Offer BACS Direct Debit payments

Overview

BACS Direct Debit allows eligible customers to authorize collections from a UK bank account in GBP. It is available in web and mobile checkouts.

 

This page explains BACS Direct Debit from the client's perspective. You can share the Pay by BACS Direct Debit guide with customers who need help authorizing the payment.

BACS Direct Debit at a glance

Capability	Cleverbridge support
Primary market	United Kingdom.
Presentment currency	GBP.
Payment type	Bank-account collection authorized by a Direct Debit instruction.
Customer authorization	The customer provides the account holder's name, account number, and sort code and accepts the Direct Debit instruction.
Customer protection	Cleverbridge sends the Direct Debit Guarantee with the order confirmation.
Processing	The bank collection is not instantaneous. Checkout confirmation, collection, settlement, and delivery are separate events.
Delivery	Cleverbridge sends delivery details after payment completion.

Why offer BACS Direct Debit

BACS Direct Debit provides a familiar bank-account payment method for eligible UK customers. The instruction allows an organization to collect agreed payments after providing advance notice of the amount and date. See the official Bacs Direct Debit overview.

Offering BACS Direct Debit can help you:

• Let eligible customers pay directly from a UK bank account in GBP.
• Collect a payment without requiring card details.
• Use a payment method suitable for regular or occasional collections under the Bacs scheme.
• Provide the customer protections defined by the Direct Debit Guarantee.

Cleverbridge order flow

1. The customer selects BACS Direct Debit in the Cleverbridge checkout.
2. The customer enters the account holder's name, account number, and sort code.
3. The customer reviews and accepts the Direct Debit instruction.
4. Cleverbridge confirms the order and sends the Direct Debit Guarantee.
5. The collection is processed through the Bacs scheme.
6. After payment completion, Cleverbridge sends the applicable delivery details.

Payment processing and customer protection

A Direct Debit instruction does not guarantee that a collection will succeed. The payer or payment service provider can cancel the instruction before collection, and a collection can fail, for example, because the account has insufficient funds. See the official Bacs FAQs.

If a customer reports an incorrect collection, direct them to their bank or building society for help under the Direct Debit Guarantee. Canceling a Direct Debit instruction does not by itself cancel the underlying Cleverbridge order or subscription.

For general scheme information about instructions, advance notice, cancellation, and the Guarantee, see the official Bacs Direct Debit overview and Bacs FAQs.

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