Why do banks charge for SWIFT tracking?

Last reviewed: · Curated by Ohmyfin Organisation editorial.

Most major banks don't charge for SWIFT tracking on their own portal — but they only let you track payments you sent or received from accounts at that bank. Some banks charge SMS / paper-confirmation fees. The reason third-party trackers sometimes charge is to cover SWIFT licensing and infrastructure — but Ohmyfin is free for ordinary users, funded by paid plans for high-volume corporate and bank customers.

Free for individuals worldwide · 10 lookups per day, no signup required.

Details

Most banks include UETR / GPI tracking on their online banking portal at no extra charge — but only for payments routed through that bank.

Banks may charge for: SMS confirmation alerts (USD 1-3 per message), paper printouts of MT103 (USD 5-15), proactive notifications, or out-of-band tracking enquiries (MT199 service messages).

Third-party trackers face two cost pressures: SWIFT licensing fees (SWIFT itself charges institutional members for GPI access) and infrastructure (running the API, scaling for traffic). Some third parties pass these costs to users.

Ohmyfin's model is different: free for ordinary users (5 IP-lookups/day, 100 free credits on signup, no card needed), paid only for high-volume professional users (banks, treasury teams). We believe payment status is information you have a right to see.

Key facts

Frequently asked questions

Why do banks charge for SWIFT tracking?

Most major banks don't charge for SWIFT tracking on their own portal — but they only let you track payments you sent or received from accounts at that bank. Some banks charge SMS / paper-confirmation fees. The reason third-party trackers sometimes charge is to cover SWIFT licensing and infrastructure — but Ohmyfin is free for ordinary users, funded by paid plans for high-volume corporate and bank customers.

Is Ohmyfin tracking really free?

Yes. Ohmyfin tracking is free for individuals worldwide — 10 lookups per IP per day with no signup, plus 100 free credits when you create an account. We never charge ordinary users.

Do I need a bank login to use Ohmyfin?

No. Ohmyfin queries the SWIFT GPI network directly via the UETR — no credentials at any bank required.

Get 100 free credits — track unlimited SWIFT payments

No card needed. Free for ordinary users — 5 IP-based lookups per day, plus 100 credits instantly when you sign up with email. Use them on any international wire across 11,000+ banks.

Sign up free — get 100 credits Or try the tracker now →
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