Getting paid by bank direct debit

Quick answer: If you’ve connected Stripe, you can collect invoices straight from a customer’s bank account. Send the customer a mandate link so they can set up their bank account, then set their payment workflow to Bank debit (auto-debit on due date). Each invoice is debited on its due date.

Which bank debits are supported?

The type of debit follows the customer’s country: BECS Direct Debit in Australia, Bacs Direct Debit in the UK and SEPA Direct Debit in Europe. You need a connected Stripe account — without one, the option is greyed out.

How do I switch a customer to bank debit?

1. Go to Customers → Customer List and open the customer.
2. Open the Payment & Terms tab.
3. Under HOW THIS CUSTOMER PAYS, click Edit.
4. Tick Bank debit (auto-debit on due date). Only one workflow can be ticked at a time, so this replaces the card or invoice option.
5. Click Save Changes.

How does my customer set up their bank account?

The customer agrees to the direct-debit mandate on a secure Stripe page. On the same Payment & Terms tab, under the bank debit option:

• Email mandate link to customer — sends the link to the customer’s billing email.
• Get link to copy — shows the link so you can send it yourself. The link is valid for 24 hours.

You can send the link before you switch the customer to bank debit. Customers can also set it up themselves: in their own account under Billing → Payment Methods, they’ll see a Pay by bank card with a Set up direct debit button.

What happens when an invoice is debited?

• On the due date the customer’s bank account is debited. You can also debit an invoice straight away with Charge Now in Accounting.
• Bank debits take 2–5 business days to clear. Until the bank confirms, the order shows Debit pending. It is not marked paid yet.
• Once the debit clears, the invoice is marked Paid automatically.
• Pressing Charge Now again while a debit is pending won’t debit the customer twice.

What if a debit fails or is reversed?

If the bank refuses the debit, the order shows Payment problem and both you and the customer are emailed. Open Pantry tries again once, three days later — never more, because every failed bank debit can cost a fee.

If the customer reverses (disputes) a debit that had already cleared, the invoice goes back to unpaid and you’re both emailed. There is no automatic retry. If that payment was already sent to your accounting system, reverse it there too — Open Pantry doesn’t undo it for you.

Tip: If a customer’s bank account closes or they cancel the mandate, send them a fresh mandate link.