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4 Most Secure Payment Methods

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The GoCardless content team comprises a group of subject-matter experts in multiple fields from across GoCardless. The authors and reviewers work in the sales, marketing, legal, and finance departments. All have in-depth knowledge and experience in various aspects of payment scheme technology and the operating rules applicable to each. The team holds expertise in the well-established payment schemes such as UK Direct Debit, the European SEPA scheme, and the US ACH scheme, as well as in schemes operating in Scandinavia, Australia, and New Zealand. See full bio

Last editedApr 20232 min read

Whether you’re making a personal purchase or you’re an entrepreneur making a business transaction, you want to make sure your payment is as secure as possible. With many more online payments taking place as people increasingly use e-commerce, the threat of fraud or identity theft is a growing concern. That’s why it’s essential to make sure you use the most secure payment method available to you.

There are a whole host of different online payment methods, so how do you know which is the right one to use? While it’s important to consider ease of use, convenience and speed, security should be at the top of your list of concerns. Keep reading to discover the 4 most secure payment methods to ensure your details stay safe.

ACH debit

GoCardless offers ACH debit payments, which are perfect for invoicing and recurring payments. What’s more, ACH debit payments are one of the most secure online payment methods available.

An ACH payment is a type of electronic payment that involves transferring money from bank to bank via the ACH network, also known as the Automatic Clearing House network. The benefit of this is that the network imposes rules and regulations that keep the account numbers and other payment information confidential. Since the network is also regulated by the federal government, the risk of error and fraud is low.

In addition to these regulations, ACH debit uses tokenization and encryption to secure information and conceal private data. In the case of tokenization, any sensitive information is replaced with a token, whereas encryption involves encoding data so that it can only be read by the intended recipient.

Debit and credit cards

It might seem like an obvious one, but debit and credit cards are actually a great way to make secure payments online. Not only are they quick and easy to use, but they offer a relatively high level of security and protection of your private data.

If you’re using a credit card, you don’t actually pay for the goods or services until your credit card bill is due. This allows you to flag any suspicious payments before the funds are actually deducted from your account.

You can make more secure payments with a debit card by using a prepaid card that you top up regularly. In this way, you avoid having large amounts of money in your account and therefore reduce the amount that you could potentially lose to fraud.

Make sure to look out for security features on the website before making any payments, such as ‘https:’ in the address bar and the small padlock symbol in the top left corner.

How to collect payments with GoCardless

1.

Create your free GoCardless account, access your user-friendly payments dashboard & connect your accounting software (if you use one).

2.

Easily set up & schedule one-off or recurring payments via payment pages on your website checkout or secure payment links.

3.

From now on you'll get paid on time, every time, as GoCardless automatically collects payment on the scheduled date. Simple.

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Payment apps

Payment apps like PayPal are a quick and easy online payment method. Your bank account is linked to the account, and you provide authorization for them to transfer funds for online purchases or when sending money to friends and family. This means you don’t have to type in card details every time.

There is a caveat when using these payment apps, however. Make sure to make the most of their security features that keep your details safe. For example, by using a password that is difficult to guess, you can reduce the possibility of potential fraud. What’s more, make sure you set up biometric features such as facial recognition or fingerprint scanning for an added layer of security.

eChecks

Although traditional paper checks have largely disappeared, you can still make payments through digital eChecks, which work in largely the same way. Using the same information, eChecks transfer funds from one bank account to another.

Make sure you select the right payment processor when using eChecks. You should ensure that they have stringent electronic encryption standards in place to protect customer data and prevent fraud.

We can help

GoCardless helps you automate payment collection, cutting down on the amount of admin your team needs to deal with when chasing invoices. Find out how GoCardless can help you with ad hoc payments or recurring payments.