Absa Bank Limited SWIFT/BIC code

What ABSAZAJJ means for a payment to Absa Bank Limited

ABSAZAJJ and ABSAZAJJXXX are two spellings of the same SWIFT/BIC code, and both lead to Absa Bank Limited in Johannesburg. Every bank on the SWIFT network uses BIC codes to direct international transfers to the right institution. You will need it mainly for transfers between countries.

Further down we go through the practical side: money coming in from abroad, sending money abroad and how to verify the code before you hit send. The SWIFT code on its own does not identify a personal account; that is what the IBAN or account number is for.

How long does an international transfer to Absa Bank Limited take?

There is no single delivery time for every transfer: some land within a day while others need several business days. Bank holidays in either country can add a day or more. Compliance checks by one of the banks can also cause some delay, regardless of the details.

When a payment takes longer than expected, contact the sending bank about the tracking status. Save your transfer receipt until the money has arrived; it contains the details a bank needs to start a trace.

Only the sending bank can start an official trace or a recall; the receiving side usually has nothing to trace yet. On the receiving end, you can look at your statements for a partial amount.

What to give a sender who pays you at Absa Bank Limited

Someone abroad who wants to pay you needs a few details about your account. What they need is: the account holder’s name, IBAN or account number, ABSAZAJJXXX or ABSAZAJJ and in many cases your home address.

It helps to include the bank name and its city as well. Check every detail before you share them.

Money from abroad does not always arrive in full. Fees for incoming transfers vary from bank to bank – the price list of Absa Bank Limited tells you what applies. Make clear with the sender who covers the fees.

8 or 11 characters: ABSAZAJJ versus ABSAZAJJXXX

A BIC is made up of fixed blocks: characters one to four identify the bank, the next two give the country and characters seven and eight mark the location. The result is ABSAZAJJ.

The full version adds three more characters that identify a branch or department. If the last three are XXX, they simply mean the head office, which is why ABSAZAJJXXX and ABSAZAJJ lead to the same place.

As a rule the code is written in capitals, without spaces or dashes. Pasting the code is safer than typing it by hand: a typo can point to another bank.

Which of the 24 codes of Absa Bank Limited do you need?

Absa Bank Limited has 24 different SWIFT/BIC codes across 7 cities. One of them is the head office code; the rest identify branches or departments, and sometimes specific services.

For most payments to a private or business account, the head office code ABSAZAJJXXX is the right choice. When you receive a branch code, stick to it rather than replacing it with the head office code.

The safest approach is to take the code directly from the account holder’s statement. Branch codes are more prone to be retired than ABSAZAJJXXX.

A note on our data

We collect bank codes using public sources and check them from time to time. Even so, banks merge or retire codes. The figures we show reflect what is in our directory.

For a payment of any size, check the code with the recipient’s bank or the recipient. GoldexPay has no connection to Absa Bank Limited, we only compare transfer services. Spotted outdated information? Let us know through the contact page.

What a transfer from Absa Bank Limited abroad really costs

An international bank payment costs more than the fee suggests. You pay the fee for the transfer itself, sometimes fees charged by intermediary banks in between and, most importantly, the exchange rate markup when the money is converted.

The markup on the rate is often the biggest item, and it is easy to miss. An easy check: set the rate you get next to the mid-market rate and look at the difference.

For a lot of currency pairs, a transfer service turns out to be less expensive than a bank, mainly because of the exchange rate. GoldexPay compares these services next to each other so you can see what actually arrives before you commit. Choosing a specialist does not mean leaving Absa Bank Limited – you pay the provider from your own account.

How to check ABSAZAJJ before you pay

Have the recipient copy their account details directly from a recent statement. Check it with ABSAZAJJ on this page.

Mistakes in the SWIFT code tend to be annoying more than disastrous – usually the money comes back, minus fees and time lost. A mistake in the IBAN or account number is a bigger problem because it can reach the wrong person, so check that just as carefully.

Most online banking apps check the format of IBANs and sometimes look up the BIC automatically, but that does not prove the account belongs to the right person. Where available, a name check on the recipient adds an extra layer of safety. A small test payment can be worth it for a large first payment.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

Criminals often use payment requests with changed bank details sent from what looks like a familiar address. A real SWIFT code tells you nothing about whether the request is genuine: scammers use real codes of real banks.

Verify new bank details via a different channel, such as a phone number you already know, never via the email that asked for the change. Watch out for urgent requests, unusual wording or an email address that differs by one letter. Acted too fast? Contact your bank straight away and have them start a recall; also report it to the police.

Recipients are targeted too: a classic trick is an overpayment followed by a request to refund the difference to another account. Do not act before the money has really arrived and check with Absa Bank Limited if anything seems off.

The South African Rand and what conversion costs you

South Africa uses the South African Rand (ZAR). If you send another currency, the amount gets converted somewhere along the way. Each conversion costs the amount, even when no fee is shown.

Where the conversion happens has an effect on the final amount, as rates and margins differ per bank. Compare what ZAR the recipient gets via different services.

Exchange rates change all the time. For regular payments, a slightly better rate make a real difference over a year.