Every transfer your product makes rides one of a handful of payment rails. Choosing the right one decides how fast money arrives, how much it costs, and how far it can travel. Here is the short version.

Faster Payments (FPS)

The UK's domestic rail for near-instant sterling transfers. Payments typically settle in seconds, 24/7, up to scheme limits. If you are moving GBP between UK accounts, this is almost always the rail you want.

SEPA

The Single Euro Payments Area standardises euro transfers across 36 countries. SEPA Credit Transfer settles within a business day; SEPA Instant settles in under ten seconds, around the clock. Use SEPA for euro payments inside the zone.

SWIFT

The global messaging network for cross-border and cross-currency payments. It reaches almost everywhere, but settlement is slower and fees are higher because payments often hop through correspondent banks. Reserve SWIFT for payments that leave the UK and the euro area.

Choosing a rail

  • GBP, domestic, instant — Faster Payments.
  • EUR, inside the zone — SEPA (Instant where available).
  • Anything global or multi-currency — SWIFT.

With London Rails, all three sit behind a single integration, so your product can pick the fastest, cheapest route automatically.