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The alias: easy to read out, easy to forget you changed it
An alias is a readable name pointing to an account. You choose it, which makes it the only one of the three identifiers that can stop being true.
Reading out twenty-two digits over the phone is awkward. Reading out three words separated by dots is not. That is the entire reason an alias exists, and also the origin of the one problem it brings.
What it actually is
An alias is a readable name pointing to an account identified by a CBU or a CVU. It is not the account: it is a label redirecting to it, and the holder can change where it points.
What sets it apart from the other two
| CBU or CVU | Alias | |
|---|---|---|
| Who assigns it | The institution or the provider | The holder picks it |
| Can it change | No | Yes |
| Tells you what's behind it | Yes, based on where it came from | No |
The problem shows up over time
An alias is perfect for a one-off payment. Where it causes trouble is when it sits saved on a platform for months: if you edited it when you opened a new wallet, the payment goes out to where it points today, not where it pointed when you saved it.
The check that takes three seconds
Before executing, the confirmation screen returns the name of the holder of the account the alias points to. Reading that name is the fastest way to know whether it is still the account you think.
Where you will be asked for it
For informal payments, among people who know each other, and anywhere the destination has to be read out. For registering a withdrawal destination on a platform, the number is the better choice. The practical case is in the twenty-two digits of an Argentine destination.
Related terms
What sits behind an alias is a CBU or a CVU, and who has to appear as the owner of that account is in account ownership. The rest is in the glossary.
This is not financial, legal, tax, or investment advice.
Questions on this topic
Is an alias less safe than a CBU?
It is not about safety but about stability. The alias points to the account and can be repointed; a CBU or CVU does not change. For a detail you will read out once, an alias is convenient; for one that will sit saved on a platform for months, the number brings fewer surprises.
Can I have several aliases?
It depends on what each institution or wallet allows, and it is worth checking in the app itself. What is general is that an alias points to one specific account, so if you run several, knowing which is which avoids payments landing in the wrong place.
How do I check which account it points to?
In the account detail inside your app, and also on the confirmation screen of whoever is transferring to you, which shows the holder's name before executing. Reading that name is the fastest check there is.
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