---
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: "2026-07"
canonical: "https://infinite.net/resources/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 (infinite.net) 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/resources/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/resources/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/resources/learn/glossary/ach.md)

## Where it fits on Infinite

- [USD Payments](https://infinite.net/accounts/rails)
- [SWIFT Payments](https://infinite.net/accounts/rails)
- [Transfer Routes](https://infinite.net/accounts/routes)

## See also

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

Last updated July 2026