As a small business owner, you’ve probably heard of an electronic funds transfer (EFT) and an automated clearing house (ACH) payment. But, did you know these terms aren’t interchangeable?
To make the differences clearer, we’ve broken them down in just one sentence.👇
An “ACH” payment is a specific type of EFT - and “electronic funds transfer” or “EFT” is a general term that refers to all digital payments.
Still wondering what exactly an Electronic Funds Transfer or ACH payment is? Let’s get into it!
As mentioned above, Electronic Funds Transfer or EFT is just a blanket term for digital payments. There are many types, but some of the most common types of EFT payments include:
An ACH transfer is a type of electronic funds transfer (EFT) used in the United States. ACH transfers are processed through the Automated Clearing House Network - hence the name - and governed by the National Automated Clearing House Association (Nacha).
Payments in the ACH network are transferred directly from one bank account to another. ACH transfers are more commonly known as Direct Deposit, direct pay or eChecks.
So, that feeling of getting money deposited directly into your account (without a trip to the bank!) - that's ACH. And the convenience of paying a bill or vendor online vs sending a check? Also ACH! Oh, and let's not forget the recurring bills you can pay automatically - hats off to ACH for those too.
With Corpay One, sending a business-to-business ACH payment is FREE when you fund it from your bank account. That means you can streamline your payments process - at no additional cost, no matter how many your business sends!
With Corpay One, you can pay any vendor requesting ACH (or Check!) payments with your credit card as the funding source - even if they don't accept them!¹ Our flexible payment options allow you to leverage your credit for initiatives that move the needle, instead of putting your cash toward ACH and Check payments to your vendors.
If a vendor’s banking information is on their invoice or ACH is listed as their preferred payment method in the invoice payment instructions, Corpay One's OCR scanning technology will read those details and start paying them via ACH automatically. No manual vendor management needed!
Sending an ACH payment is easy with Corpay One. Start sending unlimited ACH payments from your bank account for free - today!
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Corpay One is a leading bill pay solution for small businesses. Picture your bank’s bill pay - only smarter, with one platform to manage your business bills and a credit card (the Corpay Mastercard®!) to pay them. You can build custom bookkeeping and approval workflows that work for your team, while streamlining payments to your vendors, extending your cash flow and building your business credit. This is one effortless platform, designed to save you time, money and help you focus on what counts. Get the smarter way to pay today - for free!
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