Echeck and ACH Payment Processing

ACH Echeck Payments

ACH processing and echeck merchant accounts give your customers a convenient way to pay you through a bank account rather than using a card. Electronic checks are the most popular alternative payment method in the United States. ACH echecks are a familiar and trusted payment option for Americans.

Lower Rates. Electronic check processing accounts have rates significantly lower than lower than card merchant accounts.
Fast Approvals. ACH payment services and echeck merchant accounts are approved fast so you start getting more orders quickly.
High Volume Electronic Check Processing and ACH Accounts. Accept echeck payments. High capacity ACH processing.
ACH Echeck Verification. Keep returns low. Reduce processing expenses.
Ecommerce Merchant Accounts. Accept checks online. Adding ACH echecks to your checkout page and watch your sales grow.
Accept Check by Phone & Mail Orders. Unlimited virtual terminals for rapid processing of telephone & mail orders (MOTO) are a standard feature with all echeck merchant accounts.
Bulk Processing. Upload large ACH echeck payment files for rapid processing of bulk orders.
Recurring Billing. Recurring echeck payments are more stable than card transactions.
Robust Cloud Reporting. Reporting in multiple formats. Quickly access details of all transactions. Simplify management while enhancing productivity.

Ecommerce

Accept checks online. Watch your sales grow.

Telephone Orders

Quickly enter telephone orders with an easy-to-use secure virtual terminal.

Mail Orders

Virtual terminal or batch uploads simplifies mail order processing.

Accept Mobile Payments

Securely process orders from tablets & smart phones.

What are Electronic Checks?

Echeck payments and ACH merchant accounts give you the ability to debit customers’ bank accounts on a one-time or recurring basis. At checkout, customers enter bank routing and account numbers rather than card numbers. Processing funds settle to your bank account in a similar way as card payments.

The term electronic check or echecks are often used as a generic term to describe all payments electronically debited from bank accounts. However, there are actually 2 types of electronic checks.

The first type of echeck payments are ACH accounts, the most cost-effective method way process payments. Transactions clear through the ACH network, the oldest and most realiable electronic funds transfer system in the US.

The second type of electronic check processing is echecks which clear through bank-to-bank image clearing. This is payment option of choice for standard or high risk merchants that need greater flexibility for revoked transactions (chargebacks) or returns than permitted by the ACH network.

ACH Accounts for Echeck Payments

ACH accounts are the most economical method to accept check payments. Millions of Americans regularly purchase goods & services with ACH echecks.

ACH merchant accounts offer you the lowest rates for electronic check processing. And, same day ACH payments are now available which dramatically decrease the time it takes to process transactions. More than 95% of American households have bank accounts and can pay you through an ACH merchant account.

The downside of ACH echecks is that revoked transactions (chargebacks) need to stay under 0.5% to keep an ACH merchant account in good standing. And returns need to be less than 15%. Many standard and high risk merchants have challenges maintaining these ratios, which are mandated by NACHA.org, the governing body of the ACH network.

Still, if you can comply with the ratios, ACH merchant accounts are the way to go. Lower rates combined with faster processing times make ACH echecks great for eCommerce.

And with same day ACH, transactions clear fast. Ecommerce merchants can now ship products within 1 day. Much quicker than ever before. These days, there’s no reason for eCommerce merchants not to accept checks online. The more payment methods you offer, the more sales you make.

Echeck Merchant Account Alternative to ACH Electronic Checks

Merchants that cannot maintain the ratios required to stay compliant with ACH accounts need another method of accepting electronic check payments. Merchants then turn to an electronic check processor that uses bank-to-bank image transfer rather than the ACH network.

With an echeck merchant account, electronic check payments are processed and cleared through the echeck gateway instead of the ACH network. The responsibility for revokes and returns is borne by the electronic check processor. Settlements are deposited to your business bank account by the echeck payment processor via an ACH credit, in a similar manner as card processing funds are settled.

Merchants with higher return and revoke ratios love processing electronic checks in this manner. Revoked and returned transactions permitted are significantly higher any other way of method of processing electronic check payments.

In addition, there are no industry restrictions. All businesses, including those classified as high risk merchants, are welcome to apply. This means that merchants that cannot qualify for ACH accounts can still process echeck payments.

Shop Smart for Electronic Check Processing Services

When you shop for an echeck merchant account it’s important to understand what you are getting.

Some electronic check processors create “substitute” checks which are sent to your business bank account for clearing. Substitute checks work well only for low risk merchants that have few returns or revoked transactions. Substitute checks are not a good solution for many standard risk merchants. And substitute checks never work out well for high risk merchants.

Banks flag business accounts if a substitute check is revoked because of a disputed transaction. Plus, business banks do not like to see returned transactions, such as non-sufficient funds (NSF) appearing in a business bank account

In additional, many banks will not accept substitute checks because they are not actually signed by the buyer. These items are marked “Return to Maker” and sent back to your business bank account as a return. As a result, the number of returned items increase. And you are assessed high fees for the returns, increasing your expenses.

When you process substitute checks through your business bank account and have returns & revokes your account can be put in jeopardy. And ultimately your business operating account may be closed.

How Echeck Processing and ACH Accounts Increase Profits

Whether you use an echeck merchant account or an ACH account, the user experience is the same. Instead of using a card at checkout, echeck payments are electronically debited from bank accounts.

Both ACH accounts and echeck merchant accounts help you capture sales from shoppers that do not have cards, are maxed on cards, or who simply prefer to pay through bank accounts.

ACH processing and echeck merchant accounts rescue sales that otherwise would be lost. If a card declines and you do not have an alternative payment option to offer the customer, the sale is lost. Electronic checks give customers another payment option through which sale can be completed.

Although cards are the most common method of payment in the US, surprisingly 30% of Americans do not have cards. When you accept electronic checks, you give these consumers a convenient way to purchase from you.

Alternative payment methods are the fastest way to increase your profits with no additional work. Businesses that accept electronic check payments report sales “lifts” of 10-30% simply by adding electronic checks and ACH payment processing to their checkout page.

ACH Accounts and Echeck Payments for Ecommerce & MOTO Merchants

When you accept echecks online, you gain an edge over competitors who do not. And you avoid losing sales to competitors that already accept checks online or check by phone payments.

Same day ACH echecks now give you faster payments.

Prior to the availability of same day ACH echecks, standard ACH was the only echeck option for eCommerce and MOTO merchants.

Standard ACH was too slow for many businesses because it took up to 4 days to confirm that an electronic check transaction cleared. Which meant businesses had to wait days before shipping. This was challenging to ecommerce merchants because modern customers want to receive orders quickly.

With the introduction of same day ACH online check processing everything changed. Now ecommerce & MOTO businesses with ACH accounts can confidently ship orders paid by electronic checks within a day.

ACH Echecks Superior to Cards for Recurring Payments

ACH payment processing protects revenues from recurring billing far better than cards. Once a bank account is established, it seldom changes since changing bank accounts is a big hassle.

Most Americans have wages direct deposited to bank accounts. And household bills directly debited from the bank accounts. Due to the inconvenience associated with changing banks, ACH payments are extremely stable over time.

Card payments are a different story. More than 20% of debit & credit cards provided by US banks are reissued each year. Card dates expire. Cards are lost or stolen. And, increasing occurrences of data breaches require that compromised cards be replaced by new ones.

It takes time and effort to update card data. And, despite your best efforts, you may not be able to obtain the updated card data from customers. Resulting in lost recurring billing revenue.

Electronic check payments are extremely stable. Recurring payment data rarely needs updating. Echeck payments are more difficult for customers to dispute than card payments and have much shorter chargeback timeframe than card transactions.

Unlimited customizable recurring billing plans are a standard feature in every ACH merchant account. “Set it and forget it” recurring payments continue uninterrupted until the customer cancels or the payment term ends.

ACH payments and echeck merchant accounts ensure uninterrupted continuation of services or delivery of products to your customers. While protecting recurring billing cash flow and increasing the lifetime value of customers to your business.

Applying for Your ACH Processing or Echeck Merchant Account

Applying for ACH accounts and electronic check processing is always free, with no obligation. Approval time is 3-5 business days from the time the completed application file is received.

To apply for an ACH account or echeck payment processing, you submit an application along with some additional documents. Supporting documents include: Color copy of ID for signer on account, current bank statements, payment processing statements (if available), voided check from the depository account, and business formation documents.

It is a good idea to have a signer on the account that has good personal credit. If credit is not great, adding a co-signer with good credit helps get an account approved.

If you want to accept echecks online, review all pages of your website. Verify pages load quickly and display properly. Privacy, return, and shipping policies need to be clearly displayed, along with customer service contacts and other relevant information.

Businesses that do not have websites should include marketing materials, pricing lists, sample of sales agreements or an executive overview in the application file. This lets the underwriting team become familiar with the goods or services being sold, as well as the terms and conditions associated with transactions.

It’s a common practice for underwriters to conduct internet searches for reviews on a company or its owners. Google this information for yourself so you know what’s being said.

Naturally, no company will have perfect reviews. Still, if you discover less than favorable comments, respond politely & professionally. This demonstrates that you care about customer service and your online reputation.

Once the application is approved, the ACH processing or echeck merchant account identification (MID) is issued. Your login credentials are sent to you. And you can immediately begin processing.

Why Chose PaynetSecure for Echecks and ACH Accounts?

The following are reasons companies use our ACH accounts and echeck gateways for electronic check processing.

Lower Costs. ACH accounts are have lower rates than card processing. You save money by eliminating card interchange fees.
High Volume Processing. Once your echeck merchant account is approved, you can process as much volume as you need. Giving customers the ability to pay by check online, results in more sales and increases your profits.
MOTO Electronic Check Payments. Unlimited virtual terminals are a standard feature in all echeck merchant accounts. Easily accept telephone, email, fax, and mail orders.
Rapid Bulk Processing. Upload large files of ACH echeck orders to secure servers for quick processing.
Electronic Check Verification. Verify routing, account numbers and other data fast. Quickly accept good electronic check orders while declining bad ones.
Superior Customer Service. Get answers you need when you need them. Experienced representatives are dedicated to your complete satisfaction.
Recurring Billing. ACH echecks are great for recurring payments. Protect recurring payment income. Increase lifetime value of customers.
Competitive Rates. Our goal is to save you money on payment processing while providing you top-notch technology and service.