FAQ

• How do I pay by bank transfer?
• What countries can I send to?
• When will my money arrive?
• Are there transfer limits?
• What’s an IBAN?
• What is a SWIFT / BIC code?
• Can I cancel my transfer?
• Security and regulatory information
• Tips for getting started with larger transfers
• How do I find my Bank Routing, Transit and Institution numbers?
• Rate Comparisons
• How do I upload my identification and other documents?
• What if I need Foreign Bank Notes/Cash?
• How to send money with Shift
• Payment jargon decoded
• Available Currencies and Products
• Benefits of International Payments Processors
• Service Continuation during COVID-19

How do I pay by bank transfer?

First, you’ll need to set up your international money transfer on SHIFT. Then, you’ll need to exit your SHIFT account, and pay by bank transfer directly through your bank - either through your online banking, through telephone banking, or in person at a bank branch.

To make sure that your transfer isn’t delayed, please double check that:

• The name on your bank account matches the name on your SHIFT account if the names don’t match, we won’t be able to process your transfer.
• You’ve included the reference correctly this helps us identify your deposit and proceed with your transfer.
• You enter the exact amount you’re sending with SHIFT paying more or less could delay your transfer.

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What countries can I send to?

Below is a list of countries that Shift will send and receive funds from. Don’t see a country on the list? Contact Us

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, Albania, Andorra, Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina, Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada Cape, Verde, Cayman Islands, China, Republic of the Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica Dominican, Republic Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France (including French Polynesia, Guadeloupe), Gabon, Gambia, The Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Holy See (Vatican City State), Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Republic of Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, South Kosovo.

The countries below require additional details and invoices from the client on wire instructions:

Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Ecuador, Guyana, Indonesia, Iraq, Laos (Lao People’s Democratic Republic, LPDR), Panama, Papua, New Guinea, Russian Federation, Sudan, Uganda, Ukraine, Yemen

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When will my money arrive?

When you make a transfer, we’ll give you an estimate for when your money should arrive. But there are a few situations where you might have questions about timing. Here are some tips to help you understand the timing or any delays that might occur.

• Shift says that my transfer is due to arrive today.

  That means that your money should have arrived. We say that it’s due today because some banks need a few hours to process transfers from us.

• Recipient details may be incorrect.

  Small things like typos in names — for instance, spelling John Smith as Jon Smith — shouldn’t be a problem for most countries. Your money should still arrive on time. However, for some currencies, such as JPY or RUB, a typo like this can be an issue. Check our Currencies pages for specific details.

  If something like an account number is wrong, your money could take longer to arrive, or get returned to us. If your money does get returned to us, we’ll let you know straight away.

• Transfers on weekends and holidays.

  Not all countries have banking systems that work on weekends or holidays. Our delivery times factor in banking hours of the country you’re sending money to.

  But in some parts of the world, banks stop processing transfers early on Fridays.

  That means, if your money’s due to arrive on Friday, it may not show in your recipient’s account until the next working day. We’re working to find out which banks do this, and make our delivery estimates more accurate in the process.

• My recipient says the money hasn’t arrived yet.

  We hope to never put you in this position. If your recipient says they haven’t received your money yet, please ask them to check the following:

  The sender name they’re looking for. Your recipient should be looking for a transaction on their bank statement from SHIFT they won’t see your name. The transfer might also come from one of our partners, but the amount and reference should still help find the payout.

  The recipient’s bank details. If they’re not right, your money could take longer to arrive, or get returned to us.

  The currency the recipient’s account is in. Your recipient’s account may be in a currency that’s different to the one you’ve sent them. If that’s the case, they could have got a different amount from us because their bank might have converted the money again.

• Getting a receipt.

  Your recipient’s bank may be having problems processing your transfer. They’ll have the money in their system, but won’t have put it into your recipient’s account.

  Our receipt includes all our bank details and, for some currencies, tracking numbers too. That means when your recipient gives it to their bank, the bank should have all the info they need to track down your transfer.

  Here’s how to get your receipt:

  Log into your SHIFT account Go to your transfer and click View transfer details You’ll see a Get PDF receipt button. That’ll open up the PDF Save it to your device and send it to your recipient

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Are there transfer limits?

There are limits for how much you can send with us. They depend on which currencies you send to and from, and how you pay. We’ll also let you know if you try to send too much at one time.

If you’d like to send more than our limits allow, you can. Just contact us and we can help!

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What’s an IBAN?

An IBAN is an international bank account number. It comprises a country code, bank code, and account number. Most accounts in Europe have an IBAN, and you should be able to find yours in your online bank.

Below is a list of SEPA countries (and corresponding information about IBANs of each country) to which SHIFT can send euros (EUR). We can also receive EUR from these countries.

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What is a SWIFT / BIC code?

• Bank code [A-Z] 4-letter code. It usually looks like a shortened version of that bank's name.

• Country code [A-Z] 2-letter code. It says which country that bank is in.

• Location code [0-9] [A-Z] 2-digit location code. It could be either 2-letters or numbers. It's says where that bank's head office is.

• Branch Code [0-9] [A-Z] Optional 3-digit code. It specifies a particular branch, instead of the bank's head office. 'XXX' for head office.

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Can I cancel my transfer?

Depending on what step your transfer is at, you may be able to cancel it. First, check the status of your transfer in the Activity section of your account. Then, match the status to the corresponding step below to see what you can do.

• You set up your transfer
• You can cancel your transfer yourself at this step.
• Go to the Activity tab in your account
• Find the pending transfer you want to cancel
• Click the Cancel transfer button (on Android, you’ll find this by clicking the three dots at the top right corner of the transfer page)
• If you haven’t paid yet, click I haven’t paid, and then Cancel transfer
• If you’ve already paid, click I have paid, and enter your bank account details if needed
• Find out why you need to enter your bank account details.

You won’t need to give us your bank account details if you paid for your transfer by credit or debit card. In this case, we’ll automatically refund the transfer to the card you paid with, and won’t ask for more information.

Your money’s on its way to us

You can still cancel your transfer yourself at this step. Just follow the directions above to do so. You may also see a different message for the this step, like “Your money may still be in your bank account”, or “Sorry, we didn’t get the money yet”. This is fine, you’ll still be able to see the Cancel transfer button underneath the transfer. If you cancel at this point, it can still take a few business days for the money to be refunded into your account, as it has to arrive at SHIFT before we can refund it.

Your money’s being processed

At this point, your money is with us for conversion. You may be able to cancel the transfer by yourself if you can still see the Cancel transfer button. But, if you can’t see it, you’ll need to get in touch so we can cancel it. Our conversion process can be fast, so make sure to reach out as soon as possible. If we haven’t sent out the money yet, we can refund it back to you.

Your money’s been sent out

Once SHIFT sends out the money, unfortunately there’s nothing we can do to refund it. If the recipient’s details are wrong, their bank will usually reject it and send the money back to us. We’ll get in touch with you if this happens to ask whether you’d like to update the details and send it again, or cancel the transfer and get a refund.

If you’ve made a mistake in the amount you sent, or you don’t want to send the transfer anymore, your recipient will need to contact their bank and ask them to reject the payment. This means the money will be sent back to SHIFT, and we’ll refund it back to you.

Your transfer’s complete

Once a transfer has been sent to the recipient’s account and is marked as complete, we can’t cancel it.

We recommend you get in touch with the recipient and ask them to return the money to you, or, if the payment was to yourself, transfer it back.

Unfortunately, SHIFT can’t get involved in disputes between senders and recipients, so we recommend you know and trust the person or business you’re sending to before you make a transfer.

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Security and regulatory information

Canada

Shift Canada Ltd. is registered with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) as a Money Service Business (MSB) with registration number M17886614. We also have an MSB license with the Authorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) under license number 904105.

United States

Shift Ltd. is registered with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) with money service business registration number 31000115209499.

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Tips for getting started with larger transfers

It can be daunting to send a lot of money abroad. So when you make a larger transfer, we make things as easy as possible.

Here are some tips to help you get started.

• Understand your banking limits or pay in-branch. Your bank might limit the amount of money you can send per day, or per transfer. Those limits might differ if you’re sending online, over the phone, or in-branch.
• If you’re sending online or over the phone, your bank might limit the amount you can send in one go. That means you’ll need to send several smaller transfers over the course of a few days instead and you’ll miss out on a guaranteed rate.
• Your bank might let you send a bigger amount if you go in-person, to your branch. So it’s often quicker, and simpler, to set up larger transfers in-branch. You can download a PDF with all your transfer details to make this easier. Tip: Contact your bank to find out your limits for sending money.​
• Verify your identity beforehand to avoid delays
• When you send money with SHIFT, we’ll ask to verify your identity. We do this by checking your photo ID and address. It usually takes about 2 working days.
• If you set up your transfer before getting verified, we’ll do these checks before we send your money. So to avoid delays, get verified beforehand.
• After you pay for your transfer, we might need to see more documents. That’s because when you send a large amount, we need verify where the money came from. It could be a scan/screenshot of your bank statement, a property sale agreement, or a pay slip.

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How do I find my Bank Routing, Transit and Institution numbers?

CAN

USA

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Rate Comparisons

In order to obtain rates you must enroll in either the online business or personal services. The enrollment links are on each page.

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How do I upload my identification and other documents?

To upload a copy of your ID: Take a close-up photo of your ID in a well-lit room. Save the photo to your mobile device or computer. Follow the on-screen instructions for uploading your ID.

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What if I need Foreign Bank Notes/Cash?

If you need a rate or to place an order for foreign bank notes please contact your closet calforex branch

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How to send money with Shift Connect

How to send money with Shift Connect

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Payment jargon decoded

Remittance jargon decoder

Ready to send a remittance? Use our handy jargon buster to demystify remittance jargon and simplify the process.

3D Authentication

If your card uses 3D secure, a window will appear on the screen when you are making an online payment asking you to enter an additional security code before the payment can be put through. This extra layer of security is designed by your card provider and helps to protect you from credit and debit card fraud.

ABA Number

Also known as a bank routing number, an ABA number is a nine-digit code used to identify banks in the USA.

ACH

ACH (automated clearing house) payments are made through the USA’s ACH network. It’s a network that provides bank transfers between bank accounts in the USA.

AML

AML (anti-money laundering) processes are used by financial institutions to detect and prevent illegal money laundering activities used by criminals to disguise money they have gained illegally as lawful income.

Card fraud

When goods are purchased, or funds are taken from an individual’s credit or debit card without their permission. Credit and debit card fraud can happen when an individual’s card is lost or stolen, if their card is cloned or copied, or if their card details fall into the wrong hands.

Cash advance

A short-term loan offered by banks and other financial institutions. Cash advances often come with high fees and interest rates.

Cashier’s cheque

A cheque written and guaranteed by a financial institution, usually a bank. Cashier’s cheques are popularly used to make large payments where extra security and protection may be required as they guarantee that the funds will be available when the cheque is cashed.

Chargeback

A chargeback is a way of disputing a card transaction. If a chargeback is successful it will void the card transaction and the bank will remove the funds from the merchant’s account and credit them back onto the cardholder’s account.

Clearing

Clearing refers to the processes and procedures that take place between requesting to wire money and the point when the transaction is complete.

Electronic wallet

An electronic wallet (sometimes referred to as a digital wallet, mobile wallet, or eWallet) is a virtual system that stores payment cards or money on a mobile device. An electronic wallet can be used to make payments to participating merchants quickly and easily using a mobile device.

Exchange rate

The amount that one currency is worth when compared to another currency.

Failed transaction

A transaction that has been declined by your bank or card issuer.

Fintrac

FINTRAC is Canada’s financial regulatory body. FINTRAC is an independent body that protects consumers and promotes healthy competition between the UK’s financial service providers.

Financial Institution

A company that provides financial services. Examples of financial institutions include banks, building societies, mortgage companies, credit unions, investment banks, insurance companies, pension funds, and money transfer services.

Forex

Forex (Foreign exchange market) is an electronic network of banks, brokers, institutions and traders exchanging foreign currencies.

IBAN

IBAN stands for International Bank Account Number. It is an internationally recognised way for banks around the world to identify an individual’s country, bank, and account when money is being sent overseas. An IBAN comprises up to 34 letters and numbers and can usually be found on your online banking or by contacting your bank.

Interchange fee

Every time a merchant takes a credit or debit card payment from a customer, they are charged an interchange fee by the card network.

KYC

A KYC (Know Your Customer) process is carried out by financial companies to verify the identity of their customers to prevent their services being used for money laundering and other illegal activities.

Limit

Most banks and money transfer services have rules in place that limit the amount of money that you can send in a single transfer or in a certain time period. Limits are usually in place to comply with the laws and regulations of the countries you are sending money from and to.

Money order

A paper document that can be used as a form of guaranteed payment. A money order can be bought or cashed at a variety of locations including banks, post offices, credit unions and some retail stores.

Proof of deposit

A verification or an official confirmation proving that funds were credited do a bank account or received by a recipient.

Peer to Peer service

A platform, like a website or money transfer app, that allows individuals to send money online to each other directly without a bank or foreign exchange provider being involved. Shift Connect is a peer to peer service.

Pre-authorisation

Preauthorization is a temporary hold of funds on a debit or credit card for a vendor to capture it. Funds are not taken out of the bank account.

Real-time payments

Real-time payments are electronic payments that can be made 24/7 and are available to the payee immediately, or within seconds.

Recall

Trying to recall money is trying to reverse a completed transactionback to the sender. Funds have to be retrieved back via the samechannels. This process is lengthy and not always guaranteed.

Recipient

The individual or business to whom the money is being sent.

Sender

The individual or business who is sending the money.

Wire transfer

An electronic money transfer sent through a network of banks and money transfer providers around the world.

Send a remittance with Shift Connect

Sending remittances is simple when you use Shift – almost like sending a text message.

Go to shiftconnect.com and use our convenient service to transfer money to 100 countries around the world using your smartphone, laptop or tablet. It’s that easy!

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Available Currencies and Products

Available Currencies and Products

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Benefits of International Payments Processors

Benefits of International Payments Processors

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