ACH payments let eligible U.S. guests pay a long-term invoice directly from their bank account instead of using a card. This article explains what the guest sees during the ACH payment process and what you, as the park owner, should expect to see in Park while the payment is pending and after it clears.
One of the main benefits of using bank payments is that they are significantly cheaper to process. The fees associated with each transaction are 0.8%, capped at $5.00 per transaction, versus Stripe's typical rate of 2.9% + 30 cents for processing credit card payments.
Before you begin
- ACH is available for eligible U.S. bank accounts only
- U.S. businesses can choose whether or not to allow ACH payments for their guests. If you need to update this configuration, please contact our support team at support@poweredbypark.com
- ACH payments are not instant
- First-time ACH setup may take several business days
- Guests may need to verify micro-deposits before payment can complete
What the guest sees
- Step 1: Guest invoice
- When paying a long-term invoice, your guest has the option to pay by US bank account in addition to the typical Card payment
- Step 2: Bank account information
- Next, the guest enters their personal information and connects their bank account. They can choose from the list of supported banks or enter their bank details manually.
- Step 3: Complete account verification if needed
- If this is their first time using ACH to pay for a reservation, Stripe may require them to verify their account using micro-deposits. This can take several business days.
- The process will look something like this:
- Stripe makes a couple of small deposits (less than $1) to the customer's bank account
- Stripe sends an email to the guest with a verification link, using the email they provided during checkout
- The guest opens the verification link and enters the amounts of those small deposits
- The bank account has been verified, and the payment continues as normal
- Step 4: Wait for the payment to finish processing
- ACH payments take several business days to process. The charge may appear on your guest’s statement before the payment is finished processing.
What you will see
When the guest starts the ACH payment:
The payment will be marked as “pending” on the calendar, designated by these green stripes. The History section will also indicate that the payment is pending.
While the ACH payment is processing:
The payment may remain pending for several business days. This is normal, especially if the payment was started close to a weekend or if the guest is verifying their bank account for the first time.
During this time, the guest may need to confirm the micro-deposits sent to their bank account by Stripe before the payment can move forward.
When the ACH payment clears:
Once the payment clears, the History section for that reservation will update to show that the payment was completed, and the reservation will appear “paid” as normal.
Processing timeline
ACH payments can take several business days to process. If the guest is using ACH for the first time, they may need to verify small micro-deposits sent to their bank account before the payment can be completed.
Until the payment clears, Park will show the payment as pending.
Stripe also has more information about ACH processing times here: How long ACH payments take to process
Need More Help?
Please submit a support ticket by clicking the Help button in the bottom right of your screen and then clicking Submit a ticket.
We are always happy to help!