Visa Inc SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of Visa Inc

VISAUS6S and VISAUS6SXXX are the short and the long form of the same bank identifier, and both point to Visa Inc in Foster City,ca. The code has a single purpose: it ensures that a cross-border transfer reaches the right bank. It comes up mostly for payments that cross a border and payments in foreign currencies.

This page is meant to help anyone who pays into an account at Visa Inc. Remember that the BIC just identifies the bank, not the account: the account number or IBAN does that part.

Head office or branch code at Visa Inc?

With 3 codes, Visa Inc belongs to the banks that use separate codes for branches. The head office code remains VISAUS6SXXX.

If nobody asks you for a branch code, use VISAUS6SXXX or its short form VISAUS6S. If you have been given a specific code, stick to it rather than replacing it with the head office code.

Unsure which code applies? Ask the recipient, or look at a recent statement from Visa Inc. Codes can change over time.

Why Visa Inc has an 8- and an 11-character code

Every SWIFT/BIC code starts with an 8-character core: four letters for the bank, two letters for the country and a two-character location code. The result is VISAUS6S for Visa Inc.

XXX at the end of VISAUS6SXXX is not a placeholder or an error: it indicates the head office of Visa Inc. Certain payment forms insist on 11 characters, and then you can enter XXX after VISAUS6S.

Leave out spaces when you type VISAUS6S. A single letter may route a payment to another bank, so check it twice.

Getting paid from abroad into a Visa Inc account

When you expect money from abroad, give the sender everything they need in one go. What they need is: the account holder’s name, account number or IBAN, VISAUS6SXXX and in many cases your postal address.

The sender’s bank may also ask for the address of your bank, in which case the Foster City,ca head office is the usual answer. A typo in the IBAN is more trouble than you might think, so copy the details from your online banking.

Expect that the amount credited is smaller than what the sender paid. Correspondent banks can take a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and if the money is converted, an exchange rate margin applies. On invoices, it is common to agree how the fees are split, so that nobody is left short.

How to check VISAUS6S before you pay

The safest source for the BIC is the recipient’s own bank details: an invoice, a bank statement or their online banking. If the code you have differs from VISAUS6S or VISAUS6SXXX, stop and ask: check with the recipient or with Visa Inc directly.

If the code is wrong, the payment might get stuck, bounce back or cost extra – sometimes after weeks of searching. Do not forget the account number: a mistake there is more difficult to correct than a wrong BIC.

An automatic check by your bank only tells you that the code exists, not that it is the right account. Where available, a name check before sending gives extra certainty. Sending a small amount first is worth it for a large first payment despite the extra fee.

US Dollar (USD) and conversion costs

The currency in United States is the US Dollar (USD). If you send another currency, the amount gets converted somewhere along the way. You rarely see a separate charge for that conversion – the cost sits in the rate.

Which bank converts the payment matters: every bank has its own margin. Transferring the amount already in USD usually prevents a second conversion by Visa Inc.

The USD rate changes constantly and quotes are often valid only for a short time. With bigger transfers, a seemingly small difference in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

About this information

Our SWIFT/BIC directory draws on public sources and is updated regularly. Still, banks merge, rename themselves or change codes. The figures we show reflect what is in our directory.

Before any payment that matters, always check the BIC with Visa Inc or the recipient. GoldexPay is an independent comparison service and not part of Visa Inc. Should you notice something that is out of date, we welcome a message via the contact page.

Tracking a transfer to or from Visa Inc

A SWIFT payment usually takes one to a few business days, depending on the currency, the route and the banks involved. Weekends and public holidays in the sending or receiving country can add extra days. Sometimes a bank asks about the purpose of a payment before releasing it.

Many banks use SWIFT gpi. Every payment gets a unique reference, the UETR. Money transfer services usually provide a status in their app showing how far the money has got.

Only the sending bank can request a trace. Request from the sender a copy of the payment confirmation; that often settles the question quickly.

Changed bank details? Be careful

Fraudsters often send payment requests with changed bank details, sometimes in an email that looks completely genuine. A real SWIFT code says nothing about whether the request is genuine – scammers simply use real codes.

Do not trust contact details from the same email that contains the change. Pressure or requests to keep it quiet tend to be red flags. When money was sent to the wrong account, contact your bank immediately.

People receiving money can be targeted as well: a classic trick is a buyer who pays too much followed by a request to send back the difference abroad. Wait until the money is actually in your account – ask Visa Inc if something looks wrong.

International transfers from Visa Inc: the real cost

If you transfer money abroad from Visa Inc, the visible fee is rarely all of what you pay. Besides the transfer fee, banks in between can take a cut, and if the money changes currency, the bank usually uses a rate that is less favourable than the actual market rate.

Banks rarely list their exchange rate markup separately, but you pay it all the same. A simple test: set the rate you get against the mid-market rate and work out the difference on your amount.

For a lot of routes, a transfer service is cheaper than a traditional bank transfer. Next time you send money, it is worth to compare the total cost via GoldexPay instead of going straight to your bank. You can still use your account at Visa Inc to fund the transfer, while a cheaper service handles the conversion.