Available December 2026.
ACH Direct Debit support is coming to Paythen for US merchants. Your customers will be able to pay their payment plan, subscription or one-time charge directly from their US bank account, as well as by card.
Bank debits are popular with customers paying larger amounts over time, and they usually cost a lot less to process than cards.
Which plans will support ACH?
ACH will work across all Paythen plan types, including:
Flexipay payment plans
Date-based payment plans
Standard payment plans and ongoing subscriptions
Wait for it (layaway) plans
One-off charges and pay-what-you-want plans
ACH is available for plans in USD, on Stripe accounts that have ACH Direct Debit enabled.
How will it work for my customers?
On your payment page, customers will see a bank account option next to card payments. They can either:
Connect their bank instantly by logging in to their bank through Stripe, or
Enter their routing and account number by hand. Stripe then sends two small deposits to the account, and the customer confirms them to verify it. Paythen shows them a link to do this.
Customers agree to a debit authorization (mandate) at checkout, so their scheduled payments can then be collected automatically, just like a card.
Bank debits aren't instant. Each payment takes a few business days to clear, and Paythen shows it as processing until the bank confirms it. You and your customers will see this on the customer page.
What happens if a bank payment fails?
Paythen handles ACH failures for you. If a payment fails for insufficient funds, Paythen retries it automatically. If the bank account is closed, blocked or the customer revokes the authorization, the plan is updated and you and your customer are notified, so they can update their payment method from their self-serve page.
Can I choose whether to offer ACH?
Yes. From December 2026, you'll be able to switch ACH on or off in your Payment methods settings and offer it alongside cards.
Coming at launch or very soon after
ACH-only payment plans. Offer a plan that can only be paid by bank debit. This suits B2B customers and anyone who wants to keep processing fees as low as possible.
Different surcharges or admin fees by payment method. Offer both ACH and cards, and set a lower surcharge or admin fee for ACH so customers who pay by bank pay less.
What will it cost?
Stripe's standard US fee for ACH Direct Debit is 0.8% per payment, capped at $5. Paythen's 2% fee stays the same as for cards, because bank debits take a few days to confirm and Paythen does a lot more tracking behind the scenes to handle that for you.
Because Stripe's ACH fee never goes above $5, your overall cost is much lower on larger payments. For example, on a $2,000 payment:
By card: Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 ($58.30) plus Paythen's 2% ($40) = $98.30
By ACH: Stripe's $5 maximum plus Paythen's 2% ($40) = $45.00, a saving of 54% vs card
That's $53.30 less on a single payment, with the same automated payment plans, reminders and retries.
Card figures use Stripe's standard US card pricing. See Stripe's pricing for your account's exact rates.
Want to be first to use it?
ACH Direct Debit will be available in December 2026. Add your email here to get notified when it's live, or let us know via the chat icon.