International payment delays can be due to a few different factors. Some will be outside your control but some can be prevented. In this article, we'll list a few of the common factors.
If your international payment is delayed, we'll send Administrator an email to let them know, and there will be a notification banner on the payment details page.
Once the cause of the delay is resolved, the Arrives by date will be updated with the new estimated arrival date of the payment. The payment tracker will also reflect the new Received date once the payment clears.
Note: Due to existing circumstances, some countries are experiencing payment delays as they transition to remote work environments. Please plan for additional time when sending payments to these countries, which you can find on the list of countries.
Incorrect or incomplete beneficiary details
One of the most common issues for payment delays is completely within your control. That's making sure beneficiary bank details are correct.
- Make sure the vendor type is correct before entering the bank information (business or individual), as there may be differing requirements
- The beneficiary name must match what the vendor has on file with their bank
- Enter all the bank details provided to you on the invoice your international vendor sent you, exactly as it is displayed
- Most commonly missing or incorrect is:
- Beneficiary Account Name
- Example: If the Beneficiary bank account name is ABC Company Limited, do not enter ABC Co. Ltd.
- Beneficiary Address - Company or Individual's address, not the address of the bank
- Incorrect payment currency - select the currency the receiving bank will accept
- Contact Name - the name of the individual or individual associated to the company, not the bank contact name
- Beneficiary Account Name
- Most commonly missing or incorrect is:
Request an amendment If after a payment is processed, your vendor's bank holds a payment due to incorrect or incomplete beneficiary details, please contact Customer Support by selecting Contact us at the top of this page to request an amendment.
International Bank Holidays & Weekends
It is possible that there's a bank holiday in the recipient bank country, while we try to incorporate holidays into our arrives by date, your vendor's bank may not be open on the estimated date the payment is set to arrive. It's also possible the country doesn't have a normal Monday to Friday business week.
Holiday Examples
- India: In 2018, some banks in India were closed for:
- Diwali: Wednesday, Nov 7th
- Govardhan Puja: Thursday, Nov 8th
- Bhai Duj: Friday, Nov 9th
- China: In 2018, banks in China were closed for:
- Spring Festival Eve: Thursday, Feb 15th
- Chinese New Year: Friday, Feb 16th
Weekend Examples
Israel and Saudi Arabia are a couple of countries where the work week runs from Sunday through Thursday; their weekend days are Friday and Saturday.
The destination country
Some countries may process payments slower than our banks do in the United States. Other countries may have regulations that are more strict that cause payments to go through extra compliance scrutiny that may slow payments down.
Intermediary banks
When entering an international vendor's bank account, it must be the destination bank. If you enter an intermediary bank as the destination bank, the payment won't make it to your vendor.
Request an amendment If after a payment is processed, you need to correct the vendor's bank account, please contact Customer Support by selecting Contact us at the top of this page to request an amendment.