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Direct Debit with GoCardless

Collect payments for your invoices using Direct Debit with GoCardless.

Take control of your payments - collect by Direct Debit

GoCardless is a smart solution to help you take control of your invoice payments. By collecting what you’re owed by Direct Debit, you’ll get paid on time and save time on your admin.

Direct Debit with GoCardless is available for all members via Tide on the web.

GoCardless makes paying you easier for customers

You can use the Direct Debit option to collect recurring or one-off invoice payments. Here’s how easy it is for your customers:

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Quick and easy to set up

To set up their payment, customers add their account details, agree to the Direct Debit mandate and that’s it, done.

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Automated payments

Customers don’t have to log into online banking, send cheques or even remember to pay.

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Clear communications

GoCardless sends your customers an email to notify them when their payment will be collected.

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Protected by guarantee

Your customer is protected by the Direct Debit guarantee if a payment is ever collected by mistake.

Get paid on time with Direct Debit by GoCardless

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Direct Debit isn’t just for bills

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Recurring invoices

If you’re running a gym, magazine, club or other business collecting recurring invoice payments from customers, you can set up mandates to collect the fees easily by Direct Debit with GoCardless.

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Repeat customers

Set up a mandate once. Change the amounts and schedule payments whenever they’re due. Your customer is always notified before each payment is collected.

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One-off payments

Your customer doesn’t have to remember to pay and then log into their bank to make a transfer. Instead, they authorise the Direct Debit mandate and you schedule the payment.

Start saving time with Direct Debit

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Only pay for what you need

As you’d expect, there’s a small fee to use the GoCardless Direct Debit service. You pay per invoice so you only pay for what you need.

GoCardless charge 1% + 20p for payments from UK customers, capped at £4.

If your transaction is over £2,000, there's an additional fee of 0.1% on the amount over £2,000.

VAT will be applied to the fees.

Fees vary if you join on a Plus or Pro GoCardless plan.

All the fees for GoCardless services are set out on their website: GoCardless | Pricing

Is GoCardless right for your invoices?

To help you decide, here’s how invoices with and without GoCardless payments stack up:

Invoice without GoCardless Invoice with GoCardless
One-off payments done done
Regular and variable payments close done
Set payment date done done
Customer pays in cash, by cheque or transfer done close
Customer pays by Direct Debit close done
Money collected automatically close done
Customer’s payment protected by Direct Debit guarantee close done

Get even more from your invoicing. Give Invoice Assistant a try

Invoice Assistant will streamline and help you get paid on time too. For only £10 + VAT per month, enjoy:

  • Automatic chasing of payments
  • Automatic invoice matching
  • Two free Direct Debits every month

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Getting started is easy

No queuing or appointment required

  1. Download the app

    On play store or app store

  2. Tell us about your company

    Like what you do and any shareholders

  3. Scan your ID and take a selfie

    To securely verify who you are

  4. Most accounts approved in minutes

    Sometimes we ask for more information

  5. check_circle

    You’re up and running!

    Your account is ready to go, we’ll get your card to you in a couple of days

Any questions? We want to make invoicing and payments as easy as possible. Take a look at the Frequently Asked Questions below. If you’re still stuck or need a hand, message us in the app and we’ll be happy to help.

Get started using Direct Debit with GoCardless

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Direct Debit with GoCardless FAQs

How do I cancel a Direct Debit?

You can manage your Direct Debits from the ‘Pay’ section in the Tide app: just tap Pay > Manage > Direct Debits. If you need to cancel, please request this at least three days before the payment is due to be taken.

Can I collect invoice payments by Direct Debit?

Yes, you can collect invoice payments from your customers by Direct Debit. You’ll need to connect your account to our partner, GoCardless, who provides this service.

To find out how to do this, check out our FAQ “How do I connect my Tide account with GoCardless?”

What is Direct Debit and how does it work?

Direct Debit is an automated payment method that allows you to collect payment from your customer’s bank account. 

There are two main reasons why Direct Debits are a smart way for small businesses to collect payment: 

  1. Direct Debits are taken automatically from your customer’s bank account
    After your customer has authorised a Direct Debit mandate from you, you can set up future payments from their bank account. Your customer always gets notified of the amounts and payment dates but because the payments are automatic, your customer doesn’t need to remember to pay. This means you spend less time chasing up on late payments.
     
  2. Direct Debit payments are bank-to-bank
    There’s no card network involved in processing Direct Debit payments so the cost stays low and there’s no risk of failed payments due to expired cards.

You have access to Direct Debit on approved onboarding with GoCardless. If you have signed up for Invoice Assistant as a limited company or sole trader, then you will be eligible for the following:

  • Limited companies – one free direct debit per month powered by GoCardless
  • Sole traders – two free direct debits per month powered by GoCardless

With Invoice Assistant, your first two Direct Debits for that month will be free as part of the add-on. Your first and second uses of Direct Debit in a month will be deducted, but then refunded to you in your next billing cycleFind out more about Direct Debit and how it works.

For peace of mind for your customers, all Direct Debits are covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee. Read more about this at the Bacs website:
Bacs | Direct Debit Guarantee »

You can collect invoice payments by Direct Debit via your Tide account. This service is provided by our partner, GoCardless. Find out more:
Tide | Features | Direct Debit with GoCardless »

What is a Direct Debit mandate?

A Direct Debit mandate (also called an ‘instruction’ or ‘authorisation’) is the form your customer fills in to authorise your business to collect payments by Direct Debit from their bank account.

With GoCardless, who provide Tide’s service for collecting invoice payments by Direct Debit, the mandate is a simple online form.

When your customer has completed the mandate, you’ll be able to take payments automatically from their bank account. Your customer will always be notified in advance of the payment date and amount.

Who provides Tide’s Direct Debit service?

The Tide service for collecting invoice payments by Direct Debit is provided by our partner, GoCardless, a global leader in recurring bank-to-bank payments.

GoCardless processes billions of pounds in transactions a year and has more than 50,000 businesses around the world as customers, from small businesses to household names like energy supplier Bulb, TripAdvisor, and Guardian newspaper.

GoCardless integrates with the software businesses use every day so you have better control over payments and save time on tasks like chasing up on late or failed payments.

Read more at the GoCardless website: GoCardless | For small businesses »

How do I connect my Tide account with GoCardless?

Before you start to collect invoice payments by Direct Debit, first you’ll need to connect to GoCardless. It’s fast and easy – here’s what to do:

  1. Connect to GoCardless
    Log into Tide on the web and go to Invoicing.
    Click on an invoice. If the GoCardless option is available for that invoice, you’ll see a box for Direct Debit with GoCardless.
    Click Ready to set up. You can then either Sign up or if you already have a GoCardless account, choose Sign in 
  2. Send mandate request to your customer
    GoCardless will ask your customer to authorise a Direct Debit mandate. You’ll be notified when they authorise it.
  3. Create invoice in your Tide app or Tide on the web
    Set the payment terms as usual.
  4. Schedule payment by Direct Debit
    Via Tide on the web, schedule the payment, either for the invoice due date or another day you choose.

With GoCardless, can I change the payment amount? Can I change the payment day?

Yes – Direct Debit with GoCardless is a flexible way to collect payments. You can collect fixed or variable amounts and take one-off or recurring payments.

For each invoice you send, you can use GoCardless to choose the amount and day the payment will be collected. Your customer will always be notified in advance of the payment date and amount.

Help, my question isn’t answered here…

Find answers to all our most frequently asked questions and how to contact our Member Support team.

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