How to avoid hidden fees when sending money abroad in 2025 using Wise Avoid These 5 Hidden Fees When Sending Money Overseas in 2025 In 2025, cross-border payments are easier than ever—but hidden fees still drain billions from users globally. Here are five stealth charges you need to avoid and how Wise is helping freelancers and remote workers keep more of their money. 1. Currency Conversion Fees (2–5%) Banks and traditional platforms often bake conversion markups into their “zero fee” claims. If you're getting paid in USD, EUR, or GBP, you might be losing up to 5% per transfer. 2. Double Charges from Intermediary Banks Legacy systems still route payments through 1–3 intermediary banks, each deducting a handling fee. Wise uses local account matching to eliminate this completely. 3. Swift Transfer Costs SWIFT transfers can cost up to $30 per transaction and delay delivery by days. Wise bypasses this using direct clearing routes for most currencies. 4. Receiving Account ...