Pay by Bank lets your patients pay directly from their checking or savings account; no card needed. Payments run through ACH Direct Debit. It's a lower-cost alternative to card payments, especially for larger balances.
Why offer Pay by Bank?
Lower processing fees. Bank payments cost less to process than card payments, so you keep more of every dollar collected (see Fees and surcharging below).
Ideal for larger balances. Pay by Bank is well suited to bigger amounts, like treatment plans and outstanding balances.
No card needed. Patients pay straight from their bank account.
Secure by design. Plaid handles bank connections, a trusted bank-connection service. PbN never sees or stores a patient's bank login.
No surcharge for patients. Surcharges never apply to Pay by Bank payments.
Saved accounts for repeat visits. Patients can save a bank account and reuse it for future payments.
Where Pay by Bank is available
Where | Who uses it | What they can do |
Patient Payment Portal | Patients | Choose Pay by Bank at checkout and pay from a linked bank account |
Patient Portal | Patients | Add a bank account as a saved payment method |
Charge Patient window | Practice staff | Select Pay by Bank alongside Credit / Debit Card when collecting a payment |
Manage Bank Accounts | Practice staff | View, link and remove a patient's bank accounts (left navigation, next to Manage Cards) |
Payment Methods (per patient) | Practice staff | See a patient's linked accounts on the Bank Accounts tab |
Fees and surcharging
Pay by Bank has its own rate; the same applies to Normal Payments and Payment Plan installments. You can see it anytime in Settings → Payment Services, in the Pay by Bank (ACH) column of your fee table.
Pricing model | Pay by Bank rate | Surcharge |
PbN Payments | 0.98% + $0.70 | Not applicable |
PbN ZeroPay | 0.98% + $0.70 | Not applicable; the practice covers the fee |
Interchange Plus (IC+) | 0.68% + $0.40 | Not applicable |
Surcharges are never added to Pay by Bank payments, whatever your pricing model. If your practice uses ZeroPay, you cover the Pay by Bank processing fee, since you can't pass it to the patient as a surcharge.
Good to know before you start
Bank payments are not instant. The payment shows as Succeeded right away, but funds reach your account 3–5 business days later (see: Pay by Bank Deposits and Refunds).
One-time payments only. Pay by Bank isn't available for payment plans yet.
US only. Pay by Bank works with US-based patients and US bank accounts.