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

United Kingdom: banks and their SWIFT/BIC codes

This directory contains 4648 banks and financial institutions in United Kingdom and 20757 SWIFT/BIC codes between them. You will need such a code mostly when making payments across borders, and especially for payments in foreign currencies.

Look for the bank you need below and click through for all codes we have and the details a transfer needs. Further down we explain how codes from United Kingdom are built, how to send money there without overpaying and how to check a code before you pay.

Recognising a SWIFT code from United Kingdom

A BIC is 8 or 11 characters long. Characters one to four stand for the bank, characters five and six form the country code and characters seven and eight give the location.

You can recognise a code from United Kingdom from letters five and six. Codes with a different country code belong to another country.

The last three characters, if present, stand for a specific branch; XXX is used for the head office. Choose a branch code just if the recipient’s bank asks for it – otherwise stick with the head office.

Incoming international payments in United Kingdom

To receive a transfer from abroad into a United Kingdom account, the sender needs more than the SWIFT code. Give them the account holder’s name, the IBAN or account number, the BIC of your bank and your address, which some banks require.

The code of your bank is in our list, yet the version on your own statement or in your banking app is leading. It helps to include your bank’s name and city as well.

What lands in your account is often lower than the amount sent. Charges on incoming payments differ from bank to bank; check the price list of your bank. Make clear with the sender who pays which costs before the money is sent.

Tracking a payment to United Kingdom

How fast a payment reaches United Kingdom depends on several factors: the currency, the number of banks in between, daily processing deadlines and time zones. Bank holidays in either country can add extra days.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi. Each gpi transfer carries a unique reference, the UETR, which the sending bank can use to trace it. Specialist transfer services often provide tracking in their app, which makes it easier to see where the money is.

The cheapest way to send money to United Kingdom

The price of a payment to United Kingdom is made up of several parts. On top of the fee, correspondent banks may take a cut, and when the money is converted the bank often applies a less favourable rate than the real market rate.

The real cost is often in the rate: banks convert at a rate with a margin built in. A simple test: set the offered rate against the mid-market rate and work out the difference on your amount.

Specialist money transfer services frequently use a rate near the mid-market rate and lower fees. On GoldexPay you can compare the amount that arrives in United Kingdom across services, so you can pick the cheapest route.

About our data and how to check a code

Ask the recipient to copy the account details directly from their online banking. When the code you were given does not match our list, do not guess: check with the recipient or the bank.

We gather bank codes from public sources and check our list regularly. Still, banks merge or retire codes and our data may lag behind. Treat this list as a starting point, not as the final word: the bank details from the recipient come first. 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, especially when they come by email. Always verify changed details by phone.

Banks in United Kingdom beginning with the letter :letter

Here you see a selection: only banks in United Kingdom with a name starting with :letter. The counts in the introduction still cover the whole country, not just this letter.

Many institutions appear under their legal name rather than the name on their app or website, so the letter can differ from what you expect. Try the full list for United Kingdom when you are not sure how the name is spelled.

United Kingdom and the SEPA area

United Kingdom is part of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). When you send euros from another SEPA country, the IBAN is usually enough and the BIC is often filled in automatically.

A SWIFT code does come into play when the currency is not euros and when the money comes from outside SEPA. SEPA transfers normally land within one business day or faster with instant payments. As long as no conversion is involved, a SEPA transfer is usually cheap.

The largest SWIFT network in United Kingdom: HSBC Bank PLC

Among the 4648 institutions we list, HSBC Bank PLC has the largest number of SWIFT/BIC codes in United Kingdom. The head office uses HBUKGB41XXX.

Practice differs in whether they register branch codes. If not a branch code is given, HBUKGB41XXX is fine for transfers to this bank.

The British Pound (GBP) and conversion costs

The currency of United Kingdom is the British Pound (GBP). When you pay another currency, it gets converted at some point: by your bank, an intermediary or the receiving bank.

Where the conversion happens has an effect on how much arrives. Check what GBP the recipient gets via several services. With bigger transfers, even a small difference in the rate can be worth more than the fee.