Alliance Trust Savings Limited SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of Alliance Trust Savings Limited

The 8-character code ALTSGB21 and the full code ALTSGB21XXX identify the same bank: Alliance Trust Savings Limited in Dundee, United Kingdom. The code has a single purpose: it ensures that money from abroad reaches the right bank. It comes up mainly for payments that cross a border.

Further down we go through the practical questions: receiving money at Alliance Trust Savings Limited, paying someone in another country and how to verify the code before you confirm a payment. The BIC names an institution, not a single account.

Which of the 4 codes of Alliance Trust Savings Limited do you need?

Alliance Trust Savings Limited uses 4 separate SWIFT/BIC codes across 1 cities. Only one is the head office code, ALTSGB21XXX; the rest identify branches.

Usually there is no need to look up a branch: payments sent to ALTSGB21XXX are routed within Alliance Trust Savings Limited without problems. If you have been given a branch code, use it as it is rather than replacing it with the head office code.

Not sure which code applies? Ask the recipient or the bank itself. Codes are sometimes changed or retired over time.

How up to date is this code?

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes from publicly available data and update them from time to time. Institutions reorganise, change names and change codes. The figures on this page reflect our own data, not official figures from Alliance Trust Savings Limited.

Treat our data as a starting point, not as the final word. GoldexPay is not affiliated with Alliance Trust Savings Limited; we are a comparison site for money transfers. Found an error? Let us know through the contact page and we will look into it.

Before you send: check the Alliance Trust Savings Limited code

The best place to find the correct BIC is a document from the bank itself like a bank statement or the account page in online banking. If the code you have differs from ALTSGB21 or ALTSGB21XXX, do not guess – contact the recipient or Alliance Trust Savings Limited.

Mistakes in the SWIFT code are annoying more than disastrous – usually the money comes back, minus fees and time lost. Do not forget the IBAN: a mistake there is harder to undo than a wrong code.

Many banking apps validate the structure of IBANs and some suggest the matching BIC, but that does not prove the account belongs to the right person. If your bank offers it, a name check before sending gives extra certainty. When you pay someone new, some people start with a small amount first before sending the rest.

Receiving money from abroad at Alliance Trust Savings Limited

When you are waiting for money from abroad, send the payer a complete set of details. That means: your full name exactly as it appears on the account, your account number or IBAN, the SWIFT/BIC code ALTSGB21XXX (or ALTSGB21) and sometimes your postal address.

The sender’s bank may request the bank address of Alliance Trust Savings Limited; the head office in Dundee is usually fine. Check the details before you share them – a sender rarely spots a mistake in someone else’s details.

What lands in your account is often less than what was sent. Fees for incoming transfers differ per bank – the price list of Alliance Trust Savings Limited tells you what applies. On invoices, it is common to state who bears the costs to avoid a shortfall.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

Criminals regularly send fake invoices with new bank details, sometimes in an email that looks completely genuine. The fact that ALTSGB21 exists is no guarantee that a request mentioning it is genuine.

Never trust contact details in the same message that contains the change. Urgency or secrecy tend to be red flags. Acted too fast? Call the bank you paid from without delay and have them try to recall the payment and report the fraud.

Recipients are targeted too: a classic trick is an overpayment and then sends a request to refund the difference. Wait until the money is actually in your account and check with Alliance Trust Savings Limited if anything seems off.

What the XXX in ALTSGB21XXX means

The structure of every SWIFT code never changes: four characters for the institution, two for the country and a two-character location code, sometimes followed by a branch code. For Alliance Trust Savings Limited, that core is ALTSGB21.

The long version has a three-character extension that identify a branch or department. When those three characters are XXX, the code points to the head office, which is why ALTSGB21XXX and ALTSGB21 lead to the same place.

In practice the code is written in capitals and without spaces. A wrong character can send a payment to a different institution.

British Pound (GBP) and conversion costs

The currency of United Kingdom is the British Pound (GBP). Money sent in a different currency will be exchanged into GBP on its way to Alliance Trust Savings Limited, and whoever converts it chooses the rate. Every conversion costs the amount.

Which bank converts the payment matters, because each party uses its own rate. Transferring the money directly in GBP usually prevents an extra conversion at the receiving end, provided the rate you get is fair.

Rates for GBP move during the day. If you pay regularly, a slightly better rate add up over time.

SEPA payments and the Alliance Trust Savings Limited BIC

United Kingdom is a member of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). When you send euros from another SEPA country, the IBAN is usually enough.

Outside the euro and for senders outside SEPA, ALTSGB21XXX or ALTSGB21 is still required. If a payment form asks for the BIC anyway, entering ALTSGB21 is fine.

Euro payments within SEPA normally land within one business day. As long as the payment stays in euros, a SEPA transfer tends to be inexpensive.

Sending money abroad from Alliance Trust Savings Limited

When you transfer money to another country through Alliance Trust Savings Limited, the visible fee is only part of what you pay. You pay the transfer fee, possibly charges from correspondent banks in between and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate.

Many banks do not show their exchange rate markup separately – you only notice it if you compare. An easy check: set the rate you get next to the mid-market rate for the same moment and look at the difference.

Money transfer services often offer rates closer to the mid-market rate and lower fees. GoldexPay compares these services side by side so you can see what actually arrives for the same amount sent. You can always keep your account at Alliance Trust Savings Limited.

How long does an international transfer to Alliance Trust Savings Limited take?

A SWIFT payment typically takes anywhere from one to several business days, depending on the currency, the route and the banks involved. Bank holidays in either country add extra days to the journey. Occasionally a bank wants to know what the payment is for before releasing it.

If the money seems delayed, ask your bank for the tracking status or the UETR; with that reference banks can see where the payment is. Keep your transfer receipt until the recipient confirms; it contains the details a bank needs to start a trace.

A delayed transfer is investigated from the sending side on the basis of the transfer details. On the receiving end, you can look at your account to see a slightly lower amount, since fees may have been deducted.