---
title: "Wire transfer"
description: "A bank-to-bank payment sent individually rather than in a batch — same-day, typically irrevocable, used for high-value transfers."
reviewedBy: "Raj Lad, Founder & CTO"
updated: "July 2026"
canonical: "https://infinite.net/learn/glossary/wire-transfer"
---

# Wire transfer

A wire transfer is a bank-to-bank payment executed individually rather than in a batch. Domestic US wires settle over Fedwire in central bank money — same-day and irrevocable. International wires travel as SWIFT messages settled through correspondent accounts. Wires are the default rail for high-value, time-critical payments.

The domestic and international cases behave very differently. A Fedwire payment settles immediately during operating hours and cannot be clawed back. An international wire is an instruction traversing a correspondent chain — one to five business days, lifting fees along the way, and each bank’s compliance checks in between.

Infinite exposes both from the same API as ACH, RTP, stablecoins, and FX: wire the high-value transfer when finality matters, and let Transfer Routes decide when a wire is actually the best path for the border.

## Frequently asked questions

### How long does a wire transfer take?

A domestic US wire settles the same day — often within minutes during Fedwire operating hours — if sent before the bank’s cutoff. International wires take one to five business days, because they traverse chains of correspondent accounts where every hop adds time, fees, and a fresh compliance review. [Correspondent banking](https://infinite.net/learn/glossary/correspondent-banking.md)

### Are wire transfers reversible?

A settled Fedwire payment is final and irrevocable — recovery depends on the beneficiary bank’s cooperation, not a return mechanism. Nothing like an ACH return exists for wires. [Fedwire](https://infinite.net/learn/glossary/fedwire.md)

### What is the difference between a wire and an ACH transfer?

Wires settle individually, same-day, and finally, at a higher per-payment cost. ACH batches payments into settlement windows at low cost, with returns possible days later. [ACH](https://infinite.net/learn/glossary/ach.md)

## Where it fits on Infinite

- [USD Payments](https://infinite.net/payments/usd)
- [SWIFT Payments](https://infinite.net/payments/swift)
- [Transfer Routes](https://infinite.net/payments/transfer-routes)

## See also

- [Fedwire](https://infinite.net/learn/glossary/fedwire.md)
- [SWIFT](https://infinite.net/learn/glossary/swift.md)
- [RTP](https://infinite.net/learn/glossary/rtp.md)