How to send money to China from the UK with the best GBP-CNY rate

We’ve compared 9 companies, and found TorFx to be the cheapest, while Wise is the fastest.

Sending £4,000 gets you 元35,789.05 with TorFx at 8.9473 CNY per GBP, about 0.2% more than the next best option.

Best companies for GBP/CNY transfers

9 of 9 providers

Last updated on 10 November 2026

Based on 4,000 GBP transfer

Best companies for GBP/CNY transfers

Sort Cheapest
Promoted

Wise

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee £37.69 1 GBP = 8.9712 CNY +0.03% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥35,546.75 Within minutes
Multi-currency cardReceive to bank accountDedicated support for large transfers

Ways to receive money in China with Wise when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositWithin minutesAvailable via:Bank Transfer
£37.691 GBP = 8.9712 CNY
¥35,546.75You pay£4,000.00
Promoted

TorFx

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee £0.00 1 GBP = 8.9473 CNY +0.30% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥35,789.05 Minutes - 24 hours
Personal account managerReceive to bank accountIdeal for buying property abroad

Ways to receive money in China with TorFx when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositMinutes - 24 hours
Free1 GBP = 8.9473 CNY
¥35,789.05You pay£4,000.00

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Showing top United Kingdom to China deals for 4,000 GBP. Do a live search with your exact amount for today's best rates.

TorFx

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee £0.00 1 GBP = 8.9473 CNY +0.30% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥35,789.05 Minutes - 24 hours
Cheapest
Personal account managerReceive to bank accountIdeal for buying property abroad

Ways to receive money in China with TorFx when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositMinutes - 24 hours
Free1 GBP = 8.9473 CNY
¥35,789.05You pay£4,000.00

OFX

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee £0.00 1 GBP = 8.9293 CNY +0.50% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥35,717.26 Minutes - 24 hours
Personal account managerReceive to bank account

Ways to receive money in China with OFX when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositMinutes - 24 hours
Free1 GBP = 8.9293 CNY
¥35,717.26You pay£4,000.00

Wise

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee £37.69 1 GBP = 8.9712 CNY +0.03% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥35,546.75 Within minutes
FastestOur top pick
Multi-currency cardReceive to bank accountDedicated support for large transfers

Ways to receive money in China with Wise when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositWithin minutesAvailable via:Bank Transfer
£37.691 GBP = 8.9712 CNY
¥35,546.75You pay£4,000.00

Western Union

Pay via Debit card
Fee £0.00 1 GBP = 8.8665 CNY +1.21% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥35,465.90 Minutes - 2 days
Receive to bank account or cash pickup

Ways to receive money in China with Western Union when paying by debit card.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositMinutes - 2 days
Free1 GBP = 8.8665 CNY
¥35,465.90You pay£4,000.00

Western Union

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee £0.00 1 GBP = 8.8665 CNY +1.21% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥35,465.90 Minutes - 2 days
Receive to bank account or cash pickup

Ways to receive money in China with Western Union when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositMinutes - 2 days
Free1 GBP = 8.8665 CNY
¥35,465.90You pay£4,000.00

Wise

Pay via Debit card
Fee £50.19 1 GBP = 8.9712 CNY +0.03% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥35,434.61 Within minutes
Multi-currency cardReceive to bank accountDedicated support for large transfers

Ways to receive money in China with Wise when paying by debit card.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositWithin minutesAvailable via:Bank Transfer
£50.191 GBP = 8.9712 CNY
¥35,434.61You pay£4,000.00

Moneycorp

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee £0.00 1 GBP = 8.8485 CNY +1.40% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥35,394.19 Minutes - 2 days

Ways to receive money in China with Moneycorp when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositMinutes - 2 days
Free1 GBP = 8.8485 CNY
¥35,394.19You pay£4,000.00
$0 fee on first online transfers

MoneyGram

Pay via Debit card
Fee £0.00 1 GBP = 8.7679 CNY +2.33% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥35,071.60 Minutes - 24 hours

Ways to receive money in China with MoneyGram when paying by debit card.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Mobile walletMinutes - 24 hoursAvailable via:WeChat
Free1 GBP = 8.7679 CNY
¥35,071.60You pay£4,000.00
Card depositMinutes - 24 hoursAvailable via:UnionPay Cards
Free1 GBP = 8.7554 CNY
¥35,021.60You pay£4,000.00
$0 fee on first online transfers

MoneyGram

Pay via Credit card
Fee £0.00 1 GBP = 8.7679 CNY +2.33% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥35,071.60 Minutes - 24 hours

Ways to receive money in China with MoneyGram when paying by credit card.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Mobile walletMinutes - 24 hoursAvailable via:WeChat
Free1 GBP = 8.7679 CNY
¥35,071.60You pay£4,000.00
Card depositMinutes - 24 hoursAvailable via:UnionPay Cards
Free1 GBP = 8.7554 CNY
¥35,021.60You pay£4,000.00
$0 fee on first online transfers

MoneyGram

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee £0.00 1 GBP = 8.7679 CNY +2.33% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥35,071.60 Minutes - 24 hours

Ways to receive money in China with MoneyGram when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Mobile walletMinutes - 24 hoursAvailable via:WeChat
Free1 GBP = 8.7679 CNY
¥35,071.60You pay£4,000.00
Card depositMinutes - 24 hoursAvailable via:UnionPay Cards
Free1 GBP = 8.7554 CNY
¥35,021.60You pay£4,000.00

TapTap Send

Pay via Debit card
Fee £0.00 1 GBP = 8.7500 CNY +2.53% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥35,000.00 Minutes
Receive to bank account

Ways to receive money in China with TapTap Send when paying by debit card.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Mobile walletMinutesAvailable via:Alipay, WeChat/Weixin
Free1 GBP = 8.7500 CNY
¥35,000.00You pay£4,000.00
Card depositMinutesAvailable via:Bank China, UnionPay
Free1 GBP = 8.7500 CNY
¥35,000.00You pay£4,000.00
Bank depositMinutesAvailable via:Banks (DEPRECATED)
Free1 GBP = 8.7500 CNY
¥35,000.00You pay£4,000.00

NatWest

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee £0.00 1 GBP = 8.7179 CNY +2.90% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥34,871.52
0 reviews

Ways to receive money in China with NatWest when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank deposit
Free1 GBP = 8.7179 CNY
¥34,871.52You pay£4,000.00

Royal Bank of Scotland

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee £0.00 1 GBP = 8.7179 CNY +2.90% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥34,871.52
0 reviews

Ways to receive money in China with Royal Bank of Scotland when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank deposit
Free1 GBP = 8.7179 CNY
¥34,871.52You pay£4,000.00

Wise

Pay via Credit card
Fee £125.22 1 GBP = 8.9712 CNY +0.03% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥34,761.50 Within minutes
Multi-currency cardReceive to bank accountDedicated support for large transfers

Ways to receive money in China with Wise when paying by credit card.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositWithin minutesAvailable via:Bank Transfer
£125.221 GBP = 8.9712 CNY
¥34,761.50You pay£4,000.00
How Our Results Work
Mid-market rate: 1 GBP = 8.9742 CNY Updates every 60 minutes.

How to send money from UK to China

Pick a company

For a one-off GBP transfer to China, I suggest picking the cheapest option which is TorFx.

TorFx was the cheapest on 30 of the 30 days it quoted £4,000 transfers to China.

On a 4,000 GBP transfer, TorFx delivers the most CNY.

The best option will change depending on how much you actually send, so I suggest to get the best GBP/CNY rate.

Fund your transfer

You have 3 ways to pay, including bank transfer, debit card, and credit card.

Paying from your bank is usually the fastest, since most companies connect to your banking app via Open Banking.

Anywhere a debit card works, Apple Pay and Google Pay usually do too.

Verify and send

First time round you'll need to confirm your name, date of birth, address and a photo ID.

On a £4,000 transfer the verification is normally instant but can take a couple of hours.

Compare amounts

How much GBP are you sending to China?

How much GBP you send to China heavily affects the best ways and the cheapest options. Use the table below to check how the cheapest options change and how much more you'd get by comparing.

Our analysis shows TorFx was the cheapest in 0% of the transfers from £6,000 it quoted, and in 22% of all the transfers it quoted.

Cheapest service
£500-1.15%£0.00¥4,541.52with debit card to bank deposit+¥112.72
£1,0000.22%£0.00¥8,953.10with bank transfer to bank deposit+¥109.02
£2,0000.52%£0.00¥17,852.80with bank transfer to bank deposit+¥209.30
£4,000This page0.30%£0.00¥35,789.05with bank transfer to bank deposit+¥536.69
£6,0000.27%£0.00¥53,729.37with bank transfer to bank deposit+¥704.45
£10,0000.27%£0.00¥89,510.41with bank transfer to bank deposit+¥1,122.36
£50,0000.25%£0.00¥447,653.66with bank transfer to bank deposit+¥5,038.52
£250,0000.20%£0.00¥2,239,540.44with bank transfer to bank deposit+¥13,325.32

Mid-market rate: 1 GBP = 8.9742 CNY

GBP/CNY Exchange Rate History

Is today a good time to send money from UK to China?

The cheapest way to send GBP to CNY can change every day, or stay with the same company all month.

We've compared the mid-market rate with the cheapest option each day (today it's TorFx), across 30 days of comparisons for 4,000 GBP transfers to China.

CNY received for £4,000, after fees

Tue, 10 Nov 2026Mid-market rate¥35,896.74 TorFx ¥35,789.05 NatWest ¥34,871.52TorFx¥35,789.05OFX¥35,717.26Wise¥35,546.75Extra cost of a bank¥917.53

34,000
34,500
35,000
35,500
36,000
36,500
At the mid-market rateWith the cheapest optionWith a bankTorFxOFXWise
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.8662 – ¥35,464.73
TorFx Cheapest 8.8396 £0.00 ¥35,358.33 −¥106.40
OFX 8.8219 £0.00 ¥35,287.40 −¥177.33
Wise 8.8685 £37.71 ¥35,139.49 −¥325.24
NatWest 8.6558 £0.00 ¥34,623.12 −¥841.61
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.8471 – ¥35,388.30
TorFx Cheapest 8.8205 £0.00 ¥35,282.14 −¥106.16
OFX 8.8028 £0.00 ¥35,211.36 −¥176.94
Wise 8.8544 £37.71 ¥35,083.82 −¥304.48
NatWest 8.6597 £0.00 ¥34,638.73 −¥749.57
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.8787 – ¥35,514.60
TorFx Cheapest 8.8520 £0.00 ¥35,408.06 −¥106.54
OFX 8.8343 £0.00 ¥35,337.03 −¥177.57
Wise 8.8793 £37.71 ¥35,182.48 −¥332.12
NatWest 8.6738 £0.00 ¥34,695.14 −¥819.46
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.8606 – ¥35,442.55
TorFx Cheapest 8.8341 £0.00 ¥35,336.22 −¥106.33
OFX 8.8163 £0.00 ¥35,265.34 −¥177.21
Wise 8.8618 £37.71 ¥35,113.02 −¥329.53
NatWest 8.6573 £0.00 ¥34,629.18 −¥813.37
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9044 – ¥35,617.52
TorFx Cheapest 8.8777 £0.00 ¥35,510.66 −¥106.86
OFX 8.8599 £0.00 ¥35,439.43 −¥178.09
Wise 8.9020 £37.70 ¥35,272.35 −¥345.17
NatWest 8.6573 £0.00 ¥34,629.18 −¥988.34
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.8970 – ¥35,587.84
TorFx Cheapest 8.8703 £0.00 ¥35,481.07 −¥106.77
OFX 8.8525 £0.00 ¥35,409.90 −¥177.94
Wise 8.9108 £37.70 ¥35,307.10 −¥280.74
NatWest 8.7137 £0.00 ¥34,854.73 −¥733.11
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.8970 – ¥35,587.84
TorFx Cheapest 8.8703 £0.00 ¥35,481.07 −¥106.77
OFX 8.8525 £0.00 ¥35,409.90 −¥177.94
Wise 8.9108 £37.70 ¥35,307.10 −¥280.74
NatWest 8.7137 £0.00 ¥34,854.73 −¥733.11
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9164 – ¥35,665.72
TorFx Cheapest 8.8897 £0.00 ¥35,558.72 −¥107.00
OFX 8.8718 £0.00 ¥35,487.39 −¥178.33
Wise 8.9054 £37.70 ¥35,286.02 −¥379.70
NatWest 8.7085 £0.00 ¥34,833.93 −¥831.79
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9200 – ¥35,679.94
TorFx Cheapest 8.8932 £0.00 ¥35,572.90 −¥107.04
OFX 8.8754 £0.00 ¥35,501.54 −¥178.40
Wise 8.9215 £37.70 ¥35,349.54 −¥330.40
NatWest 8.7110 £0.00 ¥34,843.97 −¥835.97
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9294 – ¥35,717.47
TorFx Cheapest 8.9026 £0.00 ¥35,610.32 −¥107.15
OFX 8.8847 £0.00 ¥35,538.88 −¥178.59
Wise 8.9326 £37.69 ¥35,393.57 −¥323.90
NatWest 8.7110 £0.00 ¥34,843.97 −¥873.50
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9531 – ¥35,812.28
TorFx Cheapest 8.9262 £0.00 ¥35,704.84 −¥107.44
OFX 8.9083 £0.00 ¥35,633.22 −¥179.06
Wise 8.9477 £37.69 ¥35,453.56 −¥358.72
NatWest 8.7428 £0.00 ¥34,971.06 −¥841.22
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9440 – ¥35,776.07
TorFx Cheapest 8.9172 £0.00 ¥35,668.74 −¥107.33
OFX 8.8993 £0.00 ¥35,597.19 −¥178.88
Wise 8.9375 £37.69 ¥35,413.34 −¥362.73
NatWest 8.7428 £0.00 ¥34,971.06 −¥805.01
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9316 – ¥35,726.23
TorFx Cheapest 8.9048 £0.00 ¥35,619.05 −¥107.18
OFX 8.8869 £0.00 ¥35,547.60 −¥178.63
Wise 8.9225 £37.70 ¥35,353.74 −¥372.49
NatWest 8.7178 £0.00 ¥34,871.31 −¥854.92
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9316 – ¥35,726.23
TorFx Cheapest 8.9048 £0.00 ¥35,619.05 −¥107.18
OFX 8.8869 £0.00 ¥35,547.60 −¥178.63
Wise 8.9225 £37.70 ¥35,353.74 −¥372.49
NatWest 8.7178 £0.00 ¥34,871.31 −¥854.92
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9314 – ¥35,725.58
TorFx Cheapest 8.9046 £0.00 ¥35,618.41 −¥107.17
OFX 8.8867 £0.00 ¥35,546.96 −¥178.62
Wise 8.9186 £37.70 ¥35,338.37 −¥387.21
NatWest 8.7110 £0.00 ¥34,844.19 −¥881.39
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.8911 – ¥35,564.58
TorFx Cheapest 8.8645 £0.00 ¥35,457.88 −¥106.70
OFX 8.8467 £0.00 ¥35,386.75 −¥177.83
Wise 8.8918 £37.70 ¥35,231.90 −¥332.68
NatWest 8.6794 £0.00 ¥34,717.42 −¥847.16
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.8631 – ¥35,452.27
TorFx Cheapest 8.8365 £0.00 ¥35,345.91 −¥106.36
OFX 8.8188 £0.00 ¥35,275.01 −¥177.26
Wise 8.8625 £37.71 ¥35,115.83 −¥336.44
NatWest 8.6583 £0.00 ¥34,633.34 −¥818.93
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.8749 – ¥35,499.49
TorFx Cheapest 8.8482 £0.00 ¥35,392.99 −¥106.50
OFX 8.8305 £0.00 ¥35,321.99 −¥177.50
Wise 8.8681 £37.71 ¥35,137.83 −¥361.66
NatWest 8.6549 £0.00 ¥34,619.71 −¥879.78
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9215 – ¥35,685.99
TorFx Cheapest 8.8947 £0.00 ¥35,578.93 −¥107.06
OFX 8.8769 £0.00 ¥35,507.56 −¥178.43
Wise 8.9175 £37.70 ¥35,333.93 −¥352.06
NatWest 8.7122 £0.00 ¥34,848.82 −¥837.17
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9242 – ¥35,696.86
TorFx Cheapest 8.8974 £0.00 ¥35,589.77 −¥107.09
OFX 8.8796 £0.00 ¥35,518.37 −¥178.49
Wise 8.9118 £37.70 ¥35,311.11 −¥385.75
NatWest 8.7107 £0.00 ¥34,842.63 −¥854.23
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9239 – ¥35,695.52
TorFx Cheapest 8.8971 £0.00 ¥35,588.44 −¥107.08
OFX 8.8793 £0.00 ¥35,517.05 −¥178.47
Wise 8.9118 £37.70 ¥35,311.11 −¥384.41
NatWest 8.7107 £0.00 ¥34,842.63 −¥852.89
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9256 – ¥35,702.25
TorFx Cheapest 8.8988 £0.00 ¥35,595.14 −¥107.11
OFX 8.8809 £0.00 ¥35,523.74 −¥178.51
Wise 8.9091 £37.70 ¥35,300.61 −¥401.64
NatWest 8.7107 £0.00 ¥34,842.63 −¥859.62
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9172 – ¥35,669.00
TorFx Cheapest 8.8905 £0.00 ¥35,561.99 −¥107.01
OFX 8.8727 £0.00 ¥35,490.65 −¥178.35
Wise 8.9517 £37.69 ¥35,469.37 −¥199.63
NatWest 8.7432 £0.00 ¥34,972.93 −¥696.07
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9888 – ¥35,955.32
TorFx Cheapest 8.9619 £0.00 ¥35,847.45 −¥107.87
OFX 8.9439 £0.00 ¥35,775.54 −¥179.78
Wise 8.9901 £37.68 ¥35,621.61 −¥333.71
NatWest 8.7432 £0.00 ¥34,972.93 −¥982.39
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9988 – ¥35,995.06
TorFx Cheapest 8.9718 £0.00 ¥35,887.07 −¥107.99
OFX 8.9538 £0.00 ¥35,815.08 −¥179.98
Wise 8.9974 £37.68 ¥35,650.42 −¥344.64
NatWest 8.7929 £0.00 ¥35,171.62 −¥823.44
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9792 – ¥35,916.97
TorFx Cheapest 8.9523 £0.00 ¥35,809.22 −¥107.75
OFX 8.9343 £0.00 ¥35,737.39 −¥179.58
Wise 8.9553 £37.69 ¥35,483.83 −¥433.14
NatWest 8.7374 £0.00 ¥34,949.63 −¥967.34
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9178 – ¥35,671.23
TorFx Cheapest 8.8911 £0.00 ¥35,564.21 −¥107.02
OFX 8.8732 £0.00 ¥35,492.87 −¥178.36
Wise 8.9095 £37.70 ¥35,301.95 −¥369.28
NatWest 8.6961 £0.00 ¥34,784.22 −¥887.01
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9248 – ¥35,699.27
TorFx Cheapest 8.8980 £0.00 ¥35,592.17 −¥107.10
OFX 8.8802 £0.00 ¥35,520.77 −¥178.50
Wise 8.9095 £37.70 ¥35,301.95 −¥397.32
NatWest 8.6961 £0.00 ¥34,784.22 −¥915.05
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9355 – ¥35,742.15
TorFx Cheapest 8.9087 £0.00 ¥35,634.92 −¥107.23
OFX 8.8909 £0.00 ¥35,563.44 −¥178.71
Wise 8.9338 £37.69 ¥35,398.56 −¥343.59
NatWest 8.7179 £0.00 ¥34,871.52 −¥870.63
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 8.9742 – ¥35,896.74
TorFx Cheapest 8.9473 £0.00 ¥35,789.05 −¥107.69
OFX 8.9293 £0.00 ¥35,717.26 −¥179.48
Wise 8.9712 £37.69 ¥35,546.75 −¥349.99
NatWest 8.7179 £0.00 ¥34,871.52 −¥1,025.22

Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference

Each line shows what the recipient gets when you send £4,000, after fees, as quoted by each company. The mid-market line shows what £4,000 converts to at the real exchange rate, with no fees or markup. Rates are checked once a day. Sponsored placements never affect this data. The bank line is the cheapest bank available on each day.

The dashed line is what you'd get at the mid-market rate with no fees, and the blue line is the cheapest option that day.

When the blue line goes above the dashed one, you're getting more CNY per GBP than the mid-market rate can offer.

This could be due to money transfer offers, FX rate adjustments, or market competitiveness.

No company, app or bank beat the mid-market rate over the past month, meaning you lose a bit of CNY on every transfer from the UK.

Right now, TorFx pays 35,789.05 CNY on 4,000 GBP, which is 107.69 CNY less than the mid-market amount.

Today's payout isn't the best this month though, since the highest receive amount was 35,887.07 CNY.

If you can wait and want to get the most out of your transfer, create a rate alert and we'll let you know when the rate improves.

Cheapest over time

Picking the cheapest money transfer company

Just because a company is the cheapest today doesn't mean it's always the best option for sending money to China.

We've tracked 239 comparisons to check how often today's top companies were the cheapest across 8 amounts over the past month.

  1. TorFxAppeared in 138 comparisons

    Cheapest in 22% of them

  2. OFXAppeared in 221 comparisons

    Cheapest in 7% of them

  3. WiseAppeared in 121 comparisons

    Never the cheapest

  4. NatWestAppeared in 167 comparisons

    Never the cheapest

Based on 239 comparisons across 8 amounts over the last 30 days.

Different companies can come out cheapest depending on the day and the amount you send.

To keep things fair, we only count the comparisons each company appeared in, and only analyse companies that appeared in at least 50% of all comparisons (so occasional cheapest options don't skew it).

Today TorFx is the cheapest and gets you the most CNY, but it was the cheapest in only 22% of the 138 comparisons it appeared in over the past month.

OFX (today's second cheapest) was the cheapest in only 7% of its comparisons, so it's rarely the cheapest option for transfers to China.

If it's a one-off transfer, go with TorFx, since it's the cheapest right now.

Ways to send money from the UK to China

There are many ways to send money to China from the UK, including online, app, currency broker, global business account, in person, bank, and multi-currency account, and more.

For small & frequent transfers

Money transfer apps

If you send small amounts back home to China, say weekly or monthly, an app like Wise is the easiest and cheapest way to do it.

It charges £37.69 in fees, has 0.03% markup, lets you save recipient details, and CNY will arrive in minutes.

Over the past month, Wise was the cheapest app on 40% of the days it appeared for £4,000 transfers.

For one off transfers

Online transfers

Sending money online is good for occasional medium sized CNY transfers, around £1,000 - £5,000.

Online companies like Wise often have higher limits and/or first time promos.

Of the 9 companies we compared, Wise is the cheapest online service and will get you 元35,546.75 on a £4,000 transfer.

In our comparisons over the past month, it was the cheapest online service on 12 of the 30 days it quoted.

For large transfers

Brokers

Currency brokers like TorFx are the best for £10,000+ transfers (things like house deposits, education fees, relocation, etc.).

You get a dedicated account manager to handle your transfer to China, and real human support.

TorFx charges no fees on large transfers, but adds 0.3% markup on top of the current GBP/CNY rate.

The markup gets better the more GBP you send, so we suggest .

Our analysis shows TorFx was the cheapest broker in 0% of the transfers from £6,000 it quoted.

For spending and receiving

Multi-currency accounts

Multi-currency accounts let you hold and spend Yuan Renminbi abroad like a local.

Wise offers the best multi-currency account.

With it, converting £4,000 to CNY will get you 元35,546.75 after fees.

If you don’t have CNY in your account, your GBP will auto-convert whenever you pay with Wise in China.

Once you have CNY in the account, there are no extra fees from Wise for spending or holding it (local ATM charges may still apply).

Over the past month, it came out cheapest among multi-currency accounts on 100% of days.

For business transfers

Global accounts

Global accounts are for UK businesses making payments overseas.

For suppliers, freelancers, salaries, or invoices in China, companies like Airwallex, WorldFirst, or Payoneer handle batch and recurring payments a consumer app simply can’t.

Only if you have to

Banks

Your UK bank is the most expensive way to send money to China.

On a £4,000 transfer, banks like NatWest will add 2.9% markup, getting you 元34,871.52 vs 元35,789.05 with TorFx.

We found NatWest was the cheapest bank on 30 of the 30 days it appeared for this amount.

Ways to fund GBP and receive CNY in China

Pay-in and pay-out methods will affect how much GBP you deposit and how much CNY your recipient gets. Use the table below to see how different options change how much you pay and what they get.

Our data shows that TorFx gets your recipient 917.53 CNY more than NatWest, today's cheapest bank, on the same £4,000.

The overall best and cheapest way to send £4,000 to China is via TorFx, using a bank transfer to deposit GBP and bank deposit to receive CNY.

Depositing GBP

You have 3 pay-in options for transfers to China, including bank transfer, debit card, and credit card.

The cheapest pay-in option is bank transfer.

The fastest option in the UK is almost always bank transfer, since most companies use Open Banking and Faster Payments System (FPS).

The most expensive deposit option is credit card.

Be careful with credit card deposits, since your bank often treats it as a cash advance and will charge interest.

Receiving money in China

Money can reach China by bank deposit, mobile wallet, and card deposit, and each delivery method comes with its own fees.

The cheapest way to receive money in China is with bank deposit on average.

Mobile wallets

You can receive CNY into a mobile wallet, which is useful since they don't need a bank account.

  1. 1
    Bank transfer Bank deposit

    You pay £4,000.00

    元35,789

    Cheapest

  2. 2
    Debit card Bank deposit

    You pay £4,000.00

    元35,466

    -元323

  3. 3
    Bank transfer Mobile wallet

    You pay £4,000.00

    元35,072

    -元717

  4. 4
    Debit card Mobile wallet

    You pay £4,000.00

    元35,072

    -元717

  5. 5
    Credit card Mobile wallet

    You pay £4,000.00

    元35,072

    -元717

Show moreShow less
  1. 6
    Bank transfer Card deposit

    You pay £4,000.00

    元35,022

    -元767

  2. 7
    Debit card Card deposit

    You pay £4,000.00

    元35,022

    -元767

  3. 8
    Credit card Card deposit

    You pay £4,000.00

    元35,022

    -元767

  4. 9
    Credit card Bank deposit

    You pay £4,000.00

    元34,762

    -元1,028

Consider this when sending GBP to China

There are a few nuances you should consider before sending GBP to China such as limits, taxes, and safety.

Compare GBP/CNY transfer options

Right now, these are the best money transfer options for a £4,000 transfer to China:

Cheapest way to send money to China

The cheapest way is to use TorFx, pay in with a bank transfer and withdraw via bank deposit. You will get 元35,789.05, which is 0.2% more than the next best option.

Fastest way to send money to China

The fastest way is to use Wise via bank transfer deposit and bank deposit for pay out. You get 元35,546.75 and it will arrive in within minutes.

UK transfer limits

There is no legal limit and no tax on sending your own money abroad.

Main hard limits come from your bank or money transfer company, often around £10,000 to £25,000 online (which you can usually increase in the app).

Also, the "£10,000 declaration" only applies to physically carrying cash through the border, not online transfers.

And on bigger GBP/CNY transfers (roughly £10,000 up) expect a source-of-funds check, such as a payslip or a statement.

These are anti-money-laundering checks, and they can hold your transfer up, so have the documents ready.

The transfer costs involved

Your cost is the fee plus the exchange-rate margin.

For example, sending £4,000 with TorFx will get you 35,789.05 CNY, that’s including £0 fee and 0.3% in exchange rate markup.

A bank like NatWest on the other hand, will get you 元34,871.52, that’s £0 in fees but 2.9% in FX fees.

Taxes on money transfers

There is no UK tax for the act of sending money to China.

And, regular gifts from your normal income are free of inheritance tax straight away, with no cap and no seven-year wait, as long as you can still cover your usual living costs.

Staying safe when sending abroad

Only ever use a provider authorised by the FCA, which you can check on the FCA register in under a minute.

The rules in place for any scams cover domestic pound transfers only, on a transfer abroad you're less protected.

Always confirm who you're really sending to before you send, because there's little recourse after.

For more information, check our guide to money transfer regulations in the UK.

How we analyse the market

We track 9 regulated companies offering money transfers from the UK to China in real time.

We analyse the fees, exchange rates, deposit/withdrawal methods, and each goes through our internal review.

Most GBP/CNY pricing data comes directly from the providers. We collect the rest manually, run it through our comparison engine and label it in the table.

In the past 30 days alone, we analysed 239 comparisons across 8 amounts.

This page covers the cheapest and fastest options for GBP/CNY transfers. This is how we pick them:

  • Cheapest: the company that gets your recipient the most, after fees and the exchange rate. On a tie, live pricing from the company takes priority over the rates we collect by hand.

  • Fastest: the company with the shortest estimated delivery time once you’ve paid. On a tie, the one that pays out more takes priority.

More on how we work:

Any tax information is for general guidance only and does not constitute tax advice. Speak to a qualified tax adviser about your circumstances.