Luzerner Kantonalbank SWIFT/BIC code

What LUKBCH22 means for a payment to Luzerner Kantonalbank

LUKBCH22 and LUKBCH22XXX are two spellings of the same SWIFT/BIC code, and both lead to Luzerner Kantonalbank in Lucerne. A SWIFT code tells the sending bank which institution should receive the money, a bit like a postal address for banks. In daily life you mostly come across it on invoices from abroad, in your banking app and in the bank details that Luzerner Kantonalbank provides.

This page is meant to help people who receives money at an account at Luzerner Kantonalbank. Keep in mind that the BIC only identifies the bank, not the account: the IBAN or account number does that part.

8 or 11 characters: LUKBCH22 versus LUKBCH22XXX

The structure of a BIC is always the same: a bank code of four letters, two for the country and two for the location, plus an optional branch code. In this case, the 8-character core is LUKBCH22.

XXX at the end of LUKBCH22XXX does not stand for a placeholder or a mistake: it indicates the main office of Luzerner Kantonalbank. Some banking apps ask for 11 characters, in which case you can add XXX behind LUKBCH22.

In practice the code is typed in capitals. Copying the code beats typing it by hand, because one wrong letter changes the bank.

How to check LUKBCH22 before you pay

The best place to find the right code remains a document from the bank itself. Compare it with LUKBCH22 on this page and ask if anything does not match.

Errors in the SWIFT code are annoying more than fatal: often the payment comes back, minus fees. A mistake in the account number is a bigger problem.

Many banking apps validate the structure of an IBAN and sometimes look up the BIC automatically, but that does not prove the account belongs to the right person. Where available, a payee name check on the recipient adds extra certainty. When you pay someone new, many people start with a small amount first.

Incoming international payments to Luzerner Kantonalbank

For a transfer from abroad at Luzerner Kantonalbank, the person paying you has to have not just the SWIFT code. What they need is: the account holder’s name, IBAN or account number, LUKBCH22XXX and often your home address.

You can include the bank name and Lucerne too. Double-check every detail before you send them – a sender rarely spots a mistake in someone else’s details.

Do not be surprised if the incoming amount is below what the sender paid. Charges on incoming payments vary from bank to bank; check the price list of Luzerner Kantonalbank. For business payments, it is common to state who bears the costs.

Euro transfers to Luzerner Kantonalbank: is a BIC needed?

Within the SEPA zone, euro transfers to Luzerner Kantonalbank follow the same rules and in most cases need only the IBAN. A field for the BIC is often optional for those payments.

A SWIFT code like LUKBCH22 does matter for payments in other currencies. If your banking app asks for the BIC regardless, entering LUKBCH22 does no harm.

Instant payments in euros are increasingly available across SEPA; check with Luzerner Kantonalbank whether it applies to your account. As long as the payment stays in euros, a SEPA transfer tends to be inexpensive; costs rise once a conversion is involved.

When will the money arrive at Luzerner Kantonalbank?

There is no fixed answer for international payments: some land within a day, others take several business days. Bank holidays in the sending or receiving country add extra days, since banks do not process on those days. Extra checks by one of the banks can also cause some delay, regardless of the details.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every payment gets a unique reference, the UETR. Money transfer services often provide tracking online showing where the money has got.

Only the sending bank is able to request a trace; the receiving side usually has nothing to trace yet. As a recipient, you can look at your statements to see a partial amount because fees can reduce the amount.

Which of the 24 codes of Luzerner Kantonalbank do you need?

Luzerner Kantonalbank has 24 different SWIFT/BIC codes. One of them is the head office code, LUKBCH22XXX; the rest identify branches or departments.

Usually there is no need to look up a branch: payments sent to LUKBCH22XXX are routed within Luzerner Kantonalbank without problems. When you receive a specific code, use it as it is rather than swapping it with the head office code.

Unsure which code applies? Check with the recipient. Codes are sometimes changed or retired over time.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

One of the most common tricks works like this: an email arrives with a message claiming that a company has new bank details and that the next payment should go there. The fact that LUKBCH22 exists does not mean that the account is legitimate.

Check new payment details through a separate channel, not by replying to the message. Pressure or requests to keep it quiet tend to be warning signs. Already paid? Contact your bank straight away and have them try to recall the payment and report the fraud.

Recipients can be targeted as well: one known trick is an overpayment and then sends a request to refund the difference abroad. A payment confirmation from the sender proves nothing – check your own account.

International transfers from Luzerner Kantonalbank: the real cost

If you send money to another country from Luzerner Kantonalbank, the fee you see is only part of the cost. On top of the transfer fee, banks in between may deduct a fee, and if the money changes currency, the bank often uses a rate that is less favourable than the real market rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate: many banks convert at a rate with a margin built in. Compare their rate with the mid-market rate – the rate you find on financial news sites; the gap is what conversion costs you.

Specialist money transfer services often offer a rate near the mid-market rate with clearer fees. GoldexPay compares what recipients receive with different providers, so you can pick the cheapest route. Choosing a specialist does not mean closing your account at Luzerner Kantonalbank – you pay the provider from your own account.

A note on our data

We collect bank codes using publicly available data and check them regularly. Banks reorganise, close branches and change codes, and a directory never catches every change immediately. Figures such as the number of codes are from our directory and may differ from what Luzerner Kantonalbank publishes.

Treat the information on this page as a helpful check, and let the details from the recipient or Luzerner Kantonalbank have the final say. GoldexPay has no connection to Luzerner Kantonalbank; we are a comparison site for money transfers. Found outdated information? Let us know via our contact form and we will look into it.

The Swiss Franc and what conversion costs you

Most accounts at Luzerner Kantonalbank are typically held in CHF, the local currency. A payment in a foreign currency will be exchanged into CHF on its way to Luzerner Kantonalbank – and the bank that does it picks the rate. Every conversion costs something.

Which bank converts the payment makes a difference. Compare what CHF the recipient gets with several services before choosing one.

The rate for CHF fluctuates constantly and quotes are often valid only for a short time. On larger amounts, a small difference in the rate adds up quickly.