The Benefits of ACH Payments
An Automated Clearing House, or ACH, is an electronic network for financial transactions in the US. An ACH processes large volumes of credit and debit transactions in batches.
Businesses are increasingly using ACH online to simplify customer payments, rather than payments being made by credit or debit card. Using ACH gives you another payment option to offer your customers, and the more cashless payment options you can offer, the more people there will be who can purchase what you are offering.
How you can benefit from ACH:
By using an ACH, you can accept payments that are similar to an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) or check payments. The payment differs from an EFT and check payments because you have more control over the payment process. When you use an ACH, you need only to get the customer’s consent for you to initiate the process to withdraw funds from the customer’s account.
Compare this to a customer writing out a check: you have to wait for up to seven working days before you can be assured that it won’t be returned as unpaid, and if a customer commits to paying by EFT, you have to wait until they actually execute the transaction.
There are rules and regulations
The ACH network is regulated by the National Automated Clearinghouse Association (NACHA) which is a non-profit membership association. NACHA, in conjunction with the Federal Reserve, introduce and implement rules and regulations that apply to the ACH network. Businesses utilizing an ACH are encouraged to understand the NACHA rules, and not only keep abreast with changes but also to identify opportunities to leverage the ACH network to meet individual business needs. The rules can be viewed online on the NACHA website.
By signing up to use ACH payments you are offering your customers better customer service, potentially increasing your sales, and giving yourself more control over customer payments.
For more information about the benefits of ACH payment processors for your online business, or to sign up for a merchant account, please call (888) 924-2743 or go to Charge.com.
