The invention discloses an emergency transfer method in a high-value payment system. The method comprises the following steps: an emergency transfer centre receives an emergency entrusted transfer message sent by an entrusting bank; the emergency transfer centre converts the emergency entrusted transfer message into an emergency transfer message according to the set corresponding principal-agent relation and sends the emergency transfer message to a corresponding agent bank in the emergency transfer message; and the agent bank performs the transfer service operation through the high-value payment system according to the emergency transfer message. Correspondingly, the invention also discloses an emergency transfer device and an emergency transfer system for realizing the method so that the automatic emergency transfer can be achieved by the agent bank through the internal network connection of a commercial bank according to the corresponding principal-agent relation when the front end processor of the commercial bank or the city processing centre of the People's Bank of China fails.