How to receive money on BPI from overseas 2025

BPI offers account holders ways to receive money from abroad, including deposits to a BPI account in either PHP or USD, depending on the account held, and ways to get your money locally in cash.

This guide answers key questions like what does it cost to receive money to BPI, and can BPI receive money from overseas on weekends, and also introduces some alternative options which may suit you better. Providers like Wise or PayPal can allow you to receive payments in a broad range of currencies which may be more flexible and mean you pay less in fees in the end.

Key points: BPI receive international transfer

• BPI can receive money from overseas as an account deposit or for cash collection through remittance partners

• You can receive money to your BPI account in the currency the account is denominated in - so a PHP account receives pesos, and a BPI USD account receives dollars

• There are incoming payment fees on BPI account deposits and when you collect your money as cash

• The speed of transfer depends a lot on the details of the payment including the bank or provider selected to process the transfer

• Alternative providers like Wise and PayPal allow you to receive incoming payments in more currencies, and often without receiving fees

How to receive an international transfer to BPI: Step-by-step instructions

Receiving an incoming payment to your bank account, or collecting your money in cash at a BPI partner is very easy - here are the basic steps to take:

1: Gather the information and documents needed: if you’re receiving money to your account, the sender needs your full name, address and account information. For cash collection transfers the exact requirements depend on the remittance partner selected but usually include getting your ID document ready to go collect your money.

2. Pass the required information to the sender: pass over your details to the person sending you money. Bear in mind that if you’re sharing sensitive financial information you should choose secure channels and be wary of fraud and scams.

3. The sender initiates the transfer: the person sending you money can now arrange the transfer through their bank or their preferred third party provider.

4. Receive your money: if the funds are being deposited to your bank there's nothing more to do. If you’re collecting your payment in cash you’ll need to go along to the agreed remittance partner’s office, with your ID and a reference number to get your cash.

How to receive money from overseas on BPI USD account 

To receive money from overseas to your BPI USD account you’ll still follow the process outlined above, but you must give the sender your USD account information. You can find this in your BPI app or by asking a  member of bank staff.

You can also receive USD payments with a Wise account. Wise offers US account information to receive local transfers through ACH, which have no Wise incoming payment fee. Or you can receive a USD wire transfer for a low per payment fee. Once you have your balance you can hold it as USD or convert to your preferred currency to send or spend, with the mid-market exchange rate. More on that later.

How to move the funds received on BPI to Gcash

To move your money from BPI to GCash you’ll first need to link your BPI account to your GCash account:

1. Open the GCash app, and tap "Cash In"

2. Tap “Local Banks”, then “Link Bank Account”, and BPI

3. Tap "Link now" and enter your BPI Online username and password

4. Verify via One-Time PIN (OTP)

 You’re now ready to cash in using your linked BPI account:

1. On the GCash app, tap "Cash In"

2. Tap “My Banks”, then “BPI”

3. Enter the amount to cash in and confirm with a OTP

BPI fees to receive international transfer

The BPI fees to receive international transfer depend on the account type you have:

*Details correct at time of research - 30th October 2025

Aside from the BPI fee, there can also be other costs which impact your incoming payment. Third party fees may be deducted as the payment is processed, which can reduce the amount you get in your account. Plus, as there is often a fee added to the currency conversion rate applied, this may mean you get less than expected if the payment needed to be exchanged from one currency to another at any point in the transfer.

If you’re receiving a payment in cash through a remittance partner, fees may also apply. In this case the costs are fixed by the remittance partner rather than BPI, so you’ll need to talk to the remittance center to understand what you may have to pay.

Compare the options and costs of receiving your payment with BPI against alternatives like Wise. Wise offers ways to receive foreign currencies with local or SWIFT account information. There’s no Wise fee to receive using local account information, and just a low charge when you receive a SWIFT payment or USD wire. Because Wise uses the mid-market rate for currency conversion you’ll then be able to get a great rate if you need to switch currencies to withdraw or spend your money later.

What are the fees to move the funds received on BPI to other banks ?

Once you have money in your BPI account you might want to send it overseas, or domestically to another bank in the Philippines. Here’s what you’ll pay:

*Details correct at time of research - 30th October 2025

What are the fees to move the funds received on BPI to other Providers?

When you move your funds from BPI to an ewallet like GCash or Maya you’ll pay any applicable fee from BPI, as well as any charge applied by the provider ewallet. If you send your payment using Instapay, BPI has a fee of 10 PHP. PesoNet transfers cost 50 PHP.

The receiving fee depends on the specific wallet selected. Maya has no receiving fee from BPI, but GCash does charge a fee of 15 PHP for incoming BPI payments.

Alternatives to BPI to receive international transfer

BPI offers familiar and reliable services for sending and receiving international remittances, but they may not be the cheapest or easiest to use.

BPI only allows you to receive funds in the currency your account is denominated in - usually PHP or USD. If you’re being sent money from abroad in a currency like GBP, EUR, AUD or SGD you might prefer to receive it in the foreign currency without being forced to convert to PHP. This means you can hold your balance in the currency you prefer and convert when you choose to.

Multi-currency accounts from providers like Wise offer the option to receive payments in foreign currencies which can be a flexible and low cost alternative to using BPI. You may also consider getting your sender to pass you your payment through PayPal which lets you receive money in 25+ currencies, or with a different bank like Landbank, which has a lower receiving fee than BPI for USD deposits to a USD account.

Here’s a quick summary of some alternatives to BPI for receiving money, with a little more detail coming right up after.

*Details correct at time of research - 30th October 2025

Wise

Open a Wise account online or in the Wise app, to hold 40+ currencies and get account details in 20+ currencies to get paid conveniently. 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. Once you have a payment you can hold it in your account and convert when you see a great exchange rate, or use your foreign currency balance to spend, pay bills or save for future use.

PayPal

PayPal supports 25+ currencies for payments and for holding, which means your recipient could send your payment in your preferred currency easily. The funds will be deposited to your PayPal account, and you can either use the money for online shopping, or convert it to PHP and withdraw to your linked bank account. A fee of 4% applies on currency conversion, which can be a drawback - but PayPal to PayPal payments are often deposited very quickly. To get paid all you need to give the sender is your email or phone number that was used to create your PayPal account.

Landbank

Landbank has savings accounts in USD and EUR, although EUR accounts can only be opened in select branches. If you want to receive an incoming payment you can have the sender transfer USD to your account, with an incoming payment fee of 5 USD - slightly cheaper than the fee applied by BPI. If the person sending you money transfers a different foreign currency it’ll be converted to the currency of your Landbank account, which might mean paying a conversion fee as well as any incoming payment fee.

What information is needed to receive a transfer BPI

If you’re receiving a payment to your BPI bank account you’ll need to give the sender some information to make sure your payment arrives safely.

BPI receive limits for incoming international transfers

BPI does not state any specific incoming payment limits. If you run into a limit when receiving a transfer, you’ll be notified, and can talk to the sender about the best way to process your payment instead.

You might find it’s easier to receive your incoming international transfer with an alternative provider which has high or no limits. Wise generally has no limit on the amount you can receive to your Wise account, for example, which makes it a convenient option for even high value payments.

How long does it take for BPI to receive an international transfer?

The length of time it takes to receive a payment from a bank overseas depends on the specific bank processing the payment. Other factors like the value of the transfer and the currency it’s sent in can also make a difference.

Generally, payments sent from one bank to another are processed through the SWIFT network. This involves several banks working together to process a transfer which is reliable but may not be fast - SWIFT payments can take 3 - 5 days in some cases.

Alternative providers have often built different systems to avoid SWIFT and make payments quicker. PayPal uses its own network to send money from one PayPal account to another, and Wise has built a network which allows it to deposit money to banks around the world without relying on SWIFT. This can mean payments are quick, or even instant.

How to track an incoming international transfer with BPI

If you’re unsure about the delivery time for your payment, you can start by talking to the sender who may be able to track the transfer through their own bank. Many banks allow you to log into your account to view the status of the payment - but this service is usually available to the sender rather than the recipient.

What can you do if your transfer is not delivered yet

If your payment hasn’t arrived and the sender’s bank says it has been processed, you can ask BPI for help.

To do this, send an e-mail to [email protected] or call into your local branch. You’ll need the following:

- Transfer reference

- Name of remitter

- Date of transaction

- Amount of remittance

The BPI team can then advise you of your options and help you find your payment.

Tax implications of receiving international transfers

Whether or not you need to pay tax on, or report, any incoming payment depends on the reason for the payment. If you’re receiving an income from abroad, for example, this may need to be reported and taxed in line with other income or salary.

Aside from this, there are also stamp duties paid when you receive a PHP incoming transfer, of 0.6 PHP for every 200 pesos received - these fees are deducted by your bank.

If you’re ever unsure about the tax implications of a payment, including whether or not you need to report your transfers, get professional advice.

Conclusion: BPI incoming international transfer 

You can receive a BPI incoming international transfer to your BPI account or as a cash payment through a remittance partner. Fees apply to you as the receiver, and the person sending money will usually also have fees to pay when they initiate the transfer.

Compare the options and costs for receiving a payment to BPI against alternatives like Wise. Wise offers local account information in a selection of major foreign currencies which lets the sender make a local transfer to you - which may be free or cheap for them. You’ll receive the payment in the sender’s home currency, with no Wise fee, and can then either hold your funds in the foreign currency, spend or send a payment with them, or convert them to PHP with the mid-market rate. All in all that might be more flexible and cheaper than using BPI.