Wire transfer
An electronic transfer of funds sent individually and in real time between banks, used for large or time-sensitive payments. Unlike ACH, a wire settles the same business day for domestic transfers and is generally final and very hard to reverse once sent. That irreversibility makes wires a frequent fraud target, so the recipient's details should be verified — especially against any last-minute change to payment instructions — before authorizing one.
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How to authorize a wire transfer
To authorize a wire transfer, you instruct your bank in writing to send a specific amount to a named beneficiary, supplying their account number and a bank identifier — a routing number for a domestic wire or a SWIFT/BIC code for an international one. Because a sent wire is generally final, verify the instructions first.
How to safely share your bank details to get paid
To get paid, you only need to share your routing number and account number — that is enough to receive a deposit, and those numbers cannot pull money out by themselves. Share them through a secure payer portal, not plain email or social media, and never hand over your online-banking login, PIN, or card details.