Man at a desk in front of a computer
Free tool

Letter of credit cost calculator

Add up what a letter of credit costs for an international order: the bank's issuing fee, any confirmation fee and fixed charges, and see the total as a share of the order. Free, no sign-up, nothing leaves your browser.

Your numbers, worked out
  1. Type in your own numbers
  2. The tool works it out
  3. See the answer clearly

Banks price letters of credit differently, so the starting fees are only an example; use the figures from your bank's tariff. Fixed charges cover things like document checking, amendments and courier costs. Part of a three-month period is counted as a whole one.

Total cost of the letter of credit
£400.00
0.80% of the order
Issuing fee
£250.00
1 × 3 months
Confirmation fee
£0.00
Fixed charges
£150.00
Woman seated, using a laptop

How a letter of credit works

A letter of credit is a promise from a bank to pay a seller on behalf of a buyer, as long as the seller shows the right documents. The buyer asks their bank to issue it, the seller ships the goods and gathers the documents it asks for, such as the bill of lading and invoice, and the banks check they match the terms exactly before paying.

Man in a suit at a desk with a laptop and coffee

The downsides

Banks charge fees to issue and check letters of credit, and small mistakes in the documents can delay payment. For smaller or repeat orders, many businesses use simpler options such as a deposit plus a bank transfer on delivery.

See it happen

Your own money app
  1. Name it and pick your colours
  2. Choose what it does
  3. Launch when you are ready

Try it

Name your platform and watch it come to life

Type a name, tap a colour and pick what it does. The phone changes as you go.

Colour

What it does

Build mine

Design and preview your whole platform free, then launch when you are ready.

Launch your own multi-currency money app

SendPay doesn't issue letters of credit. SendPay platforms let businesses hold GBP, EUR and USD, send money and invoice customers under their own brand, powered by licensed partners.

Before you go

Create your free SendPay account

It's all about creating your own financial platform with ease. Start with a free account today.

  • A free business accountOpen it in about a minute with your business name, email, password and mobile. No card and no documents to start.
  • Get paid from day oneTake card payments, and share your own payment link and invoices so customers pay in a click.
  • A free business websiteFree to build, free to publish and free to keep, with unlimited visits.
  • Your own financial platformDesign and preview your whole platform free, then launch when you are ready.

SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank. Accounts, cards and payments are powered by licensed partners.

More free tools

All tools

Need a website for your business? Build a free business website with SendPay: free to build, free to keep, unlimited visits, and add a shop cart when you are ready.

Got a wrong answer or spotted a mistake? and we'll fix it. How our tools work