Citibank - Faster Payments

Hazzanet

I may be adding two and two and coming up with five, but this morning I try to make a payment from my Citibank account to my Smile account. It won't let me. Apparently, the account number isn't recognised and I have to check there aren't any leading zeros (although it's always worked before).

Whatever I do, however much I try, the payment won't go.

So I change the payment date to Monday; it's accepted fine.

I may be wrong (I probably am) but it looks like an instant check of the account number is happening and going wrong (something I would associate with an instant payment), so is this Citibank gearing up for faster payments?

I'm interested now to see if the payment does actually go on Monday, and if it does go, how fast.

System

Looks like a false hope. Citi website still says they're 'planning' for 'summer 2011'. Which some people (oddly) treat as ending at the equinox, around 21 Sept. I'll be surprised if Citi have Faster Payments running by then.

gr0mit

Wooot! I just made 2 regular payments from my business HSBC account to my Citi personal account. It went through in 5 mins with 'Incoming Faster Payment' appearing on my Citi bank statement!

Well done, Citi - must be one of the last banks to support FP but better late than never...

Rgds
Tim

rosmersholm

Hallelujah! Unfort. I have been on my holidays this year and this has come too late for it to be of any service this year. I still love my citibank € account (for as long as they keep it free) and will be excited to take it to Paris for Christmas with a last minute FPS...

Hazzanet

Hmm, all three payments rejected and returned to my Smile account:

rosmersholm

No way - me too - I just tried with my Smile and my test payments were "G" too!

I spoke too soon!!

rosmersholm

The saga continues! After my failed transactions reminiscent of the screenshot above - smile have sent a message saying I was in the wrong with account details (account details are, of course, correct - and have been used countless times to transfer to CB) and smile have now removed the Payee details of all my citibank accounts. Madness.

Have messaged smile to get my payee list back to normal - how very rude!

Citibank seem to have a few teething problems *facepalm* - but the site has now changed and the new offerings look good. If only they could get it right the first time...

Hazzanet

Bah. Just got a whole bunch of secure messages saying that Citibank had told Smile the details were wrong, and Smile have removed them from my list of bill payments! Great work Citibank!

Dr_Cuckoo3

I've sent payments to Citibank using various banks

most are attempting to send via Faster payments (only RBS group are not)

none of the payments have been credited at Citibank

HSBC personal accounts state that the payment will be credited within 2 hours prior to sending and then reject the instruction

bear in mind HSBC do not state "2 hours" for all faster payments - some state payment will be credited the same day - so they must know which banks credit within 2 hours

I am surprised that the HSBC business account customer managed to send a faster payment when HSBC personal accounts are unable to do so

System

If I enter 30-00-45 in the sortcode checker at
http://www.ukpayments.org.uk/sort_code_checker/
it ticks the box for Faster Payments, but says (underneath)
Please note that payments [by any method, I wonder?] to sort code 30-00-45 cannot currently be accepted.
A chap at the call centre told me that Citi are aware there is a technical problem, and the 'technical team' are working to resolve it. He suggested asking other banks to send payments as BACS Direct Credits instead. I'll be surprised if call centre staff at other banks know how to do this.
Given that Citi has been trying for two years or so to get Faster Payments to work, this, ahem, muck-up is annoying.

gr0mit

Looks like Citi are having a few issues then! How Hard Can It Be?
Rgds
Tim