St George, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA International Transfers: How They Work

How to send money overseas

All three brands offer the same process: send a foreign currency transfer directly from an eligible transaction account through Internet Banking or Mobile Banking, to over 130 countries. Each bank's own page states this in identical terms — the only thing that changes across the three sites is the bank's name in the boilerplate. There's no meaningful difference in the online journey depending on which of the three you use.

Fees

Each bank's own page states: "Transfers in a foreign currency via Internet Banking: AUD $0 fee per transaction" and "Transfers in Australian dollars via Internet Banking: AUD $20 fee per transaction." In other words, converting to the recipient's local currency avoids the fee entirely; sending in AUD and letting the receiving side convert it costs $20.

On top of that, an "Other Banks Fee" can be deducted along the way — each bank states that "in addition to the fees charged by [St George / BankSA / Bank of Melbourne] (and any conversion of proceeds) an international money transfer may also result in additional fees and charges being deducted by one or more other overseas banks involved."

How the exchange rate is set

No margin percentage is published on any of the three sites. Each bank's own wording is: "The exchange rates provided are applicable to foreign exchange products described on this website. The exchange rates are indicative only as at the time and date shown, are subject to market movements and therefore change continuously... They should not be relied upon as an accurate representation of any final pricing. You should contact [the bank] for up-to-date pricing prior to dealing."

All three also offer the same 'Do Not Convert' request: "If you do not want the currency to be converted, please insert the words 'Do Not Convert' in the description details free text box when you are making an international money transfer and we will on-forward this instruction." Each bank is explicit that this is a request passed along, not a guarantee — "[the bank] does not guarantee that this approach will be effective and takes no responsibility if an intermediary bank converts the funds."

Limits

All three brands publish the same figure: "There is a daily transfer limit of AUD $50,000 to international accounts." None of the three pages fetched for this article describes a self-service way to raise that limit — if $50,000 a day isn't enough for a particular transfer, contacting the bank directly is the next step rather than assuming an online setting will do it.

A separate rule applies to a specific list of countries: "Transfers to selected countries are only available for amounts AUD $1,000 and above." The countries named are Cambodia, Ghana, Indonesia, Laos, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam — this is a minimum for those corridors, not a limit, and each bank notes the list is "subject to change from time to time at our discretion."

Currencies and timing

Each bank supports 17 currencies for international transfers: GBP, NZD, USD, JPY, EUR, CAD, CHF, DKK, FJD, HKD, INR, NOK, PHP, SEK, SGD, THB and ZAR. Each site states: "International payments usually take 1-3 business days to reach the recipient, it may take longer depending on the country and receiving bank." None of the three publishes a specific cut-off clock time on the pages fetched — the 1–3 business day estimate is the only timing figure given.

Receiving money into a St George, BankSA or Bank of Melbourne account

All three share the same SWIFT/BIC code: SGBLAU2S — even though they're part of the Westpac group, this is St George's own code, not Westpac's. The account number format is a 15-digit number made up of your 6-digit BSB followed by your 9-digit account number.

None of the three sites fetched for this article states a separate fee for receiving an international payment — that's a genuine gap in what's published, not a confirmed $0, so it's worth confirming with the bank directly before assuming there's no receiving charge on your account.

When a specialist provider works differently

A flat $50,000 daily cap and 17 supported currencies is narrower than what a specialist FX provider typically offers, and none of the three retail sites mentions a negotiated-rate desk the way some other banks do. OFX, for one, publishes support for 50-plus currencies to more than 170 countries and a flat AU$15 fee on transfers under AU$10,000 — a genuinely different structure for a transfer that either falls outside these 17 currencies or needs to move more than $50,000 in a day.

Are St George, BankSA and Bank of Melbourne the same for international transfers?

Yes. All three are divisions of Westpac Banking Corporation, and their 'Send money overseas' pages publish identical fees, limits, currencies and wording — the process doesn't differ depending on which of the three brands your account is with.

How much does an international transfer cost with St George?

$0 per transaction if you send in a foreign currency through Internet Banking, or $20 per transaction if you send in Australian dollars. Other banks along the way may also deduct their own fees from the amount received.

What's St George's SWIFT/BIC code?

SGBLAU2S — the same code applies across St George, BankSA and Bank of Melbourne. Your account number for an incoming transfer is your 6-digit BSB followed by your 9-digit account number (15 digits in total).

What's the daily limit for an international transfer with these banks?

$50,000 per day to international accounts. None of the three banks' pages describes a self-service way to raise this — contact the bank directly if you need to send more.

Can I send money to any country from St George, BankSA or Bank of Melbourne?

These banks support 17 currencies to a wide range of destinations, but transfers to Cambodia, Ghana, Indonesia, Laos, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam are only available for amounts of AUD $1,000 or more.