Showerthought: my international wire transfer took 14 business days to clear

I sent $2,800 to a supplier in Germany and it sat in limbo for 14 business days because my bank never told me they needed a SWIFT code that was one digit off.

3 comments

3 Comments

jessica_hall491mo ago

Honestly, I saw a thread on Reddit the other day where someone waited 21 days for a wire to hit because the bank put it in the wrong internal department first. It's crazy how one digit off in a SWIFT code can hold up thousands of dollars for that long. Ngl, the way banks handle international transfers is stuck in the 90s. I've heard of people using TransferWise or PayPal for smaller amounts to avoid this mess. But for $2,800, you'd think they'd have some sort of alert system for mistakes. Tbh, your bank should have caught that before you even hit send.

the_hayden1mo ago

laugh that the bank checking your ID for a $20 debit but not a $2,800 wire.

seanlee25d ago

Wait, 21 days for a wire transfer? That's insane. Like how does a bank even mess up that bad for almost a whole month. Even if they put it in the wrong department, that's just a basic mistake that should get caught within a day or two.