Tide fees explained: plans, transfers and charges

Tide fees come in two layers: a monthly plan price, which is £0 on the Free plan, and small charges for things like extra transfers, cash deposits and card payments abroad. This guide sets out every charge Tide publishes for its Free, Smart, Pro and Max plans, then works through real examples so you can see what you'd actually pay.

By the Business Account Review editorial team · checked 25 October 2026 · How we check

Tide fees by plan: monthly prices

Tide has four plans. Every plan includes a business current account, a Mastercard debit card, UK card payments, Direct Debits, Payment Links, Tap to Pay and Making Tax Digital tools. The paid plans add more free transfers, no foreign-exchange fee on card spending and extra features.

Tide fees by plan: prices and allowances (Tide pricing and plan pages, checked 25 October 2026)
Plan	Monthly price	Paid yearly	Free UK transfers	CHAPS included	Card FX fee
Free	£0	-	5 a month	None	2.75%
Smart	£12.49	£99.99	30 a month	2	0%
Pro	£27.49	£219.99	Unlimited (fair use)	2	0%
Max	£69.99	£559.92	Unlimited (fair use)	5	0%

Tide's plan pages say it won't charge VAT on paid plans, and that plans are billed on the 1st of each month. Smart and Pro pages also mention a first month free for new members. Paying yearly works out cheaper: Smart is £149.88 a year if you pay monthly, against £99.99 paid upfront.

What else changes by plan? Smart adds a second current account, a team card, a business phone number and a Xero connector. Pro adds Tide Accounting. Max adds 0.5% cashback on eligible card spend, payroll software and unlimited invoices. The Free, Smart and Pro plans include 3 invoices a month.

Tide fees for transfers: allowances and the 20p charge

This is the part of Tide fees most people miss. Tide counts UK transfers in and out against your allowance, not just payments you send. According to Tide's help centre:

Free: 5 free transactions a month, then 20p for each Faster Payment, BACS or CHAPS payment you receive and each Faster Payment or Direct Debit you send.
Smart: 30 free a month, then 20p each.
Pro and Max: unlimited free UK transfers, subject to Tide's fair use policy.
Between Tide accounts: free on every plan.

Sending a CHAPS payment costs £15 on Free. Smart and Pro include 2 CHAPS payments and Max includes 5, then £15 each. Tide uses what it calls hybrid billing for many of these charges: rather than taking 20p every time, it adds them up and collects the total on the 2nd of the following month. So check your statement at the start of each month, not just the day you pay someone.

Tide fees for cash and cheque deposits

You can pay cash in at the Post Office or at PayPoint on every plan, but each has a charge. Tide's help centre lists these:

Tide fees for cash and cheque deposits (Tide help centre, checked 25 October 2026)
How you pay in	Free plan	Smart, Pro, Max
Post Office, up to £500	£2.50	£2.50
Post Office, over £500	0.99% of the deposit	0.5% of the deposit
PayPoint	3% of the deposit	3% of the deposit
Cheque	90p per cheque (70p plus the 20p transfer fee)	90p per cheque

PayPoint is the more expensive route. On a £400 deposit, the Post Office charges £2.50, while PayPoint would take £12. If you handle a lot of cash, these Tide fees can matter more than the plan price, so compare them with accounts that suit cash-heavy businesses.

Tide fees for using your card abroad

Paying by card in pounds in the UK is free on every plan. Abroad, the rules differ between Free and the paid plans:

Free plan

2.75% of the transaction on foreign-currency card payments and ATM withdrawals. Tide says this also applies to card payments in pounds made outside the UK. Cash withdrawals cost £1 up to £500, or 0.25% over £500, on top of the 2.75%.

Smart, Pro and Max

0% foreign-exchange fee on card payments and ATM withdrawals abroad. Cash withdrawals still cost £1 up to £500, or 0.25% over £500. Some ATM operators add their own charge.

Tide recommends paying in the local currency when a merchant or ATM offers you the choice, because it says its Mastercard conversion rate is usually better than the rate a merchant or ATM would use. Cash withdrawals in pounds at UK ATMs cost £1.

Tide fees for international payments

Every plan can send and receive international payments, including SWIFT. The charges fall as you move up the plans:

International payment charges by plan (Tide help centre, checked 25 October 2026)
Plan	EUR in and out, USD out	Receiving GBP by SWIFT
Free	£1 plus 1.50% FX markup	£10
Smart	50p plus 1.25% FX markup	£7.50
Pro	0.75% FX markup	£5
Max	0.5% FX markup	£3

Tide's help pages don't list Tide fees for every international route, so check the fee shown in the app before you confirm a payment in another currency.

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Tide fees in practice: worked examples

These examples apply the Tide fees above to four typical businesses. They're illustrations, not advice, and your own mix of payments will differ.

1
A freelancer on the Free plan
Four client payments in and three transfers out is 7 transactions. The first 5 are free, so 2 cost 20p each: 40p. One £300 Post Office cash deposit adds £2.50. Total Tide fees for the month: £2.90.
2
A small company with 45 transfers
25 payments in and 20 out is 45 transactions. On Free, 40 are charged at 20p: £8. On Smart, 15 are charged: £3 plus £12.49, so £15.49. On Pro, it's £27.49 with no transfer charges. On transfers alone, Free gives the lowest Tide fees here.
3
The same company paying suppliers abroad by card
Add £500 a month of foreign-currency card spending. On Free, the 2.75% fee is £13.75, taking the month to £21.75. Smart stays at £15.49 because it has no FX fee. Now Smart costs less.
4
A café paying in cash weekly
Four Post Office deposits of £2,000 a month. Tide fees on Free: each costs 0.99%, or £19.80, so £79.20 a month. On Smart, each costs 0.5%, or £10, so £40 plus £12.49: £52.49.

The pattern: the plan price is only worth paying if it removes more in Tide fees than it costs. Run your own last three months of payments through the tables above before you decide.

Which plan fits your volumes?

Count your transfers

On transfers alone, Free plus 20p charges costs less than Smart, whose extra 25 free transfers save at most £5. Pro breaks even at about 142 a month.

Check foreign spending

If you spend roughly £455 or more a month in other currencies, the 2.75% fee on Free exceeds Smart's £12.49.

Look at cash

Regular large Post Office deposits cost about half as much on a paid plan, which can cover the plan price.

Max's 0.5% cashback only covers its own £69.99 price if you put around £14,000 of eligible spending on the card each month. For most small businesses, the decision is between Free and Smart. To see how Tide fees compare with other providers, use our compare business bank accounts page, or read the full Tide review. If you're self-employed, our guide to Tide for sole traders looks at plan choice from that angle.

Checklist before you choose a plan

I've counted my UK transfers in and out for a typical month.
I know how much I spend by card in other currencies.
I know how often I pay in cash, and what Tide fees each deposit would cost.
I've checked whether I need CHAPS payments.
I've compared the monthly and yearly price of any paid plan.
I've read Tide's current pricing page, as Tide fees can change.

Tide fees FAQs

Is the Tide Free plan really free?

There's no monthly plan fee. You still pay per-item Tide fees, such as 20p per transfer after the first 5 each month, cash deposit charges and 2.75% on card spending in other currencies.

Does Tide charge for receiving money?

Yes, on Free and Smart once you've used your allowance. Tide's help centre lists 20p for incoming Faster Payments, BACS and CHAPS payments beyond the free allowance.

Do Tide paid plans include VAT?

Tide's plan pages say it won't charge you VAT on your paid plan.

How much does Tide charge to pay in cash?

£2.50 at the Post Office for deposits up to £500. Over £500, it's 0.99% on Free or 0.5% on paid plans. PayPoint deposits cost 3%.

Can I change plan later if my Tide fees go up?

Yes. Tide's plan pages say upgrades are charged pro rata for the first month, and if you cancel a paid plan you're moved down at the start of the next month.

Does the plan affect my savings rate?

Yes. The Instant Saver rate after the introductory period depends on your plan. See our Tide Instant Saver guide.

Sources

Tide: pricing and plans (checked 25 October 2026)
Tide help centre: how much will a Tide account cost? (checked 25 October 2026)
Tide help centre: your available payments and fees (checked 25 October 2026)
Tide help centre: using your Tide card abroad (checked 25 October 2026)
Tide plan pages for Smart, Pro and Max (prices and VAT, rates stated as correct at 11 May 2026; checked 25 October 2026)