An account is not a card
The first thing people stumble over: a transfer to an account and a transfer to a card are different operations. A card is linked to an account, but an international payment goes by the account number rather than the card number, and one cannot be substituted for the other.
In most countries an account has an international number format and a bank has an identification code. Both are needed in full: a shortened or approximate account number will not be accepted.
- The account number — in international format, where it is used in the recipient's country
- The bank code — the identifier by which the payment finds the right bank
- The account holder's name — exactly as it is written at the recipient's bank
Which details are needed
| Detail | What it is | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| The recipient's name | The account holder in Latin letters | From the recipient's banking app |
| The account number | The international number format | From the account details, not from the card |
| The bank code | The identifier of the recipient's bank | From the account details |
| The name and address of the bank | Needed on some destinations | From the account details |
| The recipient's address | Not asked for everywhere | The recipient's residential address |
| The payment reference | The grounds for the transfer | Worded by the sender |
How to write the name and the address
The name is the most common reason for a return. The recipient's bank checks it against what is written in the account, and a difference of one letter means a refusal. The transliteration in a passport and the one in a banking app may differ — the second is the one to follow.
- Latin letters only, with no shortenings and no initials
- The order of the first and last name as in the account details rather than as you are used to
- No diacritics: banks most often do not accept them
- The address in Latin letters, in the form it is written at the recipient's bank
The payment reference
The reference is not a formality but what the recipient's bank uses to decide whether to let the payment through or ask for documents. A vague wording such as transfer raises questions more often than a specific one.
Word it as it is: payment of rent for such a period, payment for tuition, help to a family member. If the grounds are documentary — a contract, an invoice — refer to its number.
How long it takes and what it costs
A bank transfer to a foreign account usually takes several business days. Along the way the payment passes through intermediary banks, and each can withhold its own fee — only the tariffs of your own bank are known in advance.
Because of that the amount credited can differ from the amount sent, even if you did everything right. That is not a mistake of the service but how the route is built: the longer the chain, the more deductions.
Why a payment comes back
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The name does not match
A difference from the record at the recipient's bank. The most common reason for a return and the easiest to check.
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Incomplete details
The bank code or part of the account number is missing. The payment waits for clarification or goes back.
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The account is closed or frozen
The recipient does not always know about it themselves — especially if the account has not been used for a long time.
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The reference did not satisfy the bank
The recipient's bank asked for documents and there were none. The payment goes back to the sender.
How it works with us
We check the details before sending and name the final amount the recipient will get with the 1% fee taken into account. The rate is locked before payment, so the amount credited is known in advance.
If the destination has particulars — currency control, requirements for the payment reference, restrictions at the recipient's bank — the manager mentions them before payment.
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The details are checked
Before sending, not after the payment comes back.
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The result is known in advance
The amount credited is named before payment along with the rate.
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No limits on our side
Limits are only possible at the recipient's bank.
