SWIFT/BIC codes in United Kingdom: banks starting with G

United Kingdom: banks and their SWIFT/BIC codes

Here you will find codes for 4648 institutions in United Kingdom. Every code points to an institution or a specific branch or department and tells other banks where an international payment should go.

Look for the recipient’s bank below and click through for the full list of codes. The sections below covers the structure of the codes, the cost of transfers and the checks worth doing before a payment.

United Kingdom and the British Pound

Bank accounts in United Kingdom are typically held in GBP. Money sent in a different currency will be converted into GBP – and the bank that does it picks the rate.

Who converts the money makes a difference: every bank has its own margin. In many cases you pay less to send GBP directly via a provider that converts near the mid-market rate so the receiving bank does not need to convert again. Exchange rates change all the time.

The structure of a United Kingdom SWIFT/BIC code

Every SWIFT/BIC code has 8 or 11 characters. The first four letters stand for the bank, the fifth and sixth characters are the country code and characters seven and eight mark the location.

You can recognise a bank code from United Kingdom from letters five and six. Codes with other letters in that position belong to another country, even if the bank name looks familiar.

The long version adds a branch code. In most cases the head office code is fine unless the recipient asks for a specific branch.

What a sender needs to pay you in United Kingdom

Someone abroad who wants to pay you needs a few details about your account – incomplete details often cause delays. Share the account holder’s name, the IBAN or account number, your bank’s SWIFT code and your address.

Look up your bank in the list above – your bank statement is the final word. Certain banks also want the name and address of your bank, so keep it at hand.

What lands in your account is often less than what was sent. Correspondent banks can take a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and if the money is converted, an exchange rate margin comes on top. Agree with the sender who pays which costs, especially for larger amounts.

Paying in euros to United Kingdom

United Kingdom is a member of the SEPA area. When you send euros within SEPA, you normally only need the IBAN; many banks no longer ask for the BIC.

You still need a SWIFT code for payments in other currencies or money from outside the SEPA area. Instant euro transfers have become increasingly available across SEPA – check whether your bank supports them. As long as no conversion is involved, a SEPA transfer tends to be cheap.

How long does a transfer to United Kingdom take?

A SWIFT payment to United Kingdom typically takes anywhere from one to several business days – it depends on currency, route and the banks in between. Bank holidays in either country can add a day or more to the journey.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every payment carries a unique transaction reference, the UETR. Save your transfer receipt until the recipient confirms – you will need it if something goes wrong.

The cheapest way to send money to United Kingdom

A bank transfer to United Kingdom can cost more than the fee suggests. There is the transfer fee, possibly charges from intermediary banks along the way and, above all, the exchange rate markup.

That exchange rate margin tends to be the biggest part of the cost because it is hidden in the rate. Check the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate, the midpoint you see on financial news sites; the gap is what conversion costs you.

Specialist money transfer services often offer rates closer to the mid-market rate with clearer fees. Before your next transfer to United Kingdom, it is worth comparing the total cost on GoldexPay instead of going straight to your bank.

Banks in United Kingdom starting with :letter

You are looking at a selection: only institutions in United Kingdom with a name starting with :letter. The totals on this page cover all 4648 banks.

Some banks appear under their legal name. The complete list is one click away if you cannot find the bank here.

How reliable is this list?

Have the recipient copy the account details straight from a recent statement. If the code you have does not match our list, stop and ask: check with the recipient or the bank.

We collect bank codes from publicly available data and check them from time to time. Banks merge, change names and retire codes. Before a payment of any size, confirm the code with the recipient. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site and has no link to the banks in this list.

Watch out for payment requests with a new account. Before paying, verify changed details through a separate channel, using a number you already had.

HSBC Bank PLC and its SWIFT codes

Of all banks we list for United Kingdom, HSBC Bank PLC is listed with the most SWIFT codes. Its main office has HBUKGB41XXX; that is usually the right code for a transfer.

Practice differs in how many codes they register – a high count is not a measure of size. If not a branch code is given, the head office code HBUKGB41XXX works for a payment to HSBC Bank PLC.