Member Services

Interac e-Transfers FAQ

Overview
Service Charges and Limits
Sending
Receiving

 

Overview

What is an Interac e-Transfer?
Interac e-Transferis a service that allows you to send or receive funds using your mobile phone or email address.

Who can use this service?
All Online Banking users can send funds via Interac e-Transfer. If you aren't already signed up for online banking, visit our Online Banking page.

Is sending funds by Interac e-Transfer secure?
Yes. The sender of the transfer creates a shared security question so that only the recipient can deposit the funds. Funds don't travel by email or mobile phone: they are deposited directly into the recipient's account after the recipient has unlocked the email or mobile text message by answering the security question.

 

Service Charges and Limits

What does it cost to use Interac e-Transfers?
Sending Interac e-Transfers: $1.50
This service fee will be applied even if the transfer is rejected or cancelled.

Receiving Interac e-Transfers: free

Stopping Interac e-Transfers: free
e-Transfers can only be stopped if the recipient has not yet accepted the funds. For more information see How do I stop or cancel an Interac e-Transfer?

Expired Interac e-Transfers: $5.00
If the person receiving the funds does not accept the transfer within 30 days, and if the sender does not reclaim the funds 30 days after receiving notification, the sender will be charged this $5.00 fee.
For more information see Are Interac e-Transfers time sensitive?

Non-registered recipient: fee determined by receiving institution and Interac
For more information see I want to send funds to someone but their financial institution does not have Interac e-Transfers.

How much can I send with Interac e-Transfers?
There are maximum limits as to how much you can send and receive through an Interac e-Transfer:

 

Per transaction

Send

$3,000

 

Receive

$25,000

Daily 

Send  $3,000
  Receive  No limit 
Weekly  Send $10,000
  Receive 

No limit

Monthly  Send $20,000
  Receive No limit

Sending

How long will the transfer take?
It usually takes approximately 30 minutes for a transfer to be received by the intended recipient. The recipient will receive an email or text message containing instructions. The sender will receive notification when the transfer has been completed or declined.

When you send an Interac e-Transfer the funds are withdrawn from your account immediately.

Are Interac e-Transfers time-sensitive?
Yes. Interac e-Transfers expire 30 days after they are sent and the recipient will not be able to deposit the funds after that time. The sender will receive an email or text message with instructions to re-deposit the funds.

If the sender doesn't manually cancel the transaction within the next 30 days (i.e. 60 days from the day it was originally sent), the funds will be credited back to the sender by ACU and a $5.00 fee will be charged.

Can I send funds by Interac e-Transfer to someone outside of Canada?
No. Funds sent by Interac e-Transfer must be in Canadian dollars and must be deposited into a Canadian account.

What happens if the recipient doesn't answer the security question correctly?
The sender will receive an email or text message notifying them that the recipient failed to answer the security question correctly. The email or text message will also contain instructions for reclaiming and depositing the funds.

What can the Interac e-Transfer recipient expect to receive when I send a transfer?
Recipients will get an email or a text notification containing a link to the Interac website. They will be asked to select their financial institution and will receive further instructions.

What happens if the recipient declines my Interac e-Transfer?
When the recipient receives the transfer notice they have the option to accept or decline the transfer. If they choose to decline the transfer, you will receive an email or text message notification.

Note: To complete the refused transfer, you must cancel the transfer on the Pending Interac e-Transfers page. This will return the funds to your account. The fee for sending the Interac e-Transfer will not be refunded.

I want to send funds to someone but their financial institution does not have Interac e-Transfers. Can I still send one?

Yes, if the recipient is registered for online banking with their financial institution. When they receive the notification of the Interac e-Transfer, they will have to register with Interac by following the link sent with the notification. They will have to provide their banking information to Interac to complete the transaction.

Deposits to individuals whose financial institutions don't offer Interac e-Transfers usually take four to six business days to process. An Interac fee will be deducted from the funds being transferred. Please check with the recipient's financial institution to confirm the fee amount and adjust your transfer accordingly.

Is there a minimum dollar amount required to send an Interac e-Transfer
No, there is no minimum required to send a transfer. 

 

Receiving

How will I know if I've received an Interac e-Transfer?
If the transfer has been sent via email, the recipient will receive an email message with the subject line "Interac e-Transfer from (Name of Sender)."

When someone sends a transfer via text messaging a text message from 100001 with the message "(Name of Sender) sent you an Interac e-Transfer" will be received.

Both messages will contain instructions to complete the transaction.

If you're expecting to receive an electronic transfer and don't see it in your inbox be sure to check your spam/junk folder.

How long does it take to receive the funds?
It usually takes approximately 30 minutes for a transfer to be received by the intended recipient. The recipient will receive an email or text message containing instructions.
 

 

Managing My Interac e-Transfers

How do I check the status of Interac e-Transfers?
Go to the Pending Interac e-Transfer page, which shows all active Interac e-Transfers. To see completed transfers, visit the e-Transfer History page.

How do I cancel an Interac e-Transfer?
You can cancel an Interac e-Transfer only after the recipient has received the notification but before the recipient has accepted the funds.
To cancel an Interac e-Transfer:

  1. Sign in to Online Banking.
  2. Click Transfers and choose Pending Interac e-Transfers
  3. Find the transfer you wish to cancel and click the Cancel button on the right.
  4. Choose the account in which to deposit the reclaimed funds.
  5. Click Continue.
  6. Review your information and click Confirm to stop the transfer.

What happens if the recipient doesn't complete the transfer?
If the recipient has not deposited the funds, you can resend the notice by clicking Resend Notice beside the transfer status on the Pending Interac e-Transfers page.

The transaction will expire after 30 days from the date sent and notification will be sent to the sender. The sender then has 30 additional days (i.e. 60 days from the day it was originally sent) to cancel the transaction and reclaim the funds by clicking Cancel beside the transfer status on the Pending Interac e-Transfers page. If the sender does not cancel the transaction by this time the transaction will be automatically cancelled. The funds will be credited back to the sender's account and a $5.00 cancellation fee will be applied. The initial service charge will not be refunded.

 

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