You can reach out to the customer support team at the Credit Union by telephone or in branch. Make sure to check our Credit Union website for the most up-to-date contact details and service hours.

No, while VOP will be an additional step to help you protect your money when making a SEPA payment, it will not affect the time taken to send a payment once you have approved it.

No, the verification of payee feature is offered free of charge for all customers.

For SEPA Instant payments and VOP, cross border euro payments to the eurozone are treated the same as payments within Ireland. EU countries that have not adopted the euro such as Poland will be required to provide SEPA Instant payments and VOP in 2027. Other non-EU/EEA SEPA countries such as UK and Switzerland may provide SEPA Instant payments and VOP in the future.

Yes. To avoid issues, make sure your account name with your bank or payment service provider is correct and matches how you typically share it (e.g. include your middle name if you usually use it).

Even if an incorrect IBAN is valid and active (i.e. belongs to someone else), the VOP check may still return a match or close match if the name is similar. Always verify payment details with the recipient using a trusted method.

Your name will only be shown when it has been detected that the person sending you the payment has entered a slightly different or incorrect name i.e. a close match. Otherwise, your name is not disclosed.

You will need to enter one full name (first name and surname) of any account holder. For legal entities or businesses, use the official registered name.

For private individuals, verification is carried out against the first and last names of all account holders, although you only need to enter one first and last name. In the event of a close or partial match, only the name of the account holder whose name was entered will be displayed.

For legal entities or businesses, verification is carried out against the registered legal names with the recipients’ bank or payment service provider, as well as the legal abbreviations and trade names.

From October, all members making individual standard SEPA payments and SEPA Instant payments will automatically have a VOP check performed, and there is no option to opt out. This is part of the EU Instant Payments Regulation which aims to make euro payments safer and more reliable. It also aims to enhance trust in electronic payments and reduce certain types of fraud and errors.

What can I do to make everything run as smoothly as possible?

• Always enter the full name (first & last) of the payee correctly when saving a payee or making a payment.
• If you receive a close match or no match, check the account details with the payee via a trusted channel.
• Keep your saved payee details up to date to avoid delays.
• As a payee, you should always advise your payers of your full name as registered with your Credit Union or bank including both first and last names.