Frequently asked questions

How can I use GoCardless?

There are three ways to use GoCardless:

• Our clean, RESTful API - Integrate GoCardless into your website using our REST API.
• Our partner integrations - a selection of out-of-the-box integrations with billing and CRM platforms
• Our dashboards - Set up and manage Direct Debit payments with your customers using our simple online dashboard.

Who is GoCardless for?

GoCardless is for anyone who wants to take payments directly from the bank account of customers in New Zealand, Australia, the UK, the Eurozone, Sweden, Denmark and Canada. It’s particularly suitable for B2B (business-to-business) and recurring payments.

Our easy-to-use dashboards and powerful API make GoCardless a simple platform for everyone from innovative start-ups to multi-national corporations.

GoCardless works with more than 50,000 businesses from accountants and gyms, to energy companies and SaaS organisations processing more than US $13bn in payment volume across 30 countries.

Why should my customers pay with Direct Debit?

Paying by Direct Debit is a great option for your customers. Once an authorisation (Direct Debit instruction) is in place, your customers no longer need to action future payments saving them time and hassle. With GoCardless, you can invite your customers to complete the simple authorisation through an email or link which you can include on your website or attach to invoices.

What can I not use GoCardless for?

GoCardless is the perfect payment solution for many businesses. However, there are some limitations with our service. We aren’t able to:

• Let you take credit card payments - however you can use another payment provider alongside GoCardless.
• Let you accept instant payments - Direct Debit payments take 3-5 working days to clear, so they’re not ideal for goods that need to be shipped quickly.

We’re able to accept most kinds of customers but there are some exceptions - for full details, see our restricted activities page.

Are there any limits on the amount I can collect?

There are no limits on how many transactions you can make.

There is, however, a limit on the maximum amount that can be collected in a single transaction. These are:

• New Zealand $10,000 NZD
• Australia $10,000 AUD
• Denmark kr.50,000 DKK
• UK £5000 GBP
• Eurozone €5000 EUR
• Canada $5,000 CAD
• Sweden 20M kr SEK

We may be able to increase these limits with additional verification checks.

How do I receive funds I have collected with GoCardless?

The funds collected are paid directly into your bank account.

With GoCardless Pro, we’ll send you an invoice for your fees.

When do I receive my payment?

All payments in New Zealand are paid out four working days from when the payment was collected. If you are based outside of New Zealand, you will receive payment between four to nine working days after the collection date.

We don’t hold back any of your funds in reserve.

Do you take credit or debit cards?

No, GoCardless focuses on providing Direct Debit payments, ensuring we provides the best solution for your customers.

Why is GoCardless better than the other options I’m considering?

Below are just some of the reasons why people choose us:

• Easy access to Direct Debit - Sign up for a GoCardless account online within minutes to collect payments from multiple markets
• Reduced administration - Collect recurring and one-off payments automatically, or at the click of a button. We manage everything else for you.
• Transparent pricing - We charge 1% per domestic transaction + $0.40, capped at $4. For international transactions (coming soon) we charge 2% per international transaction + $0.40. Scale pricing is available on our Pro package for fixed transaction fees based on volume.
• Powerful tools that suit you - Everything you need to set up, collect and manage Direct Debit payments with our simple online tool or REST API.
• The personal touch - Our support team prides itself on being there to help whenever you need us.