Wise offers account details for both domestic and international payments. When you go to your currency balance that you want to receive into, and select the number right under the currency, we'll show you both sets of details.
Read on to learn more about them.
What are domestic payments?
Domestic payments are transfers between the financial institutions in the same country via local payment networks.
Let's say you’ve moved from the UK to the US, and you’d like to receive money in British pounds from your family living in the UK. We’ll give you GBP account details that your family can send money to — this means no conversion or international fees.
What are international payments?
International payments are a way for someone to send money in a currency from almost any country in the world — even if that country doesn’t use that currency. When someone sends you an international payment, it comes through the Swift network.
Now let's say you live in the US, and your friend in Japan wants to send you 10,000 JPY. They send the money through their bank using the Swift network, and once the payment arrives in your Wise account, we convert it to USD and deposit it.
Learn where you can receive Swift payments from
To save on speed and fees, you can use domestic payment details to receive money in the sender's local currency. Otherwise, use Swift details for international transfers.
What details do I need to provide for a domestic payment?
That depends on the currency your sender is using to pay. These are the details they might need:
Account Number (your account’s unique identifier within the bank)
IBAN (used in many countries, it includes your country code, bank code, and account number)
Routing Number – both for ACH and Wire payments (for the U.S.): A 9-digit code identifying your bank.
Sort Code (for the UK): A 6-digit code identifying your bank and branch.
BSB Code (for Australia): A 6-digit number used to identify the individual branch of an Australian financial institution
Remember that payment schemes vary by country or region, and the account details your sender will need depend on the scheme used.
UK: common schemes include CHAPS, BACS, FPS, and Swift
EU: the SEPA scheme is popular for EUR-to-EUR cross-border payments
US: Common schemes are include ACH, Wire
What details do I need to provide for an international payment?
For international payments, provide:
Swift/BIC code: identifies your bank globally.
IBAN: your account's unique identifier.
Account name: your name as it appears on the account.
Bank name and address: found on your account details screen.
Use our IBAN checker to break down IBANs into BIC and account numbers.
Can the same details be used for all currencies?
Not necessarily, as different currencies and payment types require specific details. For example, when sending EUR you need to share your IBAN, the GBP IBAN can accept 23 currencies via Swift, while sending USD requires the ACH and Swift codes, for example.
What happens if the wrong details are provided?
Incorrect payment details can cause delays or failed transactions. Always double-check:
Account numbers and codes — such as IBAN, Swift/BIC
Payment method — such as ACH vs. Swift
Recipient’s name and address