Short answer
A wire transfer moves the money electronically the same business day and is hard to undo once sent; a cashier’s check is a paper check drawn on the bank’s own funds that you carry or mail, costs less ($10 to $15 at the banks below against $25 to $40 for a wire) and is replaced only after a waiting period if lost. For a house closing, both work: confirm which one the settlement agent takes, and confirm any wire instructions by phone.
On this page
| Wire transfer | Cashier’s check | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An electronic transfer between banks, usually over Fedwire | A check the bank issues and pays from its own funds |
| Cost to the payer | $25 to $40 domestic at Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo | $10 to $15 at the same banks |
| Cost to the payee | Up to $15 incoming at Chase and Bank of America; $0 at Wells Fargo on consumer accounts | |
| How fast the payee has the money | Fedwire moves it the same business day; available by the next business day at the latest | After delivery and deposit; next business day for an in-person deposit, subject to the exceptions below |
| If something goes wrong | Usually final once sent; act at once and ask for a recall | Lost, stolen or destroyed: stop payment and reissue after a wait, often 90 days |
| Main fraud risk | Fake wire instructions sent by email | Counterfeit cashier’s checks |
Sources: Chase Additional Banking Services and Fees, effective June 14, 2026 · Bank of America Personal Schedule of Fees · Wells Fargo: consumer and business fees · 12 CFR 229.10 · Checked on October 11, 2026
What each one costs
| Bank | Cashier’s check | Domestic wire, outgoing | Wire, incoming |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase | $10 | $25 online, $35 with a banker | $15, or $0 if sent with a Chase banker or through chase.com or Chase Mobile |
| Bank of America | $15 | $30 | $15 |
| Wells Fargo | $10 | $30 digital, $40 in a branch | $0 on consumer accounts |
Sources: Chase Additional Banking Services and Fees, effective June 14, 2026 · Bank of America: Financial center FAQs · Bank of America Personal Schedule of Fees · Wells Fargo: consumer and business fees · Wells Fargo: Digital Wires FAQs · Checked on October 11, 2026
Some accounts waive these fees. Bank of America sells cashier’s checks in its financial centers and only to customers with a checking or savings account. Wells Fargo lets customers order a cashier’s check online for up to $2,000, with an $8 delivery charge on top of the $10 fee; larger checks are bought in a branch.
Wire fees at more banks are in our wire transfer cutoff time table.
How fast the money is usable
A domestic wire goes through Fedwire, which runs from 9:00 PM ET the evening before to 7:00 PM ET on business days, with a 6:45 PM ET deadline for customer transfers. The receiving bank must make the money available no later than the business day after it receives the wire. How to receive a wire transfer has the steps on the payee’s side.
A cashier’s check has to reach the payee first. After that, Regulation CC sets these deadlines for a cashier’s check deposited into the payee’s own account:
- Deposited in person to a bank employee: available by the next business day. The bank may require a special deposit slip.
- Deposited another way, such as at an ATM or by mobile deposit: by the second business day.
- More than $6,725 in checks on one banking day: the amount above $6,725 is outside those deadlines, and the bank may hold it longer.
- An account open less than 30 days: next-day availability applies to the first $6,725; the rest must be available by the ninth business day.
Source: 12 CFR 229.10: Next-day availability · 12 CFR 229.13: Exceptions · Checked on October 11, 2026
For a large payment, such as the money to close on a house, that $6,725 line matters: a wire does not have it.
Fraud: fake instructions and fake checks
Each method has its own scam.
Wires: changed instructions. The CFPB warns that scammers pose as a real estate or settlement agent shortly before closing and email new wire instructions so the money goes to their account. Its advice: agree on the payment process with two trusted people ahead of time, save their phone numbers, never follow wire instructions from an email, and confirm the account name and number by phone or in person before you wire.
Warning
If you wired money and suspect fraud, call your bank at once and ask for a wire recall, then report it to the FBI at ic3.gov. The CFPB says reporting it quickly improves the chance of getting the money back. Wire transfer not received explains what a recall is.
Cashier’s checks: counterfeits. The FTC says fake checks include fake cashier’s checks, can look real even to bank employees, and can take weeks to be discovered. Banks must make deposited funds available quickly, so money showing in your account does not prove the check is good, and the FTC says the person who deposited a fake check ends up paying the money back to the bank. If you are the one being paid by cashier’s check, the FTC’s advice is not to rely on the money unless you know and trust the person paying you.
If a check is lost or a wire goes wrong
A wire is hard to stop once sent. Chase, for example, does not let customers cancel a same-day domestic wire and allows 30 minutes to cancel an international one.
A lost cashier’s check cannot be cancelled on the spot either. Wells Fargo describes the process: you request a stop payment and reissue in a branch and sign an indemnity agreement; for a check over $1,000 the bank waits 90 days before reissuing (30 days in Wisconsin, 91 in New York), unless you buy a surety bond. The 90 days come from the Uniform Commercial Code’s rule for lost cashier’s checks (section 3-312), under which a claim on a lost check becomes enforceable on the 90th day after the check’s date.
Which one for a house closing
The CFPB’s mortgage closing checklist lists both a cashier’s check and a wire transfer as ways to bring the money to close, and tells buyers to bring a cashier’s check or proof of the wire for the exact amount. The settlement or escrow agent decides what it accepts, so ask early.
- Choose a wire when the agent requires one or the amount is large, and confirm the instructions by calling a number you already had, not one from the email that sent them.
- Choose a cashier’s check when the agent accepts it and you can hand it over in person; bring ID, and keep the receipt in case it is lost.
How a wire compares with other bank transfers is in ACH vs wire transfer.
