The London Clearing House Limited SWIFT/BIC code

What LCHLGB2X means for a payment to The London Clearing House Limited

LCHLGB2X and LCHLGB2XXXX are two spellings of the same SWIFT/BIC code, and both lead to The London Clearing House Limited in London. Every bank on the SWIFT network uses these codes to route payments between countries to the right institution. In practice you mostly see it on international invoices, in payment forms and on the account details that The London Clearing House Limited provides.

Further down we go through the practical side: receiving money at The London Clearing House Limited, sending money abroad and how to check the code before you confirm a payment. The SWIFT code alone cannot identify an individual account holder; that is what the IBAN or account number is for.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

One of the most common tricks works like this: you receive a request saying that a supplier has a new bank account. That LCHLGB2X is a real code does not mean that a request mentioning it is genuine; criminals use the codes of real banks too.

Check changed bank details via a different channel, never via the email that asked for the change. Urgency or requests to keep it quiet are red flags; a genuine business can wait for you to check. Already paid? Call the bank you paid from straight away and ask them to start a recall; also report it to the police.

People receiving money are targeted too: a classic trick is an overpayment and then sends a request to send back the difference. Wait until the money has really arrived and check with The London Clearing House Limited if anything seems off.

LCHLGB2X or LCHLGB2XXXX – which one to use?

A BIC is made up of a few fixed parts: the first four letters identify the bank, the next two show the country and characters seven and eight indicate the location. The result is LCHLGB2X.

Many payment forms accept both lengths. If yours requires eleven characters, use LCHLGB2XXXX, otherwise LCHLGB2X is fine.

Type the code in one piece, in capitals and without separators, exactly as shown here. A wrong letter can send the money to another bank, so check it twice.

How long does an international transfer to The London Clearing House Limited take?

There is no fixed delivery time: some arrive within a day while others need several business days. Transfers sent after the cut-off time or on weekends and holidays often start a business day later. Sometimes a bank asks about the purpose of a payment, which can hold things up.

When a payment takes longer than expected, contact your bank for the tracking status. Specialist transfer services usually provide a status online so you can see how far the payment has got.

The bank that sent the money can start an official trace – the recipient’s bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. As a recipient, you can check your account to see a partial amount.

Receiving money from abroad at The London Clearing House Limited

To receive a transfer from abroad at The London Clearing House Limited, the person paying you needs more than the SWIFT code. Share the account holder’s name, the IBAN or account number, SWIFT code LCHLGB2XXXX and your address.

The sender’s bank might request the bank address of The London Clearing House Limited. A typo in your account number can be harder to fix than it looks.

Money from abroad does not always land in full. Fees for incoming transfers differ from bank to bank. Agree with the sender who covers the fees, especially for larger amounts.

Verifying the SWIFT code of The London Clearing House Limited

The safest source for a SWIFT code is the recipient’s own bank details. If the code you have does not match LCHLGB2X or LCHLGB2XXXX, stop and ask.

With a wrong code, the transfer might be delayed, bounce back or end up costing more. A mistake in the IBAN or account number is more serious because it can reach the wrong person; check it just as carefully.

A validity check in your banking app only confirms that the code is valid – not that it belongs to the person you mean to pay. If your bank offers it, a name check before sending adds an extra layer of safety. Sending a small amount first can be a sensible step for large sums.

Which of the 2 codes of The London Clearing House Limited do you need?

With 2 codes, The London Clearing House Limited belongs to the banks that use individual codes for branches. The head office code remains LCHLGB2XXXX.

For most payments to a private or business account, the head office code LCHLGB2XXXX is what you need. Just use a branch code when the account holder explicitly asks for it, for example on an invoice or in their bank details.

If you are not sure, check with the recipient which code their bank gave them. Branch codes are more likely to be retired than the head office code.

Sending money abroad from The London Clearing House Limited

A bank transfer abroad costs rather more than the listed fee. On top of a fixed fee, correspondent or intermediary banks may take a cut, and if the money changes currency the bank often uses a rate that is less favourable than the real market rate.

The markup on the rate tends to be the biggest cost, and it is easy to miss. A simple test: set the rate you get next to the mid-market rate for the same moment and work out the difference on your amount.

Specialised transfer providers often offer a rate near the mid-market rate with clearer fees. On GoldexPay you can compare the amount that arrives with different services, so you can pick the cheapest route. Choosing a specialist does not require leaving The London Clearing House Limited – you pay the provider from your own account.

Where our SWIFT data comes from

The directory on GoldexPay is compiled from public sources. Institutions reorganise, change names and change codes, and a directory never catches every change immediately. Figures such as the number of codes are from our directory and are not confirmed by The London Clearing House Limited.

Before any payment of any size, always confirm the code with the recipient’s bank or with the recipient. GoldexPay is a comparison site and not part of The London Clearing House Limited. Found outdated information? Tell us via our contact form and we will look into it.

Do you need LCHLGB2X for a SEPA transfer?

Inside SEPA, euro payments to The London Clearing House Limited follow common rules. The BIC field is often optional for those payments.

A SWIFT code like LCHLGB2X does come into play for payments in other currencies, and for transfers from outside SEPA. If a payment form has a field for the BIC anyway, adding LCHLGB2X does no harm.

Instant payments in euros have become widely available across SEPA – whether The London Clearing House Limited offers them for your account is worth checking. Charges on SEPA transfers tend to be low as long as everything stays in euros.

Sending GBP to The London Clearing House Limited

Most accounts at The London Clearing House Limited are usually held in GBP, the national currency. A payment in a foreign currency is converted into GBP – and the bank that does it picks the rate. Every conversion eats into the amount – usually through the rate rather than a fee.

Who converts the money makes a difference, because each party uses its own rate. Often you pay less if you send GBP straight away via a provider with a good rate.

The GBP rate changes constantly. If you pay regularly, a slightly better rate add up over a year.