In short
- A sender's payment confirmation can show that their bank has accepted the payment before the transfer has reached your account.
- A bank can delay a transfer while it checks the payment, and it can't credit the right account when the sender uses the wrong account details.
- The sender should first contact their bank or provider, which can confirm whether it has released the payment.
- A payment trace is a formal investigation the sender's bank can open using the payment reference.
- Making a second payment before the status of the first one is clear can mean the sender pays twice.
- Your first deposit into a Juicyway account by bank transfer can take one to two working days.
Check whether the transfer is late
When you haven't received an international transfer, check the date it was due to arrive. A transfer can reach your account later than the day the sender makes it, because the sender's bank may still be processing the payment or your bank may not have credited it yet.
The sender's bank or provider usually gives an estimated arrival date. A transfer made close to a weekend or public holiday can take longer, because banks in the countries involved may be closed. Banks also set a processing cut-off time each business day, and a bank may not start processing a transfer made after its cut-off until the next business day.
Check what the sender's confirmation says. A receipt can show that the bank accepted the payment for processing without showing that the transfer has reached your account.
When the estimated arrival date has passed and the transfer isn't in your account, the next step is to find out where it is.
Why an international transfer can be delayed
1. The sender's bank hasn't released the payment
The sender has made the payment, but their bank may still be processing it. The sender can check the payment's status in their banking app.
2. A bank is checking the payment
Banks and payment providers may review a payment before they release it. They may need to verify the sender's identity or ask for more information about the payment. A bank can delay a transfer while it completes these checks, even when the account details are correct.
Look through your email, including your spam folder, and your banking app notifications. Answer any request for information promptly and follow the provider's instructions.
3. Your bank hasn't credited the transfer yet
The sender's bank may have released the payment while your bank is still processing it. Most delays in international transfers happen at the receiving bank. Your statement may also list the payment under a sender name or reference you don't recognise.
Look through your account statement for the amount, currency, sender name, and reference shown on the sender's receipt. Once the sender's bank confirms it has released the payment to your bank, give your bank the receipt so it can trace the incoming payment.
4. The account details are wrong
A bank can't credit the right account when the sender uses an incorrect account number, routing number, sort code, IBAN, or other bank code. Depending on the payment route and the error, your bank may reject the payment, return it to the sender, or take longer to resolve it.
A routing number is the nine-digit code that identifies a bank in the US. A sort code is the six-digit code that identifies a bank or payment provider in the UK.
Compare the account details on the sender's receipt with the details you gave them. When the details are wrong, the sender's bank or provider can say whether it can correct, recall, or return the payment. You can't change the details yourself once the sender has made the payment.
5. An intermediary bank is involved
When the sender's bank and your bank don't have an account with each other, the sender's bank may use one or more intermediary banks to get the payment to your bank. Banks send each other the payment instructions through SWIFT, a messaging network for international payments. SWIFT sends the instructions, and the banks move the money.
Each intermediary bank follows its own processing steps, which can add time. An intermediary bank may also charge its own fee.
The sender's bank can confirm whether it used an intermediary bank. Not every international transfer uses one, so an intermediary bank may not be the reason for the delay.
What to do when you haven't received a transfer
Get the full receipt from the sender
A screenshot saying "successful" may not show enough to trace a transfer. Ask the sender for the full receipt from their bank or provider. It should show the payment date, amount, currency, your account details, and the payment reference. A payment reference is the unique code a bank gives a payment so it can find that payment later.
Check the payment status
The sender can open the payment in their banking app and check its latest status. The status can show that the payment is still processing, has gone through, has failed, or is being returned. Each provider uses its own labels, so check what the provider means by the status shown.
Contact the sender's bank or provider first
The bank or provider the sender used can confirm whether it has released the payment and whether the payment needs a trace. A payment trace is a formal investigation in which the sender's bank follows the payment from bank to bank to find which bank has it.
Once the sender's bank confirms the payment has reached your bank, contact your bank with the receipt and payment reference.
Have these ready when you contact either bank:
- The date the sender made the transfer
- The amount and currency
- The sender's name and your name
- Your account details
- The payment reference or the full receipt
- Any case numbers from earlier contact
Don't make a second payment yet
A transfer that hasn't arrived isn't necessarily lost. The bank may still be processing it, checking it, or returning it to the sender. When a bank has rejected or returned the payment, the sender's bank or provider can confirm the reason. The money may need to go back to the sender's account before the sender corrects the details and pays again. Making a new payment before the status of the first one is clear can mean the sender pays twice.
Keep a record
Keep the receipt, the payment reference, your messages, and any case number the bank gives you. Use the bank's official support channels. Don't share your banking password, PIN, or one-time passcode (OTP) with anyone who says they're investigating a transfer.
Receiving money into your Juicyway accounts
International transfers are generally slower than domestic ones. Your Juicyway USD account has a US account number and a routing number, so a sender in the US pays into it as a domestic US transfer. Your Juicyway pound and euro accounts have their own account details too, so senders in the UK and Europe can pay into them as a local transfer instead of an international one. You can add Canadian dollars to your Juicyway Canadian dollar account with 'Interac e-Transfer', or use 'Interac Request Money' to ask someone to pay you.
When the sender's bank or payment provider makes the transfer through FedNow, dollars can arrive in your USD account in as quickly as a few seconds, any day of the week, including weekends.
Your first deposit by bank transfer can take one to two working days. When you deposit from your own bank account, tap 'I have made payment' once you've made the transfer.
If you need help, chat with us and share the sender's receipt.
Key terms
FedNow: A US payment system that banks and credit unions use to send each other payments in seconds, at any time of day, on any day of the year.
Intermediary bank: A bank that passes a payment between the sender's bank and the receiving bank. Each intermediary bank can add time to an international transfer and may charge its own fee.
Payment reference: The unique code a bank gives a payment. Banks and payment providers use it to find and trace that payment.
Payment trace: A formal investigation a bank or payment provider opens to find a payment and confirm its status.
Processing cut-off time: The time by which a bank must receive a payment instruction to process it on the same business day. The bank may not start processing a transfer made after the cut-off until the next business day.
Routing number: The nine-digit code that identifies a bank in the US. Senders use it for domestic US transfers.
Sort code: The six-digit code that identifies a bank or payment provider in the UK. Senders use it with an account number for domestic UK transfers.
SWIFT: The messaging network banks use to send each other payment instructions for international transfers. SWIFT sends the instructions, and the banks move the money.
Frequently asked questions
Can the sender cancel an international transfer?
In the US, a person who makes an international transfer can generally cancel it within 30 minutes of paying for it. Other countries set their own rules.
How long does a sender have to report a problem with a transfer?
In the US, the sender can report a problem with an international transfer up to 180 days from the date the money was due to be available, as shown on the receipt. The provider has 90 days to look into the problem and must tell the sender the result. In some cases, the sender gets a refund or the provider makes the transfer again.
