ACH Payment
Automated Clearing House payment is an electronic bank-to-bank payment method that transfers funds directly between bank accounts through the ACH network, typically used for direct deposits, bill payments, and recurring transactions.
ACH payments are processed through the Automated Clearing House network, a centralized system managed by the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) that connects all U.S. financial institutions. Unlike credit card transactions that move through card networks, ACH payments transfer funds directly between bank accounts using routing and account numbers.
ACH transactions are processed in batches rather than in real-time, typically settling within 1-2 business days for standard ACH or same-day for same-day ACH service (which carries higher fees). The two primary types of ACH transactions are ACH credits, where the payer initiates the transfer (such as direct deposit payroll), and ACH debits, where the payee pulls funds from the payer's account (such as utility bill payments).
For merchants, ACH payments typically cost significantly less than credit card processing, with fees ranging from $0.25-$1.50 per transaction or 0.5-1.5% of the transaction amount. However, ACH payments carry different risks than card payments, including longer settlement times, higher likelihood of returns due to insufficient funds, and limited fraud protection compared to credit card networks. Businesses must obtain proper authorization from customers before initiating ACH debits and comply with NACHA operating rules to avoid penalties.
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3D Secure
An authentication protocol for online card transactions that adds an additional verification layer between the cardholder and issuing bank, shifting fraud liability from merchants to card issuers when properly implemented.
Acquirer
A financial institution that processes credit card payments on behalf of merchants, maintains merchant accounts, and facilitates the settlement of funds from card-issuing banks to merchant bank accounts.
Address Verification Service (AVS)
A fraud prevention tool that compares the numeric portions of a billing address provided during a transaction against the address registered with the card-issuing bank, returning match result codes to help merchants assess transaction risk.
Aggregator
A payment service provider that enables multiple merchants to process card transactions under a single master merchant account rather than each merchant having their own dedicated merchant account, common with services like Square, Stripe, and PayPal.
Annual Fee
A yearly charge assessed by payment processors for maintaining a merchant account, typically ranging from $50 to $300 or more, billed once per year in addition to other processing fees.