Corridor GBP → ZAR · British pound to South African rand
What does it cost to send British pounds to South Africa?
On 16 October 2026, the most a recipient in South Africa got for 1,000 GBP was 21,798.62 ZAR via Wise: a true cost of 7.15 GBP (0.71%) including fee and rate markup. The last of 9 quotes cost 3.54%.
Transfer cost receipt · GBP → ZAR
Most to the recipient: Wise transfer service
- You send
- 1,000.00 GBP
- Upfront fee
- −7.15 GBP
- Amount converted
- 992.85 GBP
- Rate given
- 21.9556
- Mid-market when quoted
- 21.9556
- Exchange-rate markup inside the rate
- 0.00 GBP 0.00%
- True total cost
- 7.15 GBP 0.71%
- Recipient gets
- 21,798.62 ZAR
Picking the last quote in this ledger (Nationwide) instead would leave the recipient 622.18 ZAR short.
Snapshot indicative quotes retrieved 16 Oct 2026, 17:03 UTC. Quote collected 16 Oct 2026, 17:03 UTC; provider delivery estimate ~3 days. Source: Wise public comparison data.
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Every quote for 1,000 GBP → ZAR
Sorted by what the recipient gets. “True cost” adds the upfront fee to the money lost in the exchange rate versus the mid-market rate at the time each quote was collected.
| Provider | Upfront fee | Rate markup | True cost | Cost % | Recipient gets | vs best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Wiseservice | 7.15 GBP | 0.00% | 7.15 GBP | 0.71% | 21,798.62 ZAR | best |
| 2. Remitlyservice | 1.49 GBP | 1.14% | 12.83 GBP | 1.28% | 21,672.42 ZAR | −126.20 ZAR |
| 3. Western Unionservice | 1.99 GBP | 1.59% | 17.82 GBP | 1.78% | 21,562.99 ZAR | −235.63 ZAR |
| 4. RBSbank | 0.00 GBP | 2.19% | 21.91 GBP | 2.19% | 21,473.05 ZAR | −325.57 ZAR |
| 5. NatWestbank | 0.00 GBP | 2.19% | 21.91 GBP | 2.19% | 21,473.05 ZAR | −325.57 ZAR |
| 6. Xoomservice | 2.99 GBP | 2.34% | 26.30 GBP | 2.63% | 21,376.64 ZAR | −421.98 ZAR |
| 7. OFXservice | 7.00 GBP | 2.10% | 27.84 GBP | 2.78% | 21,342.96 ZAR | −455.66 ZAR |
| 8. Monesebank | 30.00 GBP | 0.08% | 30.77 GBP | 3.08% | 21,278.51 ZAR | −520.11 ZAR |
| 9. Nationwidebank | 15.00 GBP | 2.07% | 35.42 GBP | 3.54% | 21,176.44 ZAR | −622.18 ZAR |
| Set aside, not ranked (2): see methodology | ||||||
| HSBCcollected 73 h before retrieval | 0.00 GBP | 0.89% | — | — | 21,758.92 ZAR | — |
| Barclayscollected 78 h before retrieval | 0.00 GBP | 2.71% | — | — | 21,359.29 ZAR | — |
Does the cheapest option change with the amount?
| You send | Most to recipient | Best cost | Worst cost | Recipient gets (best) | Gap best vs worst | Quotes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 GBP | Wise | 1.67% | 9.42% | 4,317.79 ZAR | 340.49 ZAR | 9 |
| 1,000 GBP | Wise | 0.71% | 3.54% | 21,798.62 ZAR | 622.18 ZAR | 9 |
| 5,000 GBP | Wise | 0.53% | 3.08% | 109,201.45 ZAR | 2,808.92 ZAR | 9 |
What the GBP → ZAR numbers show
- Wise delivered the most at every snapshot amount (200.00 GBP, 1,000.00 GBP, 5,000.00 GBP).
- At 200.00 GBP, true cost ranged from 1.67% (Wise) to 9.42% (Nationwide); the recipient would get 340.49 ZAR less with the last quote than with the first.
- Banks listed for this corridor averaged 2.75% in true cost at 1,000.00 GBP, against 1.84% for non-bank transfer services; on average 65% of the banks' cost sat inside the exchange rate rather than in a stated fee.
- 2 of 9 quotes at 1,000.00 GBP charged no upfront fee but priced in a rate markup above 0.5%, so “no fee” did not mean free.
How does the quoted mid-market rate compare with the ECB reference?
The European Central Bank reference rate for GBP/ZAR on 16 October 2026 was 21.9150. The mid-market rate implied by the top quote at its collection time was 21.9556, a difference of 0.19%. ECB rates are published once per working day around 16:00 CET, so they drift from live market rates during the day; RateRunner uses them only as a cross-check, never to rank providers.
Every quote for 200 GBP → ZAR
| Provider | Upfront fee | Rate markup | True cost | Cost % | Recipient gets | vs best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Wiseservice | 3.34 GBP | 0.00% | 3.34 GBP | 1.67% | 4,317.79 ZAR | best |
| 2. Remitlyservice | 1.49 GBP | 1.14% | 3.74 GBP | 1.87% | 4,308.61 ZAR | −9.18 ZAR |
| 3. NatWestbank | 0.00 GBP | 2.19% | 4.38 GBP | 2.19% | 4,294.61 ZAR | −23.18 ZAR |
| 4. RBSbank | 0.00 GBP | 2.19% | 4.38 GBP | 2.19% | 4,294.61 ZAR | −23.18 ZAR |
| 5. Western Unionservice | 1.99 GBP | 1.63% | 5.21 GBP | 2.60% | 4,276.47 ZAR | −41.32 ZAR |
| 6. Monesebank | 6.00 GBP | 0.08% | 6.15 GBP | 3.08% | 4,255.70 ZAR | −62.09 ZAR |
| 7. Xoomservice | 2.99 GBP | 2.64% | 8.19 GBP | 4.10% | 4,210.91 ZAR | −106.88 ZAR |
| 8. OFXservice | 7.00 GBP | 2.10% | 11.05 GBP | 5.52% | 4,148.23 ZAR | −169.56 ZAR |
| 9. Nationwidebank | 15.00 GBP | 2.07% | 18.84 GBP | 9.42% | 3,977.30 ZAR | −340.49 ZAR |
| Set aside, not ranked (2): see methodology | ||||||
| HSBCcollected 73 h before retrieval | 0.00 GBP | 0.89% | — | — | 4,351.78 ZAR | — |
| Barclayscollected 78 h before retrieval | 0.00 GBP | 2.71% | — | — | 4,271.86 ZAR | — |
Every quote for 5,000 GBP → ZAR
| Provider | Upfront fee | Rate markup | True cost | Cost % | Recipient gets | vs best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Wiseservice | 26.26 GBP | 0.00% | 26.26 GBP | 0.53% | 109,201.45 ZAR | best |
| 2. Remitlyservice | 1.49 GBP | 1.14% | 58.26 GBP | 1.17% | 108,491.46 ZAR | −709.99 ZAR |
| 3. OFXservice | 0.00 GBP | 1.17% | 58.49 GBP | 1.17% | 108,486.31 ZAR | −715.14 ZAR |
| 4. Western Unionservice | 1.99 GBP | 1.59% | 81.24 GBP | 1.62% | 107,986.92 ZAR | −1,214.53 ZAR |
| 5. RBSbank | 0.00 GBP | 2.19% | 109.56 GBP | 2.19% | 107,365.27 ZAR | −1,836.18 ZAR |
| 6. NatWestbank | 0.00 GBP | 2.19% | 109.56 GBP | 2.19% | 107,365.27 ZAR | −1,836.18 ZAR |
| 7. Xoomservice | 2.99 GBP | 2.14% | 110.06 GBP | 2.20% | 107,354.34 ZAR | −1,847.11 ZAR |
| 8. Nationwidebank | 15.00 GBP | 2.07% | 118.36 GBP | 2.37% | 107,172.12 ZAR | −2,029.33 ZAR |
| 9. Monesebank | 150.00 GBP | 0.08% | 153.87 GBP | 3.08% | 106,392.53 ZAR | −2,808.92 ZAR |
| Set aside, not ranked (2): see methodology | ||||||
| HSBCcollected 73 h before retrieval | 0.00 GBP | 0.89% | — | — | 108,794.61 ZAR | — |
| Barclayscollected 78 h before retrieval | 0.00 GBP | 2.71% | — | — | 106,796.44 ZAR | — |
Read next
Questions people ask
- Which provider gave the most for 1,000 GBP sent to South Africa?
- Wise, with 21,798.62 ZAR delivered, in the snapshot retrieved 16 Oct 2026, 17:03 UTC. Its upfront fee was 7.15 GBP and its rate markup 0.00%.
- How much of the cost of sending GBP to ZAR is hidden in the exchange rate?
- For the 9 quotes on 1,000 GBP, rate markups ranged from 0.00% to 2.34% of the amount converted. 2 quotes charged no upfront fee but still had a markup above 0.5%.
- How current are these GBP to ZAR quotes?
- RateRunner retrieved them on 16 Oct 2026, 17:03 UTC. Each provider quote also carries its own collection time, shown in the tables, and quotes older than 24 hours are flagged. They are indicative; the price you are offered at checkout can differ.
Related corridors
Sources
- Indicative provider quotes: Wise public comparison data (retrieved 16 Oct 2026, 17:03 UTC). Wise collects quotes from listed banks and services and is itself listed.
- Reference rate: European Central Bank euro reference rates via Frankfurter (16 October 2026).
- Raw data for this page: gbp-to-zar.json