international transfer fees

The fees to transfer money abroad with BPI depend on the account you’re sending from, and in some cases, the recipient’s own bank’s policies. Here’s a summary:

*Details correct at time of research - 29th October 2025

BPI exchange rate

Different banks and providers set their own exchange rates for international remittances, which may include a markup. This is a fee which is added onto the mid-market exchange rate to calculate the retail rate offered to customers sending payments abroad.

Using a markup is very common but makes it hard to see what you’re really paying for your international money transfer. Even a small percentage on top of the mid-market rate can quickly add up to become a very large overall cost, which may mean you’re paying far more than you think when you send a payment abroad.

Here’s a reminder of the fees and exchange costs which apply to the providers we looked at earlier for a payment of 50,000 PHP to USD:

• BPI: 600 PHP + correspondent bank fees + possible exchange rate markup

• Wise: 201.16 PHP

• PayPal: 4.99 USD (about 293 PHP) + 3.4% if you use a card to pay +  4% conversion fee

BPI additional fees

BPI also lists the following additional possible fees when you send a money transfer:

• Correspondent / settlement bank charges which depend on remittance amount and currency

• Beneficiary bank charges which depend on the recipient’s own bank policies

These fees may not be known in advance and will be deducted from the payment while it is processed through the SWIFT network, which might mean your recipient gets less than you expect in the end.

Receiving money from abroad with BPI

There’s a fee tor receive an incoming remittance to BPI:

*Details correct at time of research - 29th October 2025

If you’d prefer to receive payments with no incoming fee you might like to look at an alternative like Wise which has options to receive incoming transfers with no additional cost. With Wise you get account details in 20+ currencies to get paid conveniently in foreign currencies. There’s no fee to receive a payment using your local account information in currencies including PHP, USD, GBP and EUR, and a small Wise fee to receive SWIFT in other available currencies or USD wire payments.

How long does a BPI international money transfer take

A BPI international money transfer will usually take 1 - 3 banking days to arrive. Ultimately the exact time it takes for any payment to arrive overseas depends on a number of factors including the value and currency of the payment, and any holidays or weekends which occur as the transfer is being processed.

Here’s a reminder of the delivery times which apply to the providers we looked at earlier:

• BPI: 1 - 3 days

• Wise: Often instant or within one hour

• PayPal: Transfers to other PayPal accounts may be quick or instant, withdrawing to a bank can take a couple of days

Pros and cons of transferring money abroad with BPI

Pros:

• Familiar and reliable provider

• Send money digitally or in a branch

• Most major currencies are supported

• Fixed transfer fees

Cons:

• Fees include possible exchange rate markups and third party costs

• Less common currencies may not be available

• Delivery may take up to 3 working days

Compare the options available to you with BPI against alternative providers. While BPI supports 19 currencies for transfer, a provider like Wise offers 40+ currencies, with low fees and delivery times which can be instant.

How to make an international transfer with BPI

You can make an international transfer with BPI digitally or through a branch.

To send a payment digitally you can take the following steps:

1. Open the BPI Outward Remittance page on their desktop site, or open the BPI Mobile app

2. Select the option to send now on the desktop site, or tap BPI Outward Remittance in the app

3. Follow the prompts to enter the details of the payment including recipient information and amount

4. Complete verification using the One-time PIN (OTP) sent to your registered mobile number

5. You will receive an email containing the transaction details.

If you would rather send a payment in a BPI branch you can also do so by completing the outward remittance from in triplicate and going to a branch with this and your ID documents to arrange the payment.

What information do you need to make an international transfer with BPI?

The information you’re prompted to add when sending a payment with BPI includes:

• Beneficiary name and address

• Beneficiary bank account number

• Beneficiary bank name and address

• Beneficiary bank SWIFT/BIC code

You’ll also be asked to confirm who will pay the correspondent charges.

If you’re sending a payment in a branch you might also be asked for additional documents proving the source of the funds.

Transfer limits and available countries

The BPI international transfer limit for digital payments is 500,000 PHP or 10,000 USD per transaction. There’s no limit on the number of transactions you can make daily, but each will incur the transfer fee. You can also send payments in a branch which may be subject to higher limits.

Online you can send the following currencies from a PHP account:

• USD, CAD, AUD, EUR, GBP, SGD, HKD

With a PHP account you can send all of the above, and also send NZD and JPY if you visit a branch.

If you have a USD account you can send the following currencies either online or in a branch:

• USD, CAD, AUD, EUR, GBP, SGD, HKD IDR, TWD, INR, CHF, CNY, THB, KRW, NOK, DKK, and SEK

BPI SWIFT code

The BPI SWIFT code is BOPIPHMMXXX

You may be asked for this SWIFT code if you’re receiving a payment to your BPI account from overseas. You can also check if this is the correct code for your specific account by logging into your online banking or asking a member of branch staff.

Conclusion

While using your bank may be the first choice that comes to mind when you need to send a payment abroad, other options exist. Banks like BPI offer a familiar and reliable service but may not be the cheapest or fastest choice out there.

You might prefer to use a digital provider like PayPal to send a transfer to another recipient’s PayPal account - or for a convenient transfer direct to a bank or ewallet account, try WIse. Wise supports dozens of currencies for sending payments and offers mid-market rates, low fees and very fast delivery times. Compare your options before you process your payment to make sure you get the very best deal for your specific needs.