Sending money back to Poland for Polish migrants and expats in the United Kingdom is a common requirement and, as with all things that involve personal finance, there are a big range of companies out there that will help you do it. Naturally, some ‘help’ themselves (to your money) more than they actually help you.

The Rules Around UK to Poland Money Transfers

Financial institutions offering bank-to-bank transfers within the European Union, are legally required to charge no more for the transfer than they would for a domestic transfer of the same value. There is a catch though – this only applies in countries that use the Euro as their currency or in countries that are members of the Union but use an alternative currency (such as the United Kingdom, and indeed Poland) in the event that the transfer is conducted entirely in Euros.

This is obviously complicated, as anyone earning money in the United Kingdom is most probably getting paid in Sterling and the costs of converting from Pounds to Euros and back at the other end can often outweigh the benefit of the reduced transfer fees. So unless both sender and recipient have Euro based accounts, then this is not really an option for this kind of transfer.

Bank to Bank Transfers, UK to Poland

If you intend to conduct a bank-to-bank transaction directly from Pounds to Polish Złoty, then you are going to be up for exactly the same international transfer fees that would apply if you were sending money further afield.

These are substantial and can easily eat up a significant percentage of smaller transfers. It’s also extremely important to remember that traditional banks will levy fees of this type at both ends of the transaction. This means that the intended recipient of the funds could easily find themselves getting quite a bit less than they were expecting to!

Brick and Mortar Remittance Services

The other option that you’ve got is to use remittance services that offer store fronts in the High Street. These are certainly a much cheaper option than going directly to a major bank or incurring the pain of multiple exchanges and the associated commissions. However, they may not always be your best choice for a couple of reasons.

They often won’t get the funds directly into a recipient’s bank account for example – this can cause problems for the person receiving the funds with the added headache of having to go out of their way to claim them. Aside from the convenience issue, their fees are often far higher than using an online service because they have to support far larger overheads.

Sending Money to Poland Online

Online transfer, direct to a bank account is almost always the most cost effective and fastest way to go. OrbitRemit offers a very fast and reliable service which comes at a flat rate – you can pay your remittance in Pounds Sterling and we will pay out in Polish Złoty directly to the recipient’s bank account within 1-3 business days. Check out our calculator at the right hand side of the page to see exactly what a transfer from the United Kingdom to Poland will cost (and how much of your money you’ll keep!).