International payments

Can I choose which account the payment delivery charge is taken from?

No, these charges are now taken quarterly from the account that was debited with the original payment.

Can I make SEPA payments?

Yes, you are able to make SEPA payments online.

Can I make the payee pay the charge for an international payment?

Yes, this is possible for payments outside of the EEA

from the New International Payment screen

Select Charges
Choose All charges to be paid by payee

The full amount of the payment will be debited to the account and the amount, less the charge, will be sent to the payee. The system will provide this option if the payee's country legislation allows payment charges to be passed to the payee.

Can I pay all the charges for an international payment?

Yes, this is possible for payments outside of the EEA

from the New International payment screen

Select Charges
Choose All charges to be paid by payment originator

The full amount of the payment will be debited to the account and the charge will be included in the quarterly online payment fees.

The system will provide this option if the beneficiary's country legislation allows all payment charges to be paid by the originator.

Can I send the sterling equivalent of a currency, i.e. ?200 worth of US Dollars?

To send a payment for a sterling equivalent

Select Payments and Transfers
Select Make a Payment
Select New International Payment
If you would like to make a payment to someone you've paid before
Select the Payee Group
Select Payee from the list.
Payments to a new Payee, complete the Payee Account Details
Payee Account Number - this should be an IBAN if paying inside the EEA
Payee Name
Payee Address - required for payments to Canada and India
Bank Identification -
Bank Identification - required if an IBAN is not entered, only the final destination bank details are required as the routing instructions are already held within the service.
Select BIC/SWIFT or National Bank Code
Enter BIC/SWIFT or if National Bank Code was selected, select the Country from the drop down box and then enter the National Bank Code
Select the Pay From account, the balance and available balance are displayed, please ensure you have sufficient funds available to cover the payment.
Select the Currency
Enter the Amount - If the currency of the payment is different to the currency of the ‘pay from’ account, you can enter the amount in either currency. E.g. $200 or £200 worth of US dollars. The indicative exchange rate and currency equivalent will display.
Select Date of Payment - this will default to the current date unless it gone past the cut-off of 14.30 in which case the date will default to the next working day.
Select the Charges - options will vary depending on the currency being sent and the country the payment is being sent to
Shared Charges - you pay the Coutts charge and the payee pays their banks charges
All Charges to be Paid by the Payee - we will deduct the Coutts charge from the amount sent
All Charges to be Paid by the Payment Originator - you will pay the Coutts charge and the payees bank charge
Select the Payment Method
Send as a SEPA Payment - the following conditions must be satisfied
the payee account number is an IBAN,
the payment is to a European country within the Single Euro Payments Area,
the payment currency is EUR
the charges are shared
Send as Non-SEPA - the payment will be sent as a SWIFT payment
If you select to send as a SEPA payment but the SEPA conditions are not satisfied, you will have the option to send as non-SEPA or amend the payment so it can be sent as SEPA
The Payment Reference is optional but will help the payee to identify the payment
Enter Your Reference, this is optional
If you want to save the details as a new Payee, select the Save these payee details to use again
Select the Payee Group you wish to save the new payee to or select New Group if you wish to create a new group and enter the new group name and OK
The payee lookup name will default to the payee name already entered but can be amended
Select Next, if there are not enough funds in the account that you wish to make the payment from, you may be given the option to:-
Transfer Funds – you will be presented with a list of accounts in the same currency that holds sufficient funds to cover the difference between the available balance and the amount of the payment. Select which account you wish to use to transfer the money from and enter the amount of the transfer. Select Confirm and the transfer will happen immediately. Commercial users will only be presented with this option if the payment is value dated for the current day and they can key and approve their own transfers up to any amount.
Proceed – You may go ahead with the payment however, the payment will not be sent until sufficient funds are received in to the debit account. If funds are not received during the next business day, the payment will be cancelled
Amend Payment – you can change the date of the payment to a future date to allow funds to be credited to the account or alternatively, change the value of the payment to an amount that does not exceed the available balance.
Carefully check the details and select Confirm to complete the payment or, if this is the first time you are making a payment to this payee, you will need to authorise the payment.

To authorise with Card and Reader.

Select Authorise
Insert you card into the reader or press ON and press Respond
Enter the card PIN
Press OK
Enter the Security Code shown on screen in to the reader. Please check that the last 4 digits of the account number you are making the payment to match the last 4 digits of the security code displayed on screen. In the unlikely event that these do not match, log off and contact the Coutts Digital Helpdesk immediately on +44 (0) 20 7770 0000
Press OK
Enter the Authorisation number from the reader in to the screen
Select Authorise

To authorise with CouttsID

Ensure you have your enrolled mobile phone
Select Authorise with CouttsID
A message will be received on the registered device
Press Authorise to authorise the changes or Reject to authorise later.

The payments have now been authorised and will processed unless they are pending for a future date or subject to additional approval. Select Make Another Payment if more payments are to be entered

How and when should I use my IBAN?

You should use your IBAN (and BIC):

for invoicing or to instruct a foreign bank to make payments to your account
instead of account number and branch details in cross-border payments

You can also use IBAN (and BIC) to make non-sterling payments between UK accounts.

How do I make an international payment?

Select Payments and Transfers
Select Make a Payment
Select International
If you would like to make a payment to someone you've paid before
Select the Payee Group
Select Payee from the list.
Payments to a new Payee, complete the Payee Account Details
Payee Account Number - this should be an IBAN if paying inside the EEA
Payee Name
Payee Address - required for payments to Canada and India
Bank Identification - required if an IBAN is not entered, only the final destination bank details are required as the routing instructions are already held within the service.
Select BIC/SWIFT or National Bank Code
Enter BIC/SWIFT or if National Bank Code was selected, select the Country from the drop down box and then enter the National Bank Code
Select the Pay From account, the balance and available balance are displayed, please ensure you have sufficient funds available to cover the payment.
Select the Currency
Enter the Amount - If the currency of the payment is different to the currency of the ‘pay from’ account, you can enter the amount in either currency. E.g. $200 or £200 worth of US dollars. The indicative exchange rate and currency equivalent will display.
Select Date of Payment - this will default to today's date before 14.30, after 14:30 the date will default to the next working day
Select the Charges - options will vary depending on the currency being sent and the country the payment is being sent to
Shared Charges - you pay the Coutts charge and the payee pays their banks charges
All Charges to be Paid by the Payee - we will deduct the Coutts charge from the amount sent
All Charges to be Paid by the Payment Originator - you will pay the Coutts charge and the payees bank charge
Select the Payment Method
Send as a SEPA Payment - the following conditions must be satisfied
the payee account number is an IBAN,
the payment is to a European country within the Single Euro Payments Area,
the payment currency is EUR
the charges are shared
Send as Non-SEPA - the payment will be sent as a SWIFT payment
If you select to send as a SEPA payment but the SEPA conditions are not satisfied, you will have the option to send as non-SEPA or amend the payment so it can be sent as SEPA
Enter Payment Reference, this is optional but will help the payee to identify the payment
Enter Your Reference, this is optional
If you want to save the details as a new payee, select the Save these payee details to use again
Select the Payee Group you wish to save the new payee to or select New Group if you wish to create a new group and enter the new group name and OK
The payee lookup name will default to the payee name already entered but can be amended
Select Next, if there are not enough funds in the account that you wish to make the payment from, you may be given the option to:
Transfer Funds – you will be presented with a list of accounts in the same currency that holds sufficient funds to cover the difference between the available balance and the amount of the payment. Select which account you wish to use to transfer the money from and enter the amount of the transfer. Select Confirm and the transfer will happen immediately. Commercial users will only be presented with this option if the payment is value dated for the current day and they can key and approve their own transfers up to any amount.
Proceed – You may go ahead with the payment however, the payment will not be sent until sufficient funds are received in to the debit account. If funds are not received during the next business day, the payment will be cancelled.
Amend Payment – you can change the date of the payment to a future date to allow funds to be credited to the account or alternatively, change the value of the payment to an amount that does not exceed the available balance.
Carefully check the details and select Confirm to complete the payment or, if this is the first time you are making a payment to this payee or have amended the payee name or reference previously used, you will need to authorise the payment.

To authorise using your Card and Reader

Insert your card into the reader or press ON and press Respond
Enter the card PIN
Press OK
Enter the Security Code shown on screen in to the reader - Please check that the last 4 digits of the account number you are making the payment to match the last 4 digits of the security code displayed on screen. In the unlikely event that these do not match, log off and contact the Coutts Digital Helpdesk immediately on +44 (0) 20 7770 0000.

Press OK
Enter the Authorisation number from the reader in to the screen
Select Authorise

To authorise with CouttsID

Ensure you have your enrolled mobile phone
Select Authorise with CouttsID
Enter the password you use to log in to Coutts Online
A message will be received on the registered device
Press Authorise to authorise the changes or Reject to authorise later.

What are the cut-off times and credit value dates for international payments?

The cut-off time for International payments is 14.30 (GMT/BST). The best value date will be achieved depending on the payment currency and country.

The cut-off time for a SEPA payment is 14.00 (GMT/BST) and the payment will arrive the next business day.

What details are required to make an international payment?

Payee Account Number

The payee account number is the account number of the person or business you are paying.

Payee Name

The payee name is the name of the person or business you are paying.

Payee Address

The payee address is the address of the person or business you are paying. This is only mandatory for payments to Canada and India

Bank Identification

BIC/SWIFT or National Bank Code, these identify the Bank/Branch of the payees bank, only the final destination bank details are required as the routing requirements are built in.

Pay From

The Pay From field shows all the accounts that you are able to make payments from. The balance and available balance are displayed, please ensure you have sufficient funds available to cover the payment.

Amount

This field is used to enter the amount you wish to pay.

Currency

Click on the drop down box and select the currency you wish to pay.

Payment date

This is the date the payment will be initiated, not necessarily the date the funds will be credited.

Charges

Select the appropriate charges option from the drop down box.
- Shared charges – the charges are split. You will pay the Coutts charge and any charges the payee bank may charge will be taken from the payee.
- All charges to be paid by payee – All charges will be deducted from the amount that is sent to the payee.
- All charges paid by payment originator – You will pay both the Coutts charge and the payees bank charge

Payment Method

Send as a SEPA Payment - the following conditions must be satisfied
- the payee account number is an IBAN,
- the payment is to a European country within the Single Euro Payments Area,
- the payment currency is EUR
- the charges are shared
Send as Non-SEPA - the payment will be sent as a SWIFT payment

Payee Reference

You can enter a reference which may appear on the payee's statement. This will help them establish where the payment has come from.
If you are paying a bill, you must ensure the reference field is completed according to the payee instructions. This is usually your account number but might be an invoice number or similar.

Your Reference

Enter your reference for this payment.

A payee can also be saved when creating a payment to a new payee by selecting the Save these payee details to use again box at the bottom of the page.

What does indicative rate mean when I make a currency payment or transfer?

The indicative rate is intended to give you an idea of the rate you will receive when making your payment or transfer.

Please bear in mind this if you are planning a future dated payment.

What is a BIC?

BIC stands for Bank Identification Code - also known as a SWIFT code or SWIFT address. This is a standard format that uniquely identifies a bank and should be entered when making a currency or overseas payment. However, if you have an IBAN, the BIC will be completed automatically once the IBAN has been entered.

What is an IBAN?

International Bank Account Number - a standard way to uniquely identify an account for the purpose of improving the efficiency and speed of cross-border payments.

Whenever you make a European cross-border payment, you use an IBAN to identify the account you want to credit, together with a bank identifier code (BIC). An IBAN is mandatory if you wish to make a SEPA payment.

An IBAN is not a new bank account number. It uses the existing bank account details plus additional characters. Coutts Online will alert you if you have not entered the IBAN in a valid format for that country. A sample IBAN layout is shown on the payment screen.

What is an international payment?

This can be a payment within the UK in a currency other than GBP, or a payment to a beneficiary outside the UK, in GBP or a foreign currency and will either be sent as a SEPA or SWIFT payment.

What is a SEPA payment?

A SEPA payment is a Euro credit transfer sent to a country participating in the SEPA payments scheme.

What is forex?

Forex stands for foreign exchange and is a term used when one currency is sold to purchase another currency.

What is the difference between a SEPA and a SWIFT payment when keyed online?

A SEPA payment can only be sent in euros within the Single Euro Payments Area and the fees must be shared between the sender and the beneficiary. A SEPA payment must quote an IBAN and will arrive the next business day if executed after the 14:00 cut off.

A SWIFT payment can be made between any bank in any country that supports the SWIFT service and in most currencies. The charges can be shared, paid by the beneficiary or by the payer depending on the beneficiary country and payment currency. SWIFT payments can quote both IBANs or account numbers and the value date of a SWIFT payment depends on the payment currency and where it is being sent. The cut-off for SWIFT payments is 14:30.

When making a foreign payment, is the exchange rate displayed?

Yes, the indicative exchange rate will be available at the time the payment is created. Once executed, the actual exchange rate used will be available in the payment narrative in the transaction list.

Where can I find my IBAN?

To find your IBAN

Select Accounts
Select Your Accounts
Select an account
Select Account Information, the IBAN can be found on this screen.

Alternatively, your IBAN can be found on the copy of your statements

Select Documents
Select Document Vault
Select the statement, and open the PDF, your IBAN is at the top of the page

Which countries need destination bank branch details as well as BIC/NCC codes for international payments?

Usually, the BIC/NCC is enough to ensure the receiving bank can process your payment. But in some cases it is important to check that the BIC/NCC identifies the destination bank branch, because if not, you may need to give additional information, such as the full beneficiary name, beneficiary address and destination bank branch details.

This is often the case when making payments to China, India, Taiwan, UAE, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and the Philippines.

Which currencies can be used for international payments?

Only the following currencies can be used for international payments:

GBP - Sterling
EUR - Euro
USD - United StatesDollar
AED - Emirati Dirham
AUD - Australian Dollar
CAD - Canadian Dollar
CHF - Swiss Franc
CZK - Czech Republic Koruna
DKK - Danish Krone
HKD - Hong Kong Dollar
HUF - Hungarian Forint
INR - Indian Rupees
JPY - Japanese Yen
NOK - Norwegian Krone
NZD - New Zealand Dollars
PLN - Polish Zloty
SAR - Saudi Riyals
SEK - Swedish Krona
SGD - Singapore Dollars
THB - Thai Bahts
TRY - Turkish Lire
ZAR - South African Rand