Topic · 59 guides
Statements name the payment processor, not the shop, which is why a perfectly ordinary purchase can look like fraud. Here is every code and descriptor we have explained, from the everyday abbreviations to the ones that send people straight to their bank.
It is The National Lottery. Allwyn took over from Camelot on 1 February 2024, and existing direct debits quietly changed name — which is why a subscription you set up years ago suddenly shows a company you have never heard of.
It is almost always a self-service kiosk or card machine you used at an arcade, bar, ice rink or retail venue. ASK Global Solutions supplies the payment terminal, so its name reaches your statement instead of the venue's.
ATG Pay is the checkout used by Auction Technology Group's online auction marketplaces. The charge is an auction lot you won — the auction house's own name never reaches your bank.
It is Banyan Bar & Kitchen, the cocktail bar and restaurant chain run by Leeds operator Arc Inspirations. The charge is food or drinks at one of its venues across the North of England — the bar's town rarely reaches your statement.
It is an independent cash machine — the ones in shops, garages and stations rather than outside a bank. Cardtronics runs the Cashzone and Bankmachine networks, and the charge is a withdrawal, sometimes with a fee alongside it.
It is a Complete Savings membership — a cashback service costing around £18 a month after a 30-day free trial. Most people find it because they joined at a retailer's checkout without realising, and never used it.
It is your State Pension from the Department for Work and Pensions — money coming in. The reference starts with your National Insurance number, it is paid four-weekly in arrears, and your payday depends on that number.
It is the Winter Fuel Payment from the Department for Work and Pensions — money coming in, not going out. The reference starts with your National Insurance number, and Northern Ireland shows DFC WFP instead.
A subscription sold alongside the Easylife catalogue. Which? reported years of complaints from customers who say they never asked for it — many of them elderly — and Easylife has since axed the scheme. Refunds are given.
EE Limited is the mobile and broadband network, now part of BT Group. The charge is a phone bill, SIM plan, broadband or device payment — and pay as you go top-ups sometimes route through a processor called Vesta.
GoCardless is not charging you — it collects direct debits on behalf of other businesses. The company you are actually paying is usually in the reference, and GoCardless runs a lookup tool that names it.
H3G is Hutchison 3G UK Limited — the legal name behind the Three mobile network. The charge is a Three bill, SIM plan, broadband service or device payment billed under the company name rather than the brand.
It is a recurring direct debit collected by HMRC for tax you set up to be paid automatically. SDDS is the recurring system — a one-off tax payment shows as NDDS instead, and that distinction tells you what you agreed to.
It is the company behind Photo-Me passport booths, Revolution Laundry machines and children's rides. You used a self-service machine in a supermarket or station, and the operator's name reached your bank.
It is not a company. A night safe is the secure deposit slot outside a bank branch for paying cash in after hours, and it normally appears as money coming in — credited the next working day.
It traces to pay-deal.com, an online fashion and lifestyle store billing through Airwallex — which is where the "UK" and the "AWX" come from. The retailer itself publishes no UK company number or registered address.
It is the finance company behind monthly insurance payments. Paying your insurance monthly is a credit agreement, not a payment plan — and it costs more than paying annually, which is the part nobody mentions.
Rontec runs around 260 UK petrol stations under the Esso, BP and Shell brands — so you remember the fuel brand and your statement names the operator. Pay at pump also holds more than you spent, then corrects itself.
Runa processes digital gift card and payout transactions for other brands. If it is on your statement you almost certainly bought a gift card — the brand you bought from never reaches your bank.
Selecta runs vending and coffee machines in workplaces, hospitals, stations and hotels. The charge is a snack or a drink — and customers regularly report being charged twice, or charged when nothing came out.
TGTG is Too Good To Go, the surplus food app. Each charge is one order, not a subscription — and a charge with no matching order is usually a temporary authorisation hold that releases on its own.
It is Very, the online retailer. Bootle appears because Shop Direct Finance, which runs Very's credit accounts, is registered there. A regular monthly amount is usually a credit account repayment rather than a purchase.
It is almost always Wayfair, the online furniture and homeware retailer. The descriptor uses the WF prefix rather than the brand name, and a delayed capture means the charge often lands weeks after you ordered.
WW is WeightWatchers, renamed in 2018, and Maidenhead is its UK head office. The charge is a membership or digital subscription — and members report it continuing after they believed they had cancelled.
A Deliveroo charge you don't recognise is usually a weekend order, a family member on your card, or the Deliveroo Plus subscription quietly renewing. What each descriptor means and how to cancel or dispute the charge.
A charge showing JUST EAT, JUSTEAT.CO.UK or JUST EAT.CO.UK LONDON is the takeaway app: here is why the amount or date may not match your order, why some orders show the restaurant's name instead, and how to dispute one.
SKYBET, SB GAMES and SKY BETTING AND GAMING on a bank statement are all the same company: Sky Bet, Sky Vegas and Sky Casino share descriptors. What each one means, why deposits show oddly, and how to block gambling payments.
CR means credit: money in. DR means debit: money out. What they mean next to a balance, why CR on a credit card is the opposite, and why your bookkeeping reverses both.
Pay at pump places a hold far bigger than your fuel, and it is not a payment. Here is when the real amount lands and what to do if it sticks.
One trip can leave three separate lines on your statement, and one of them is not a payment at all. Here is how to tell a hold from a real charge.
ATM on a bank statement means a cash machine withdrawal. Here's how to read the location shown, why the amount may include a fee, and what to do if you don't recognise it.
CHQ on a bank statement means cheque: either one you paid in or one you wrote. Here's how to tell which, and how long a cheque takes to clear.
INT on a bank statement means interest: either paid to you on savings or charged to you on an overdraft. Here's how to tell which and what to check.
POS on a bank statement means Point of Sale: a card payment made in person. Here's how to identify the retailer and what to do if the name looks unfamiliar.
SAL on a bank statement means salary: your wages being paid in. Here's how to read the entry, why the amount varies, and what to check if it's missing.
VIS on a bank statement means a Visa card transaction and DEB means a debit card payment. Here's what each tells you and how to identify the payment.
What do the codes, abbreviations and mystery payment names on your bank statement mean? A plain-English guide to every common one, from BGC and DD to SumUp, Zettle and SQ.
Mortgage lenders read your bank statements to see how you really manage money. What they check, how overdrafts and gambling look, and how to tidy your statements before you apply.
CHG on a bank statement means a charge: a fee the bank itself has taken, such as an overdraft, packaged account or overseas transaction fee.
FPI means Faster Payment In and FPO means Faster Payment Out: money arriving from, or sent to, another UK bank account, usually within seconds.
AMZNMktplace, AMZ* and Amazon Digital are all Amazon charges, but for different things. Here's what each means and how to match it to an order.
APPLE.COM/BILL never says what you actually bought, and it covers every Apple service at once. Here is how to see the exact purchase, and cancel it.
A GOOGLE *TEMPORARY HOLD is not always yours, and if you never set up a Google payment it needs checking. Here is when it clears and when to act on it.
A Klarna charge is an instalment on a buy-now-pay-later purchase, so it appears weeks after you shopped, for part of the total. Here's how to track it.
PAYPAL, PP* and PYPL entries are payments made through PayPal: the merchant's name usually follows. Here's how to find out who actually took the money.
SQ * means the payment went through Square, the card reader used by cafés, market stalls and small businesses. The merchant's name usually follows the star.
TFL TRAVEL CH almost never matches one journey, which is why the amount looks wrong. Here is how to see which taps it covers, and what if it isn't yours.
BGC on a bank statement means Bank Giro Credit: money paid into your account, such as wages, a transfer or a cheque or cash credit. Here's what it means.
BP on a bank statement means Bill Payment: a one-off payment you make to a payee or biller. Here's what it means, why it appears and how to check it.
DD on a bank statement means Direct Debit: a payment you've authorised a company to collect, in amounts that can vary. Here's what it means and more.
A pending transaction on your bank statement is authorised but not yet cleared. Here's why it appears, when it clears, and why it can change.
SO on a bank statement means Standing Order: a fixed, regular payment you set up yourself to pay the same amount on a set schedule. Here's what it means.
TFR on a bank statement means Transfer: money moved between accounts, either your own or to and from someone else. Here's what it means and how to check it.
A SumUp charge names the card machine rather than the business, so it often looks unfamiliar. Here is how to identify the trader and check it was you.
'Advice confirms' usually sits next to a transaction you did not recognise. Here is what triggers the wording, and how to trace the payment behind it.
Confused by an unknown bank giro credit? Unravel the mystery and take action with our guide. Verify legitimacy, protect your info, and seek bank assistance.
Mortgage lenders check your bank statements for affordability, gambling, overdrafts, undisclosed debts and large unexplained deposits. Here's what matters.
Spotted a charge you don't recognise? Here's how to identify mystery payments on your statement, the common culprits behind odd names, and what to do if it's fraud.
A Zettle charge names the card reader, not the shop, which is why you may not recognise it. Here is how to work out which business took the payment.