Bankwest International Transfers: What's Actually Available

Bankwest has discontinued outward international transfers

Bankwest's own support page, under 'Sending money overseas,' states in full: 'Changes to international money transfers. You can use a third-party provider to send money overseas and complete an international money transfer' (bankwest.com.au/support/payments/international-payments, as at September 2026). That is the complete content of that section on Bankwest's own page — there is no Bankwest-branded outward transfer flow described anywhere else on it.

Bankwest is a division of Commonwealth Bank of Australia, but this particular service has not carried over between the two brands — a Bankwest customer cannot initiate an outward International Money Transfer the way a CommBank customer can. If you need to send money overseas and only hold a Bankwest account, you'll need either a separate account with a bank that still offers it, or a dedicated money transfer service.

What 'use a third-party provider' actually means

Bankwest's own page doesn't name a specific third-party provider — it leaves the choice to the customer. In practice, this means either opening an account with a specialist foreign exchange or remittance provider, or funding the transfer from a bank account you hold elsewhere that still offers outward international transfers (see our guides to CommBank, ANZ, Westpac and NAB international transfers for how those compare).

A specialist provider like OFX, for example, is built specifically around sending money overseas rather than as one feature inside a general transaction account — OFX's own site describes sending 'globally with bank-beating rates in 50+ currencies and to more than 170 countries' (ofx.com, as at September 2026), which is the kind of dedicated international transfer service Bankwest's own page is pointing customers toward.

Receiving money from overseas into a Bankwest account

Receiving still works, and it's free. Bankwest's own page states: 'It's free to receive international transfers into your Bankwest transaction account,' listing a receiving fee of $0 for a personal account (bankwest.com.au, as at September 2026). Give the sender the Bankwest SWIFT code BKWAAU6P and your 13-digit BSB and account number, entered with no spaces or dashes.

Bankwest also states it 'will absorb fees imposed by other financial institutions involved in foreign currency transfers (excluding AUD)' — though the beneficiary's own financial institution (the sender's bank, on their end) may still charge fees directly to their account before the payment reaches Bankwest at all.

Why there's no Bankwest transfer limit to quote

Because Bankwest no longer offers an outward international transfer service, it doesn't publish a daily or per-transaction sending limit either — there's no live product for a limit to attach to. Some older figures for a Bankwest outward transfer limit circulate elsewhere online; none of them appear on bankwest.com.au for a service that no longer exists, so none are repeated here.

What this means if you only bank with Bankwest

If Bankwest is your only Australian bank account and you need to send money overseas, the practical options are the same two Bankwest's own page points toward. First, open an account with a specialist international money transfer provider and fund it from your Bankwest account — this is a standard, separate account-opening process with the provider, not something Bankwest sets up on your behalf. Second, if you also hold, or can open, an account with a bank that still offers outward transfers (CommBank, ANZ, Westpac and NAB all do, with their own fees and limits set out in our guides to each), you can send from there instead.

Either way, your Bankwest account itself keeps working normally for everything else — everyday spending, direct debits, and receiving money from overseas as described above. It's specifically the outward international transfer flow that Bankwest has removed from its own online banking and app.

Bankwest as a division of CommBank: what does and doesn't carry over

Bankwest and CommBank are part of the same corporate group, but they run separate retail products, and this is one place that separation shows up directly. CommBank's own consumer brand still offers an International Money Transfer through NetBank and the CommBank app, with a published fee structure and a $5,000 branch minimum (see our CommBank international transfer guide). Bankwest's equivalent page, fetched the same day, contains no such flow — only the instruction to use a third-party provider.

If you're deciding between opening a new Bankwest account or a CommBank account specifically because you'll need to send money overseas, this is a genuine, current difference between the two brands worth knowing before you choose.

Can I send an international transfer through Bankwest online banking?

No. Bankwest's own support page states you can use a third-party provider to send money overseas — Bankwest itself no longer offers an outward international money transfer flow through online banking, the app, or a branch.

What is Bankwest's SWIFT/BIC code?

BKWAAU6P. You'll also need to give the sender your 13-digit BSB and account number, with no spaces or dashes.

Does Bankwest charge to receive money from overseas?

No. Bankwest's own page lists a $0 fee for receiving international transfers into a personal transaction account, and states it will absorb most fees imposed by other financial institutions in the process.

Is Bankwest the same as Commonwealth Bank for international transfers?

Bankwest is a division of Commonwealth Bank of Australia, but the two brands are not interchangeable here — CBA's own CommBank brand still offers an outward International Money Transfer through NetBank and the app; Bankwest does not.

What's the alternative if I only have a Bankwest account and need to send money overseas?

Bankwest's own page leaves the choice open — either a specialist foreign exchange or remittance provider, or a bank account you hold elsewhere that still offers outward international transfers, such as CommBank, ANZ, Westpac or NAB.

Does my everyday Bankwest account still work if I can't send international transfers from it?

Yes. Only the outward international transfer flow has been removed from Bankwest's online banking and app. Everyday spending, direct debits, and receiving money from overseas into a Bankwest account are unaffected.