# Our Flexible Payment Options

**Alternative Payments supports multiple payment methods so your customers can pay the way that works best for them.**

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## Payment Methods Overview

| Payment Method                      | Type          | Availability       | Typical Fee Structure                                                     |
| ----------------------------------- | ------------- | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **ACH**                             | Bank transfer | United States      | Low flat fee or percentage; typically the lowest-cost option              |
| **PAD** (Pre-Authorized Debit)      | Bank transfer | Canada             | Low flat fee or percentage; Canadian equivalent of ACH                    |
| **EFT** (Electronic Funds Transfer) | Bank transfer | Canada             | Low flat fee or percentage; used interchangeably with PAD                 |
| **Credit Card**                     | Card payment  | US and Canada      | Percentage-based fee (typically 2.9%+); varies by card network            |
| **Debit Card**                      | Card payment  | US and Canada      | Lower percentage than credit cards; Interac Debit supported in Canada     |
| **Pay in Installments**             | Financing     | United States only | Customers split payments over time; partner receives full payment upfront |

## Credit Card Fee Handling

Credit card transactions incur processing fees. Alternative Payments gives you control over how these fees are handled:

* **Pass fees to the customer (surcharge)** -- The processing fee is added to the invoice total. The customer sees the surcharge as a separate line item. This is the most common configuration.
* **Absorb fees** -- You pay the processing fee. The customer pays only the invoice amount.
* **Exceptions** -- You can configure fee rules at the account level or per-customer to handle specific scenarios (e.g., absorb fees for certain customers while passing them to others).

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** Credit card surcharging regulations vary by state and province. Some US states restrict or prohibit surcharges. Alternative Payments handles compliance automatically based on the customer's billing address.
{% endhint %}

## Pay in Installments

Alternative Payments offers a proprietary [Pay in Installments](https://help.alternativepayments.io/payments-and-invoicing/bnpl-pay-in-installments/pay-in-installments-benefits) financing solution for US customers. Key details:

* Customers can split invoice payments into multiple installments over time.
* Partners receive the full invoice amount upfront -- there is no payment delay.
* Installment plans and terms are configured at the account level.
* Available for US customers only. Not available in Canada.

## Canada-Specific Notes

Canadian partners and customers should be aware of the following:

* **Credit card surcharge cap** -- Canadian regulations cap credit card surcharges at 2.4% of the transaction amount.
* **No Pay in Installments** -- The Pay in Installments financing option is not available for Canadian customers.
* **Quebec exclusion** -- Credit card surcharging is not permitted in the province of Quebec. Customers with Quebec billing addresses will not be charged a surcharge.
* **PAD/EFT processing** -- Canadian bank transfers use Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) rather than ACH.
* **Interac Debit** -- Interac Debit is supported as a payment method for Canadian customers.

## Configuring Available Payment Methods

You can control which payment methods are available to your customers from your partner dashboard settings. This allows you to:

* Enable or disable specific payment types (e.g., accept only ACH and credit card)
* Set default payment method preferences
* Configure fee rules for each payment type

Contact your Alternative Payments account manager or visit your dashboard settings to configure payment method availability.

## Related Articles

* [How to make invoice payments](https://help.alternativepayments.io/end-customer-faqs/end-customer-faqs/making-invoice-payments)
* [Pay in Installments benefits](https://help.alternativepayments.io/payments-and-invoicing/bnpl-pay-in-installments/pay-in-installments-benefits)
* [Customer payment methods](https://help.alternativepayments.io/payments-and-invoicing/payments-methods/customer-payment-methods)
* [Automatic email notifications](https://help.alternativepayments.io/automations/email-notifications-and-reminders/automatic-email-notifications)

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