We have recently applied the R-matrix method to transfer reactions in the distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) framework. In our approach the wave function in the internal region is expanded in terms of Lagrange basis, which provides a fast and efficient way to compute the matrix elements. This paper is a short review of our work on transfer reactions. I discuss applications of our approach by considering the 16 O(d, n) 17 F and 12 C( 7 Li, t) 16 O reactions, which are specific examples of neutron and α transfer, respectively. In particular, I discuss the role of the remnant terms, post-prior form equivalence, peripherality of the reaction and sensitivity of the transfer cross sections to the bound state wave functions. Effects of the remnant terms and of the supersymmetric bound state potentials on the extracted spectroscopic factors are also discussed.