Your money should travel as easily as you do.

Why travellers keep a second account

Cards get blocked, swallowed by ATMs or refused abroad, and some local cards simply don't work well outside their home country. The fix is boring and effective: a second account and card from a different bank, kept separately from your main one.

• A different bank, not just a different card. If your bank's systems go down or flag your card, a second card from the same bank often fails too.
• Hold the currency you'll spend. A multi-currency account lets you receive and keep euros, dollars or pounds without converting every time.
• Keep them apart. Carry the backup card in a different bag from your main wallet.

More on building this setup in the best ways to pay while travelling.

Dukascopy Bank: a Swiss account opened by video call

Dukascopy Bank is a Swiss bank in Geneva, regulated by FINMA. Its Multi-Currency Account gives you Swiss IBANs in 24 currencies and prepaid Visa and Mastercard cards, and you open it from home on a short video call.

South African residents: moving money into a foreign account falls under the Reserve Bank's rules. Read our guide to the R2 million single discretionary allowance.

Receiving money from abroad

Whether it's a client, family or a refund, the sender usually needs:

• Your full name exactly as it appears on the account
• Your account number, or IBAN in countries that use them
• Your bank's name and address
• Your bank's SWIFT/BIC code
• Any reference or branch code your bank asks for

Take these details from your bank's app or website, not from a directory or an old email. Many banks have an “international payments” or “receive money from abroad” page with the exact format they want.

SWIFT/BIC codes, explained

A SWIFT code, also called a BIC, identifies a bank in international payments. It has 8 or 11 characters:

An 11-character code ending in XXX means the head office, so it's the same as the 8-character code. A SWIFT code is not your account number and not an IBAN.

SWIFT codes for major banks

Each code below was read on the bank's own website or an official central-bank list. Follow the link to see it at the source. For more countries, search the full bank directory or use our SWIFT/BIC checker.

Fees to watch on international transfers

• Sending fee. What the sender's bank charges to send the payment.
• Intermediary fees. Payments can pass through correspondent banks that each take a cut, so less arrives than was sent.
• Receiving fee. Many banks charge to credit an incoming international payment.
• Exchange-rate margin. If the money is converted, the rate you get may be worse than the mid-market rate. See how foreign exchange fees work, and check rates in our currency converter.

Banking FAQ