this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2025
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Right, I'd just get their account number and sort code, and can transfer securely for free, normally immediately or at least within 2 hours if their bank also uses SWIFT, which they all do.
If I understand correctly your account number is kinda of a big deal and a security risk to share it. But I may be wrong, nothing in US banking is straightforward or makes sense.
If someone has your account and routing number they can pull money out of your account. This is literally how autopay works for your internet or credit card or whatever.
Granted doing so without authorization is fraud and the account you pull into is going to be investigated, but that's all you really need. Two numbers.
In the UK the bank account number is just a form of ID. Sort code identifies the bank and branch.
When I add a new payee, the bank runs a check to see that the name, sort code and account number match (even if it's from another bank). Even if they do match there's a pop-up warning about scams before the transfer goes ahead. Once they're on my list of payees it's just click and transfer. I do all that on my phone via my bank's app.
There's no way to "pull" money from another account purely using its number. Banking scams do exist here, but they generally rely on bamboozling people into paying money themselves, eg buying gift cards, or giving the scammers control of their phone.
You do need the person's name as well, but yeah that's just about it. It's not great.