Flywire Customer Service — Expert Guide for Payors and Institutions

Overview and purpose of Flywire customer support

Flywire is a specialized cross-border payments platform used by universities, hospitals, and travel companies to collect international payments with currency conversion and reconciliation tools. The customer service function exists to resolve payment exceptions, confirm receipt, manage refunds and chargebacks, and assist with account- and integration-level questions (AP/AR feeds, host-to-host reconciliation, API tokens, etc.). For institutions, Flywire support also operates as a liaison for transaction research and reconciled reporting.

From a practical perspective, Flywire support is structured to handle two distinct user groups: individual payors (students, patients) and institutional clients (bursars, finance teams). Each group has different expectations and SLAs — payors need fast, clear answers about a single payment; institutions need batch-level reporting, daily reconciliation files, and case escalation paths tied to service agreements or contracts.

Support channels and where to find them

Primary contact methods are the Flywire Help Center (https://www.flywire.com/help), region-specific phone lines, email/ticketing, and in-product chat for institutions that have the integration enabled. The Help Center page lists localized contact numbers and hours by country/region and typically offers language support in major languages used by each region. Use the Help Center first to locate the exact phone number or email address for your country to avoid time zone delays.

For institutions using Flywire’s enterprise services, there is usually a dedicated account manager and an enterprise support email. When your organization has a contract, include your customer/account number when contacting support — this shortens triage time dramatically and routes your request to the correct internal queue.

What to have ready before contacting support

Preparing precise information before you call or open a ticket reduces average resolution times. At minimum, have the Flywire Transaction ID (a 10–20 character alphanumeric reference visible in confirmation emails), payer name, date and approximate amount, payment method (card, ACH, SWIFT, local bank transfer), and the receiving institution and invoice number. If you are an institution representative, also have your institution ID and the reconciliation/export file ID.

• Essential data to include: Flywire Transaction ID, payer full name, payer email, date/time, exact amount and currency, payment method, originating bank (if available), target invoice or student ID, and screenshots of bank statements or confirmation emails.

Including transaction metadata lets support perform targeted checks (e.g., proof-of-payment, bank return codes) and often avoids escalation. Where possible, attach screenshots or PDFs in the initial ticket rather than adding them later — this reduces back-and-forth and shortens total time to resolution.

Common problems, timelines and typical outcomes

Common issues include: payments not appearing on institution portals, duplicate payments, incorrect routing to the wrong beneficiary, failed card authorizations, and refund requests. Typical diagnostic steps by support include verifying settlement status, tracing SWIFT or local rails, checking for currency conversion holds, and confirming whether the institution has applied the payment to the correct invoice. Expect an initial acknowledgement within 24 hours for standard tickets; simple issues are often resolved within 3–5 business days once all documentation is provided.

Refunds and reversals depend on payment rail and consumer protections. Card refunds usually post back to the card issuer in 5–10 business days after Flywire issues the refund; bank wires and some local rails can take 7–30 business days. If a payment was reversed due to bank return codes (insufficient funds, incorrect beneficiary), support will provide the specific return code and recommended next steps.

Disputes, chargebacks, compliance and KYC expectations

Chargebacks on card payments involve the card network and can take 30–90 days to resolve; Flywire will provide evidence packages if a merchant (institution) chooses to contest a chargeback. For institutions, Flywire’s compliance team enforces KYC/AML rules — expect requests for identity or source-of-funds documentation for unusual transactions or those above local regulatory thresholds. Provide documents promptly: passport/ID, bank statement, and proof of enrollment or invoice to accelerate clearance.

When regulatory or compliance holds occur, Flywire will notify the payer and the institution with the reason and required documents. These holds are commonly resolved within 3–10 business days after receipt of complete documentation, but can extend depending on third-party verification (banks, government ID services).

Escalation path and SLAs — practical steps to escalate

If initial contact does not resolve an urgent issue (lost funds, incorrect recipient, impending deadline), escalate methodically: request the ticket number, ask for the assigned agent’s name, and request escalation to a supervisor or the institutional account manager. Contracts for enterprise clients commonly include guaranteed SLAs (e.g., 4-hour critical response, 24-hour high-priority response) — reference your contract when requesting prioritized handling.

• Escalation checklist: 1) Obtain ticket/reference number; 2) Confirm expected SLA and target resolution time; 3) Provide all supporting documents in one submission; 4) If unresolved, request supervisor escalation and set a 24–72 hour follow-up window; 5) For financial loss, request written confirmation of next steps and interim protections (e.g., hold refunds, temporary credits) where contractually permitted.

Keep clear records of every interaction (date, time, agent name, ticket ID). This trail is critical if you need to involve your treasury bank, a chargeback, or regulatory authorities.

Practical tips for institutions and payors to minimize support issues

For institutions: configure daily reconciliation files, enable automated notifications for unallocated payments, and publish clear payment instructions (including Flywire reference fields) in student/patient invoices. Consider integrating Flywire’s API or SFTP reporting to reduce manual research needs; many institutions cut support ticket volume by 30–60% after automating reconciliation.

For payors: confirm the exact payment reference and beneficiary details before initiating a transfer, choose the recommended payment rail for your country (local bank transfer when available is usually cheapest), and retain your bank’s transaction reference. When you contact support, concise, documented information wins faster outcomes — include the Transaction ID and screenshots from your bank.

Can I get a refund from Flywire?

The refund process includes your institution, who approves and initiates the refund, and Flywire, who verifies the originating account information and sends the funds back to the payer. Below you can find a detailed account of the refund process and some helpful tips!

How do I contact Flywire?

In case of errors or questions about your transactions, please contact us at [email protected] or 1 800 346 9252 (toll free).

Is Flywire a Chinese company?

Flywire is headquartered in Boston, MA, USA with global offices.

Does Flywire work in the USA?

It is available for payers with bank accounts in the United States denominated in US dollars.

Is Flywire a US company?

Flywire is headquartered in Boston, MA, USA with additional offices around the globe.

Can I cancel a Flywire payment?

Click on the tracking link. On the Payment status page scroll down and you will see the Cancel payment button. Choose any option. Click Cancel payment.