Random question to the oracle that is singletrack forum:

I made two payments to someone (a local business, sole trader) , one by credit card, and one by debit card.

Is there any way to find their bank account details from this?

Or how else (legally) might you find out a businesses bank account details?

Ask him?

I don’t think he is willingly going to tell me! Not on the best of terms to say the least.

Tell him you want to transfer some money into his account and need his details.

Tell him you are a Nigerian prince with some money to transfer…

By bank details do you mean sort code and account number? Why would you want these?

You can’t find the details from those payments. The card processing merchant id is not the same as his bank account. If you have a cheque from him it will have sort code and account number, but this will not get you very far. Many businesses publicise those numbers on letterheads, invoices, websites for people to make internet banking payments to them.

The sort code will identify the bank and branch.

Tell him you want to transfer some money into his account and need his details. Tell him you are a Nigerian prince with some money to transfer.

Might that not fall foul of the ‘legal’ bit I specified above?

No idea how you’d find his details but it might be worth your speaking to your credit card company – just i’m pondering out loud if that would come under the credit card guarantee thing – if they can claim the payment back for you that could be a starter for 10?