Friday, 7 pm. A supplier is waiting for payment before delivering on Monday morning, and a standard transfer will only reach them after the weekend. In the other direction, a client wants to pay a deposit right away to secure a date. In both cases, an instant bank transfer settles it within seconds.
Since 2025, this type of transfer is no longer a paid extra offered by a few institutions. A European regulation has set its price, its availability and its checks. Here is how it works, what an instant transfer costs, how its limit is set, why it cannot be cancelled and what it is useful for in a business.
Key points:
- The SEPA instant credit transfer is a euro transfer executed in under 10 seconds, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, weekends and public holidays included.
- Since 9 January 2025, it cannot be charged more than a standard transfer of the same type.
- The European regulation sets no ceiling: it lets the customer set their own maximum amount, per day or per transaction, and change it at any time.
- Once executed, the order is irrevocable. Payee verification, mandatory since 9 October 2025, lets the payer check the name before paying.
What is an instant transfer?
An instant transfer is a transfer of funds in euros from one account to another, credited to the payee’s account within seconds. The Banque de France describes it as a SEPA transfer executed in under 10 seconds, available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. The term “instant payment” refers to the same thing. For the recipient, the money is available straight away: there is no processing time to wait for, neither in the evening nor on a Sunday.
The framework changed with the European regulation of 13 March 2024 on instant credit transfers in euros. Since 9 January 2025, payment service providers in the euro area must allow their customers to receive instant transfers. Since 9 October 2025, those that offer standard transfers must also allow their customers to send them. Payment institutions and electronic money institutions have until 9 April 2027 to offer sending and receiving. In practice, most euro accounts can now send and receive this type of transfer, with no action needed from the account holder.
Instant transfer or standard transfer
Both transfers use the same bank details, the recipient’s IBAN, and the same interface. What sets them apart is the timing, the hours and the option to go back:
| Criterion | Instant transfer | Standard SEPA transfer |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | Under 10 seconds | Usually one business day |
| Availability | 24/7, public holidays included | Processed on business days |
| Price | No dearer than a standard transfer since 9 January 2025 | According to the institution’s pricing |
| Cancelling | Not possible once executed | Sometimes possible before execution |
| Typical use | Urgent payment, deposit, evenings and weekends | Planned payment with no urgency |
The standard transfer is still the right tool for payments that are not pressing: an invoice due in 30 days, rent paid at the start of the month, an expense claim refund. Scheduled in advance, it leaves time to correct a mistake before it goes out. The instant transfer takes over as soon as timing matters, and since both now cost the same, the choice comes down to urgency, not price.
Limit and maximum amount
There is no single legal limit for an instant transfer. The European regulation provides something else: at the customer’s request, the institution must let them set a limit on the amount sent by instant transfer, per day or per transaction, and change it at any time before placing an order. An order above this limit is not executed, and the institution explains how to change it. The Banque de France adds that each institution can set its own maximum amount for sending, which can be changed at the customer’s request, to strengthen the security of this means of payment and prevent fraud. The instant transfer limit therefore varies from one institution to another.
Before a large payment, such as buying a vehicle, a piece of equipment or the balance on a building job, it is worth knowing the maximum amount of an instant transfer allowed on the account. It is usually shown in the app or in the pricing terms. If it is too low, there are two options: ask the institution to raise the limit for the payment, or use a standard transfer, which will arrive on the next business day. Splitting a payment into several transfers is possible too, but check first with the payee that this works for their bookkeeping.
Worth remembering: the instant transfer limit does not come from the law: it depends on the institution and on the one the customer has chosen. Check it before a large payment and change it if needed, which the European regulation allows at any time.
Is an instant transfer free?
The rule dates from 9 January 2025: the charges for an instant transfer cannot be higher than those for a standard transfer of the same type. An institution can no longer charge extra for speed. For individuals, the Banque de France notes that instant transfers are therefore usually free when sent from online banking, since standard online transfers often are.
For a business, the question becomes: what does a SEPA transfer cost on my plan? Some business offers include a number of transfers per month, others charge for each transfer above a quota, and others charge nothing at all. Whether an instant transfer is free therefore depends on the price of a standard transfer on your plan. Read the “SEPA transfers” line of the price list: since 2025, it applies to both.
How to make an instant transfer
Making an instant transfer takes less than a minute from a mobile app or an online banking area. The steps resemble those of a standard transfer, with two points to watch: choosing the instant option and reading the result of the payee verification.
Take the details from the invoice or the bank details sent by the payee. Note their name or company name too, exactly as it appears on their account. An IBAN received by email deserves an extra check.
In the transfer form, choose the instant option if it is not offered by default. Some institutions apply it automatically when the recipient’s bank accepts it.
Enter the amount, staying under the account limit, and a clear reference such as the invoice number. This reference helps the recipient match the payment.
Before you confirm, the institution compares the name you entered with the name of the IBAN holder. If the result flags a difference, stop and check with the payee through another channel.
Confirm the order with your strong authentication. The funds leave at once: keep the transfer receipt for your bookkeeping and for the recipient.
Can an instant transfer be cancelled?
No. With an instant transfer, executed orders are irrevocable: the credit to the payee’s account is final, as the Banque de France points out. That is what makes it a safe means of payment for the person receiving the money. For the sender, it means an instant transfer cannot be cancelled the way a standard transfer scheduled for the following week can.
After a mistake in the amount or the recipient, the steps are simple: contact your institution straight away with the date, the amount and the IBAN, then the payee themselves where they are known. The payee can then refund the money with a return transfer. The real protection comes earlier: the few seconds spent on payee verification prevent most mistakes.
Payee verification and fraud
Since 9 October 2025, institutions in the euro area must offer their customers a free payee verification service for all transfers, instant or not. Before execution, it compares the IBAN with the identity given by the payer: the name, the tax number or the SIREN number. The Banque de France strongly recommends using it, as it helps prevent fake bank details fraud, where a third party poses as a supplier and sends new bank details. Four habits complete this check:
These habits take little time and fit well into a team payment process. They also apply to a standard transfer, but they matter more when the money leaves within seconds and with no way back.
In short: an instant transfer cannot be cancelled, but payee verification lets you check the name before paying. A call to the supplier at the slightest change of IBAN is a useful addition to this check.
When to use it in a business
An instant bank transfer is most useful when a payment unlocks what comes next: a delivery, the start of an assignment, a booking. The situations where it saves time:
For regular payments, the standard transfer or the direct debit remain more practical. Rent, a subscription or scheduled salaries do not need to arrive in ten seconds: above all, they need to arrive on the right date. An efficient setup therefore combines the three means of payment according to the urgency of each transaction.
Instant transfers with Vivid
With the Vivid online business account, SEPA instant transfers are sent and received within seconds, provided the other party’s institution accepts this type of transfer. Standard SEPA transfers usually arrive within 1 business day. On price, the plans set it out line by line:
Scanning an EPC QR code on an invoice fills in the transfer details without typing, which reduces IBAN mistakes. For payments outside the euro area, international payments cover more than 30 currencies. The Free Start plan always comes with no monthly fee.
Vivid at a glance: SEPA instant transfers sent and received within seconds, free on company plans, free outgoing SEPA transfers on Freelancer plans and incoming transfers with no limit on number or amount. Scheduled transfers go out as instant transfers too.
Transfers that arrive within seconds
Open a Vivid business account online: free outgoing SEPA instant transfers, unlimited French IBANs and a Free Start plan with no monthly fee.
Frequently asked questions
How long does an instant transfer take?
Under 10 seconds. The SEPA instant transfer credits the payee’s account immediately, whatever the day or time. If the institution carries out an additional security check, the transfer can exceptionally take a little longer.
Can I make an instant transfer on a Sunday?
Yes. The service runs 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, Sundays and public holidays included. This is one of the main differences from a standard transfer, which is only processed on business days.
What is the maximum amount for an instant transfer?
No ceiling is set by law. The amount depends on your institution and on any limit you have chosen, per day or per transaction. The European regulation lets you set it and change it at any time. The instant transfer amount allowed on your account is shown in your app or in your pricing terms.
Do instant transfers cost money?
Their price is capped by that of a standard transfer of the same type: that has been the rule since 9 January 2025. If your plan does not charge for standard SEPA transfers, the instant transfer is free as well. At Vivid, outgoing SEPA instant transfers are free on all company plans.
Why is an instant transfer rejected?
Most often, the amount is above the account limit or the limit you have set. An insufficient balance or a receiving institution that does not yet accept this type of transfer can also block it. Depending on the institution, the payment can then go as a standard transfer. Check the error message, then your account limit.
What is the difference between an instant transfer and an immediate transfer?
A so-called immediate transfer is a standard transfer sent right away, as opposed to a transfer scheduled for a future date. It leaves at once, but it is processed within the usual timeframes, usually one business day. An instant transfer, by contrast, reaches the payee’s account within seconds.
How do I cancel an instant transfer?
Once executed, it cannot be cancelled: the order is irrevocable. If you make a mistake, contact your institution and the payee without delay to ask for a refund. To avoid it, check the name returned by payee verification before confirming.
This article is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal or banking advice. The rules on instant transfers are presented as published by the Banque de France; limits and conditions depend on each institution. Payment services are provided by Vivid Money S.A., an electronic money institution authorised by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) in Luxembourg, whose French branch is supervised by the Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution (ACPR).
