BEN, SHA, OUR — the three charge options on a SWIFT wire and why picking the wrong one can leave your supplier short by €50. Plus faster, cheaper alternatives (SEPA, Wise, escrow).
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When you send a SWIFT wire to pay a supplier, your bank asks who covers the fees along the way. The three letters you pick — BEN, SHA, or OUR — decide whether the supplier receives the full invoice amount or a shortfall of €50 or more. Here’s what each one actually means.
The supplier absorbs every bank fee along the chain.
Effect: The supplier will receive less than the invoice amount. A €10,000 payment can arrive as €9,945 after three banks have taken their cut.
Use when: Rarely — most suppliers refuse BEN because they can't predict what they'll actually receive. Invoices get reopened for 'short-payment'.
Buyer pays the sending bank's fee. Supplier absorbs every downstream fee (intermediaries plus the receiving bank).
Effect: The most common option, and the most misunderstood. Buyers often assume 'shared' means 50/50 — it doesn't. The supplier still loses to intermediary bank deductions.
Use when: SEPA and most domestic wires inside the EU. For cross-continent wires it still causes shortfalls — pick OUR instead if you want a clean receipt.
| Leg of the journey | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Sending bank (SWIFT outgoing) | €15–€40 |
| Intermediary / correspondent bank(s) | €10–€30 each, 0–2 banks |
| Receiving bank | €0–€25 |
| Currency conversion spread (if applicable) | 0.5%–3% of the amount |
A single SWIFT wire often touches 1–3 banks between sender and receiver. Each one can deduct their own fee unless OUR is explicitly specified in the instruction.
EU/EEA, EUR only · Usually free or a few cents
Any EUR payment between EU banks — always use SEPA over SWIFT when both banks are in the SEPA zone.
EU/EEA, EUR only, participating banks · Free or a small flat fee
Time-critical wholesale deposits — arrives in 10 seconds, 24/7.
Global, multi-currency · ~0.3–0.6% FX spread, no intermediary fees
Smaller cross-border trades where SWIFT fees would eat the margin. Supplier receives the full stated amount.
Global · 1–3% of the trade value
Large first-time orders or disputed-risk suppliers — funds only release when goods are verified.
Every bank’s online wire form has a field labelled “Charges”, “Fee payer”, or “Charge option”. The three dropdown values map directly:
On a €500 sample order, a €40 wire fee is 8% of the invoice. On a €50,000 container, it’s 0.08%. Bank fees hurt small orders disproportionately — Wise, Revolut Business, or SEPA can save more than the freight on low-value deals.
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The buyer pays every bank fee along the chain. The supplier receives the full invoice amount.
Effect: Highest cost for the buyer (sometimes €40–€60 on top of the wire), but cleanest for the supplier — invoice is settled in full, no reconciliation needed.
Use when: Any cross-border payment where you want to avoid follow-up 'please top up €35' messages. Most international wholesale payments should use OUR.
