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).

  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.

Pay in Installments

Alternative Payments offers a proprietary Pay in Installments 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

• Pay in Installments benefits

• Customer payment methods

• Automatic email notifications

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