International Payments - Terms and Conditions | Ulster Bank

Ulster Bank - Terms and Conditions

Payment and International Banking Charges

Payment and International Banking Charges (effective from 14th May 2021)

Terms and Conditions

Please read the Terms and Conditions carefully. These Terms and Conditions explain the Account Holder’s rights and responsibilities and those of the Bank in respect of the Bank sending a payment on your behalf. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions affects the operation of the Account Holder’s account(s) with the Bank, which is governed by separate Terms and Conditions which shall prevail in the event of a dispute between the two.

1.  In these Terms and Conditions, the following words and expressions shall have the following meanings: ‘Account Holder’ means the association, company, individual, partnership, society or sole trader requesting a payment to be made by the Bank indicated by the account holder in the Payment Application Form, and any reference to Applicant in this form shall be taken to have the same meaning as Account Holder; ‘Agent’s Charges’ are the charges levied by the other financial institutions involved in the Payment. Ulster Bank Ireland DAC has no control over these; ‘Bank’ means Ulster Bank Ireland DAC; ‘Beneficiary’ means the intended payee of, and as stated on, the Payment; ‘BIC’ means the international recognised Bank Identifier Code; ‘Booked Payment’ means any payment or transfer received or made in a different currency from the currency of your account, where either the amount of such payment or transfer is equal to or greater than £100,000 (or its equivalent) or we otherwise classify that payment or transfer as a booked payment at our discretion; ‘Europe’ is defined as Member States of the European Union, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway; ‘IBAN’ is the International Bank Account Number that is used to identify the Beneficiary’s account; ‘NatWest Markets’ means NatWest Markets Plc (a non-ring-fenced bank within the NatWest Group) and its successors, transferees and assigns; ‘NWM Terms of Business’ means the NatWest Markets Booked Payment FX Terms as amended from time to time, the current version of which is available here: https://ci.natwest.com/media/6262/booked_payment_fx_terms-december-2020.pdf . ‘Payment’ means the international payment to be made on behalf of the Account Holder as indicated by the Account Holder in the Payment Application Form; ‘SEPA’ means Single Euro Payments Area. Includes all European Economic Area countries plus Monaco, San Marino and Switzerland; ‘SWIFT’ means the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications.

2.  The Bank’s responsibility – reasonable care will be exercised by the staff of the Bank. Should such care not be exercised then, subject and without prejudice to the limits on the liability of the Bank pursuant to Clause 4, the Bank will be responsible for any loss of a kind that would ordinarily be expected to occur. This includes interest but not loss of contracts or profits or other indirect or consequential loss.

3.  The Account Holder is responsible for the accuracy of the Payment instructions, including the Beneficiary’s account number/IBAN, full name and address and for non-SEPA payments, the Beneficiary’s Bank’s BIC. If payment instruction information is not provided, or is incorrect, incomplete or illegible, the Bank reserves the right to return the payment. The Bank shall not be liable for any loss occasioned by the Account Holder as a result of this failure to provide accurate Payment instructions. In the event that a currency payment is returned to us by the receiving bank, the funds will be credited to the account from which the payment was made. If this is in a different currency to the currency of the payment, the returned funds will be converted at the exchange rate applicable on the day they are credited to the account. This may mean that the credit to the account is of greater or lesser value than the original debit.

4.  The Bank does not accept liability for any delay in transit or for any failure in the payment reaching the intended Beneficiary’s account, unless such delay or failure is caused by the negligence of the Bank. The liability of the Bank under this Clause 4 shall be limited to that provided for in Clause 2. Notwithstanding any other provision of these Terms and Conditions, the Bank shall have no liability for, and may delay or refuse to process or proceed with processing any payment, without giving notice or reason to the sender or the beneficiary if (i) in its opinion it is prudent to do so in the interest of crime prevention or following advice from any governmental or regulatory (in each case either domestic or international) authority; or (ii) such delay or refusal is a consequence of the checks carried out as part of the proper operation of the Bank’s payment processing systems.

5.  Subject to clause 6 and unless otherwise agreed, in the case of a foreign exchange transaction, the rate of exchange applied to the Payment will be that used by the Bank on the date of processing. Therefore, unless a specific pre-agreed rate and reference are quoted, foreign currency transfers will be converted at the Bank’s prevailing rate at the time the transaction is processed by the Bank.

6.1   When you make or receive a Booked Payment, you appoint and authorise us, on your behalf as agent, to enter into a foreign currency conversion transaction with NatWest Markets under the NWM Terms of Business in relation to that Booked Payment. This means that you will be in a direct legal relationship with NatWest Markets under the NWM Terms of Business, and NatWest Markets will be responsible for the foreign currency conversion and delivery to us of the required foreign currency.    

6.2   When executing a booked payment, we will transfer funds out of your account (or in the case of a received booked payment, out of the funds received) to NatWest Markets, and NatWest Markets will be under an obligation, in accordance with the NWM Terms of Business, to transfer the corresponding amount of the foreign currency to fund the booked payment (or, in the case of a received booked payment, to fund the credit to your account). We will still be responsible for the settlement of your funds to the beneficiary account once we have received the converted foreign currency funds from NatWest Markets.

6.3   The exchange rate applied under the foreign currency conversion will be based on a rate provided by NatWest Markets, in accordance with the NWM terms of Business, adjusted to build in a margin, part of which will be paid back to us by NatWest Markets.

6.4   In relation to a Booked Payment, we will not be able to act on an instruction if NatWest Markets does not hold sufficient funds with us in the relevant currency to make the foreign currency conversion.

6.5   In relation to booked payments, the Bank will not be responsible for any acts or omissions of NatWest Markets under the NWM Terms of Business.

7   Unless otherwise agreed, charges to be paid by the Account Holder will be debited to the account from which the Payment is being made. Please refer to Clause 8.

8   In order to make this payment through the banking payments system, the Bank may require to transfer relevant personal information to third parties. This may mean that such personal information will be transferred to countries which do not provide the same level of protection for your personal information as the Republic of Ireland. By giving this instruction (signing this form) you agree to this and you are authorised to instruct the Bank to transfer personal information relating to other individuals named. Information transferred to these third parties may subsequently be accessed and used by law enforcement agencies and other authorities to prevent and detect crime and comply with legal obligations.

9   For details of amounts we will charge you for sending payments on your behalf, please refer to ‘Schedule of Services – Payment & International Banking Charges’ available from branches, your Relationship Manager or from www.ulsterbank.ie. If there are any changes to these charges, we will give you at least 30 days’ notice.

10  If you are not happy with any of our products and services, we have a complaint handling procedure that you can use to resolve such matters. You can write to us at Payment & International Banking Services, Ulster Bank Ireland DAC, Ulster Bank Group Centre, George’s Quay, Dublin 2. If you are still not satisfied after following our procedures, you can ask the Financial Services Ombudsman to review the complaint. Write to: Financial Services Ombudsman Bureau, 3rd floor, Lincoln House, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2 or telephone LoCall: 1890 88 90 20, Tel: 01-6620899, Fax: 01-6620890 or email: enquiries@financialombudsman.ie

Ulster Bank Ireland DAC. A private company limited by shares, trading as Ulster Bank, Ulster Bank Group, Banc Uladh, Lombard and Ulster Bank Invoice Finance. Registered in Republic of Ireland. Registered No 25766. Registered Office: Ulster Bank Head Office, Block B, Central Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, D18 N153. Ulster Bank Ireland DAC is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Calls may be recorded.

Payment and International Banking Charges (effective from 13th June 2017)

1.International Drafts and Payments – Euro

- Sale of Foreign Euro Drafts*:

  • 0.75% of value issued
  • Minimum €6.35
  • Maximum €31.74

*A foreign euro draft is a Euro denominated draft drawn on a bank in a participating country other than the Republic of Ireland.

- Stop payments advice: €5.08

Fees for all euro payments to European Union (EU) countries/European Economic Area (EEA).

In order to qualify for these payment charges, payment application must indicate Ulster Bank’s charges for account of applicant and foreign bank(s) charges for account of beneficiary.

- Urgent Payment (same day value)

  • Paper/Chip and PIN* Request: €24.50
  • Electronic payment (Anytime Internet Banking) – subject to daily payment limits: €18.38
  • Electronic payment (Bankline/International Cash Management– Business customers only): €18.38

- Next day value payment (standard transfer)

  • Chip and PIN* Request – up to €13,000: €0.00
  • Chip and PIN* Request– over €13,000: €0.51
  • Paper Request: €0.51
  • Electronic payment (Anytime Internet Banking) – subject to daily payment limits: No Charge
  • Electronic payment (Bankline/International Cash Management – Business customers only): €0.38

Fees for euro payments to non EU/EEA countries

- Urgent payment

  • Paper/Chip and PIN* Request Payments < €5,001: €19.05
  • Paper/Chip and PIN* Request Payments >/= €5,001: €24.50
  • Electronic payment (Anytime Internet Banking) Payments < €5,001: €19.05
  • Electronic payment (Anytime Internet Banking) Payments >/= €5,001– subject to daily payment limits: €24.50
  • Electronic payment (Bankline/International Cash Management – Business customers only) Payments < €5,001: €14.29
  • Electronic payment (Bankline/International Cash Management – Business customers only) Payments >/= €5,001: €18.38

- Non-urgent payment (standard transfer)

  • Paper/Chip and PIN* Request: €0.51
  • Electronic payment (Anytime Internet Banking) – subject to daily payment limits: €0.51
  • Electronic payment (Bankline/International Cash Management– Business customers only): €0.38

- Cut-off times for payments

  • Paper (via branches): 1.00pm
  • Paper (direct): 2.00pm
  • Electronic – International Cash Management (Business Customers Only): 2.00pm
  • Anytime Internet Banking: 3.00pm
  • Chip and PIN* (via branches) 3.00pm

- Inward Payments – in favour of:

  • Non Ulster Bank Accounts Telephone Advice of Individual: €10.00
  • Payment received: €2.00

2.International Drafts and Payments – Non Euro

- Drafts

  • €3.81 per draft
  • Stop payments advice: €5.08

- Outward Payments (i.e. Telegraphic Transfers)

  • Paper/Chip and PIN* Request Standard Payment: €0.00
  • Paper/Chip and PIN* Urgent Payment: €12.70
  • Anytime Internet Banking Standard Payment: €0.00
  • Anytime Internet Banking Urgent Payment: €12.70
  • Bankline Payment Standard Payment: €0.00
  • Bankline Payment Urgent Payment €9.52

- Inward Payments – in favour of:

  • Ulster Bank accounts up to €126.97: Free
  • Thereafter: €6.00
  • Non-Ulster Bank accounts: €10.00
  • Telephone Advice of Individual Payment received: €2.00
  • Trace on a correctly processed payment: €7.50

Note: Ulster Bank Accounts, e.g. Current Accounts/Savings Accounts. Agents’ charges may also be applicable. These are charges levied by the other financial institutions involved in the Payment and they are outside the control of Ulster Bank. *PIN: Personal Identification Number.

3. Bureau de Change

- Sales

  • Foreign currency notes:
  •     1% of value issued
  •     Minimum: €0.32
  •     Maximum: €2.54

- Purchases

  • Foreign currency notes:
  •     1% of value issued
  •     Minimum: €0.32
  •     Maximum: €2.54
  • Unpaid Foreign Cheques: €6.35

- Cheques and Travellers Cheques

  • Non Euro Currencies:
  •     1% of value issued
  •     Minimum: €0.32
  •     Maximum: €2.54
  • Euro Currencies
  •     1% of value issued
  •     Minimum: €3.81
  •     Maximum: €38.09

Note: Bureau de Change services are provided free of charge to student customers (full-time student account holders in third level education) and Graduate Package account holders. Agent charges relate to handling and administrative fee’s applied by another institution. These charges are subject to terms and conditions held between Ulster Bank and such agent. These charges may vary.

4. Collections

- Import

  • Clean or Documentary
  •     0.3% of value
  •     Minimum: €38.09
  •     Maximum: €126.97
  • Issue of Release notes: €25.39

- Export

  • Clean or Documentary
  • 0.15% of value
  • Minimum: €12.70
  • Maximum: €63.49

- Cheque Collections

  • Import: €12.70 per item
  • Export: €12.70 per item

5. Bonds, Guarantees and Standby Letters of Credit

- Bonds, Guarantees and Standby Letters of Credit

  • Subject to arrangement

Note: In addition to the charges outlined in this brochure Out of Pocket expenses (e.g. courier charges, SWIFT*** transmission charges and third party expenses) may also apply.

*** SWIFT: Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.

6. Documentary Credits

- Import

€0.25 per €100 for each 3 months, or part thereof, on the value of the credit outstanding at the beginning of each 3 month period.

  • Minimum: €38.09
  • Amendment: €12.70
  • Acceptances: 1.5% per annum
  • Examination of Documents: No charge

- Export

  • Pre-advising a credit: €25.39
  • Advising without adding confirmation: €76.18
  • Adding our confirmation: Subject to arrangement. Minimum €76.18
  • Amendments: €38.09 per amendment
  • Payments/Negotiations: 0.3% of value. Minimum €76.18
  • Acceptances/Bill Discounting: Subject to arrangement.

Note: In addition to the charges outlined in this brochure Out of Pocket expenses (e.g. courier charges, SWIFT*** transmission charges and third party expenses) may also apply.

*** SWIFT: Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.

7. International Accounts

- Administration Fee Half-Yearly (Current Account only)

  • Sterling Accounts: £75.00
  • Other Currencies*: €150.00
  • Lodgements for Sterling accounts: £0.60
  • Cheques paid on Sterling Accounts: £0.50

- Duplicate Statements

  • First Sheet STG A/c’s: £2.75
  • First Sheet USD A/c’s: $5.00
  • First Sheet *Other Currencies: €4.00
  • Each Subsequent Sheet STG A/c’s: £1.75
  • Each Subsequent Sheet USD A/c’s: $3.00
  • Each Subsequent Sheet *Other Currencies: €2.60

- General Account Charges

  • Unpaid Cheques Inward STG A/c’s: £4.25
  • Unpaid Cheques Inward USD A/c’s: $9.00
  • Unpaid Cheques Inward *Other Currencies: €6.35
  • Copy Cheque STG A/c’s: £1.00
  • Stop Cheque STG A/c’s: £8.50
  • Cash Transactions**: 0.5%

*Fees for other International currency accounts will be charged at the euro equivalent of the fees and charges listed in the International currency of the account. Foreign currency rates of exchange are displayed or will be quoted by staff at branches. The rates are also available on the Bank’s website www.ulsterbank.ie

**The cut-off time for cash transactions to these accounts is 2.00pm, cash transacted after this time will be deemed to have been received on the next business day.

8. Commercial Cards

This section applies to business customers only.

- Business Card

  • Annual Fee (per card): €30.00
  • Foreign Exchange Fee: 2.00%
  • Cash Advance: 1.75% (min €2.54)
  • Late Payment Interest (min €3.00)
  • Late Payment Fee €8.50
  • Copy statement €4.00
  • Unpaid Direct Debit Fee €8.50
  • Government Stamp Duty €30.00 (per card)

- Ulster Bank OneCard

  • Annual Fee (per card): €50.00
  • Foreign Exchange Fee 2.00%
  • Cash Advance 1.5% (min €2.54)
  • Late Payment Interest 2% per month (min €3.00)
  • Late Payment Fee €8.50
  • Copy Statement €4.00
  • Unpaid Direct Debit Fee €8.50
  • Extended Payment Period (centrally billed): 7 days-0%, 14 days-0.45%, 21 days-0.55%, 25 days-0.60%, 28 days-0.70%
  • Extended Payment Period (individually billed): 14 days-0%, 21 days-0.55%, 25 days-0.60%, 28 days-0.70%
  • Government Stamp Duty: €30.00 (per card)

- Ulster Bank Purchasing Card

  • Annual Fee (per card): €35.00
  • Foreign Exchange Fee 2.00%
  • Cash Advance 1.5%
  • Late Payment Interest 2% per month (min €3.00)
  • Late Payment Fee €8.50
  • Copy Statement €4.00
  • Unpaid Direct Debit Fee €8.50
  • Extended Payment Period (centrally billed): 7 days-0%, 14 days-0.25%, 21 days-0.50%, 25 days-0.75%, 28 days-1.00%
  • Extended Payment Period (individually billed): N/A
  • Government Stamp Duty: €30.00 (per card)

- Business Debit

Transaction type (inside the Eurozone)

Cash withdrawal at an ATM:

  • No Card Fee*
  • No Exchange Rate Transaction Fee

Cash withdrawal in any Ulster Bank, RBS Group, NatWest Branch:

  •     No Card Fee*
  •     No Exchange Rate Transaction Fee

Using your card in any other banks, travel agents, bureau de change or other outlets displaying the Visa Logo:

  • No Card Fee*
  • No Exchange Rate Transaction Fee

Foreign currency withdrawal from a cash machine which is not an RBS, NatWest or Ulster Bank cash machine:

  • Card Fee* is 2% of transaction amount (min €3, max €12)
  • Exchange Rate Transaction Fee is 1.5% of transaction amount

Point of Sale Transactions:

  • No Card Fee*
  • No Exchange Rate Transaction Fee

Purchasing foreign currency or travellers cheques using your debit card in any RBS or NatWest Branch:

  • Card Fee*: Standard Bank charges may apply.
  • Exchange Rate Transaction Fee: Standard Bank commission rates may apply

Using your card in any other banks, travel agents, bureau de change or other outlets displaying the Visa Logo:

  • Card Fee*: Standard Bank charges may apply
  • Exchange Rate Transaction Fee: Standard Bank commission rates may apply

Transaction type (outside the Eurozone)

Cash withdrawal at any RBS owned ATM located in the following regions: Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland, NatWest in England and Wales and RBS in Scotland

  • No Card Fee*
  • No Exchange Rate Transaction Fee***

Cash withdrawal which is not at the following ATM locations – Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland, RBS in Scotland, and NatWest in England and Wales **

  • Card Fee* is 2% of transaction amount (min €3, max €12)
  • Exchange Rate Transaction Fee is 1.5% of transaction amount

Purchasing foreign currency or travellers cheques using your Debit Card***

  • Card Fee* is 1% of transaction amount (min €0.25, max €6)
  • Exchange Rate transaction fee is 1% of transaction amount (min €0.25, max €6)

Purchases (point of sale transaction)

  • Card Fee* is 1% of transaction amount (min €0.25, max €6)
  • Exchange Rate Transaction Fee is 1% of transaction amount (min €0.25, max €6)

*Standard Current Account Transaction Charges may apply as per Guide to Business Current Account Fees.

**Local banks may charge a fee

***Transaction is converted into Euro at a rate determined by Ulster Bank

A Government Stamp Duty charge of 12 cent is applied to each domestic cash withdrawal made at an ATM. The total fee paid per annum per card is capped at €2.50 on ATM only cards and €5 on combined ATM and debit cards, and is applied annually in January.

9. Bankline

Bankline gives online visibility of up to 999 of your domestic and international business accounts Real time balance and transaction reporting.

- Unlimited payment volumes

  • Monthly Subscription fee: €5
  • Standard Domestic Payment: €0.38
  • Same Day Domestic Payment: €18.38
  • International Payments: 25% discount on the paper payment pricing

There are two optional services available through Bankline

- Bankline SEPA Money Transfer*

- Payments per file €3.40

- Payments per item €0.05

* Bankline SEPA Money Transfer offers customers an optional service to process high volume SEPA online payments and collect SEPA Direct Debits through the SEPA Direct Debit scheme. This service is subject to availability. It has separate terms and conditions and transaction charges will also apply.

- Statement Download* 

Ability to generate downloadable files to assist with auto-reconciliation

Reports include additional account detail e.g. transaction codes.

Provide filtered account reports e.g. cheque only reports.

- Generation of download per file €25.00

* Bankline Statement Download offers customers an optional service to generate downloadable files. This service is subject to availability and has separate terms and conditions. Transaction charges will also apply.

10. Network (SWIFT Balance and Transaction reporting)

MT940 – End of Day Balance and Transaction Reporting:

Reporting up to 5 accounts: €25.00 per account per month

Reporting 6 or more accounts: €12.50 per account per month (on all accounts).

MT941 – Intraday Balance Information/ MT942 – Intraday Transaction Information:

Reporting up to 5 accounts: €12.50 per account per month

Reporting 6 or more accounts: €6.25 per account per month (on all accounts).

11. Merchant Services

Merchant Services is provided by WorldPay.

For more information on fees and charges, please visit www.worldpay.com/ireland 

Note:

1. Major Foreign Currency Rates of Exchange are displayed or will be quoted by staff at branches. These rates are also available on the Bank’s website www.ulsterbank.ie

2. In addition to the charges outlined in this brochure Out of Pocket expenses (e.g. courier charges, SWIFT*** transmission charges and third party expenses) may also apply.

Ulster Bank provides an extensive range of products and services which support import and export activity.

Our product range includes:

  • International Payments
  • Foreign Currency Accounts
  • Foreign Currency Loans
  • Documentary Credits
  • Collections
  • Bonds and Guarantees
  • Bill Discounting

*** SWIFT: Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.

Important Information:

Terms and conditions apply in respect of products and services outlined. Fees outlined in this brochure apply to all accounts, irrespective of whether or not the account is maintained in debit or credit. Information correct as at 01 February 2016 and is subject to change.

For further Current Account charges please see ‘A Guide to Personal Accounts Fees and Interest’ or ‘A Guide to Business Current Account Fees’ brochures, available at your Business Centre/Branch.

To find out more:

Call into your local branch or visit www.ulsterbank.ie

Braille, large print and audio 

This brochure is also available in Braille, large print, audio or on disk. Please contact your local branch for details or Textphone 1800 924 615.

Set Tab for lightbox