Available December 2026 · US only

ACH payment plans, paid straight from your customers’ bank accounts

Paythen is adding ACH Direct Debit to its payment plans. Your US customers will be able to pay in installments from their bank account instead of a card, and you’ll pay Stripe a lower processing fee on every payment. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you the day it’s live.

One email when ACH payment plans launch. No spam and no nonsense.

Paythen checkout with US bank account (ACH Direct Debit) selected, next to a $1,200 payment plan collected by bank debit over 4 monthly payments

What is Paythen?

Paythen is payment plan software built on Stripe. You create a payment plan, share one link, and Paythen collects every installment for you: the schedule, reminders, retries and receipts are all handled automatically. Businesses in 45+ countries use it to sell courses, events, services and products to customers who would rather not pay everything upfront.

Payments go straight into your own Stripe account. There’s no third-party lender and no credit check, so you keep the customer relationship and the full sale. Learn more about how to offer payment plans to customers or see our payment plan management software.

Why offer ACH payment plans?

ACH (Automated Clearing House) is the US bank network behind direct deposits and bank debits. An ACH payment plan pulls each scheduled installment from your customer’s checking or savings account, instead of charging a credit or debit card.

Lower total fees

Stripe charges 0.8% for ACH Direct Debit, capped at $5 per payment. On a $2,000 installment you pay Paythen’s 2% ($40) plus just $5 to Stripe, $45 in total. By card it’s Paythen’s 2% plus Stripe’s 2.9% + 30¢, or $98.30, so ACH saves you 54%.

Fewer failed installments

Bank accounts don’t expire, get replaced or hit a credit limit the way cards do, so long payment plans are less likely to stall halfway through.

Built for bigger tickets

Tuition, coaching programs, events, equipment and professional services often run into the thousands. Many customers prefer to pay amounts like that by bank.

Reach customers without cards

Not everyone has a credit card, or wants to put a large purchase on one. ACH lets them pay you over time from the account they already use.

Which Paythen payment plans will support ACH?

ACH Direct Debit is coming to the plans our US customers use most:

Flexipay plans, where customers choose their own payment dates and amounts within the limits you set. Try the Flexipay demo.
Date-based plans, with installments on fixed calendar dates, such as before each term or event. See a date-based example.
Pay your way plans, where each customer chooses between paying in full or your payment plan. Try a pay your way demo.
One-off payments, for customers who simply want to pay in full by bank.

You can keep cards switched on next to ACH so customers choose how to pay, or offer ACH on its own (see below).

How ACH payment plans will work

Turn on ACH for your account
Paythen uses Stripe’s ACH Direct Debit, so there’s no new payment provider to sign up for.
Your customer picks “US bank account” at checkout
They connect their bank account and authorize the debits for their payment plan, right on your Paythen payment page.
Paythen collects each installment on schedule
Every debit is created automatically on its due date. Bank payments take a few business days to clear, so each one shows as processing until the bank confirms it.
You both see where every payment stands
Paid, processing and upcoming installments appear on your dashboard and on your customer’s summary page, and you’re told if a debit fails.

Coming at launch or soon after

Two options to help you keep payment fees down will be available when ACH payment plans launch, or very soon after:

Offer ACH only

Switch cards off and accept bank payments only. It suits B2B customers and larger invoices, where keeping processing fees down matters most.

Different fees by payment method

Add a payment plan surcharge or admin fee based on how your customer pays. Offer both ACH and cards, and make ACH the cheaper option for customers because it costs you less to process.

ACH vs credit card fees for payment plans

	ACH Direct Debit	Card
Stripe processing fee (US)	0.8%, capped at $5	2.9% + 30¢
Stripe fee on a $500 installment	$4.00	$14.80
Stripe fee on a $2,000 installment	$5.00	$58.30
Time to confirm	A few business days	Instant
Expires or gets replaced	No	Yes
Paythen fee	2% per live payment	2% per live payment
Total fees on a $500 installment	$14.00 Save 44% vs card	$24.80
Total fees on a $2,000 installment	$45.00 Save 54% vs card	$98.30

Stripe fees shown are Stripe’s standard US pricing and may differ on your Stripe account. Paythen’s own fee is the same for ACH and card, so the lower Stripe fee brings your total cost down while you still get fully automated payment plans.

ACH payment plan FAQs

What is an ACH payment?

An ACH payment is an electronic bank-to-bank transfer made over the Automated Clearing House network in the United States. With an ACH debit, a business pulls an agreed amount from a customer’s bank account after the customer authorizes it. It’s the US equivalent of a direct debit.

How do ACH payments work with a payment plan?

Your customer authorizes the debits once, when they sign up to the plan. Paythen then debits each installment from their bank account on its scheduled date, so nobody has to remember to pay.

How long do ACH payments take?

ACH debits usually take a few business days to clear, rather than settling instantly like a card. Paythen shows each installment as processing until the bank confirms it has gone through.

How much does it cost to accept ACH payments?

Stripe’s standard fee for ACH Direct Debit is 0.8% per payment, capped at $5. Paythen’s fee stays at 2% per live payment, the same as for cards, and it’s always free while you test. On a $2,000 installment that’s $45 in total fees by ACH ($40 to Paythen and $5 to Stripe), compared with $98.30 by card.

Is ACH available outside the US?

No. ACH payment plans are for US businesses charging customers in US dollars from US bank accounts. Customers anywhere can still pay by card.

Can my customers still pay by card?

Yes. Cards stay on by default, and ACH is an extra payment method your customers can choose at checkout.

Can I offer ACH only?

Yes. An ACH-only option is coming at launch or very soon after, so you can switch cards off and accept bank payments only. It’s a good fit for B2B customers who want to keep processing fees down.

Can I charge a different fee for card and ACH payments?

Yes. At launch or very soon after, you’ll be able to add payment plan surcharges or admin fees based on the payment method. That lets you offer both ACH and cards while making ACH the lower-cost choice for your customers.

When will ACH payment plans be available?

ACH payment plans will be available in December 2026. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you as soon as they’re live in Paythen.

Be first to offer ACH payment plans

ACH payment plans arrive in December 2026. Join the waitlist and we’ll let you know the moment you can switch them on.

Want to start now? Try Paythen free with card payment plans →

Experiment with new plans, discounts and more in test mode

Admin

Paythen now has a one-click test mode toggle – you can switch to this anytime to try out new plan types, understand how a new discount would work, test new templates and understand customer progression first-hand. You get real emails in test mode from simulated events – just like your customers would. Use test mode to fast-forward payment plans, get customer-facing emails, simulate what happens when a payment fails, and test new things without any live payments.

To try test mode, just flip the switch next to the Paythen logo. A yellow “You’re in test mode” label stays on while you’re in it so there’s never any doubt about which data you’re looking at. Flip it back and you’re in live mode exactly where you left off. The first time you or someone on your team toggles on test mode, we’ll add some sample test mode data you can check out. Create more by signing up to a test plan yourself. Wipe it with one-click whenever you want.

What you can do in test mode

Build and refine new plans — payment plans, Pay your way, date-based, Wait for it, Flexipay, subscriptions and one-off payments, plus templates and discount codes.

See exactly what customers see — open any test plan link and go through the full checkout with simulated card fields. No real card is saved or charged. Use a real working email to ensure you get the same emails customers would. You can toggle your admin email settings for test mode separate to your live mode settings too.

Simulate what happens next — test plans don’t advance on their own, so each test customer’s page has controls to simulate the next payment, a failed payment, or send the upcoming payment reminder.

Get the real emails — sign up with a working email and the customer and admin emails land in your inbox, clearly marked as test-mode emails. Email settings in test mode are separate, so you can switch them on or off without affecting live.

Copy between modes — move plans, templates and discounts from test to live once you’re happy, or bring a live plan into test to try a change. Each copy is a new, isolated object and not synced between modes in real time to avoid accidental changes. Copy back and forth as often as needed.

Start fresh any time — add a set of sample customers, plans, templates and discounts in various statuses, or wipe all test data with one click via Settings › Account info. Live data is never touched when you do this.

Test test mode templates with WooCommerce — If you’re using our WooCommerce plugin, you can use a test-mode template link to check the full store-to-payment-plan flow before going live – this gives you a full picture of what your customers will see using your exact plan setup and configuration. Don’t forget to change this to a live template link once you’re done testing!

A few things to know

Test mode doesn’t currently work with Zapier and creates no data in your Stripe account. Early access features like Offers and our Rewardful integration aren’t available in test mode yet. If you need to test a full workflow involving Zapier or Stripe data, use a separate Paythen demo account connected to a Stripe sandbox.

As always, we’d love to hear what you think. If you have questions or feedback, reach out via the chat icon 💬

👉 Try test mode in your dashboard now
👉 Testing in Paythen guide
👉 Understand demo accounts (vs. test mode)

Flexipay – sell more by giving customers choice

Payment Pages

If you’ve ever wanted to give your customers more say in how they pay — without losing control over key aspects, Flexipay offers exactly that. It’s our most flexible plan type, and it puts the power of choice in your customers’ hands, within the rules you set. This helps you attract and sell to more customers.

Flexipay plans let each of your customers design their own payment schedule when they check out. You define the rules — the minimum deposit, the completion timeframe or date, and whether to allow customers to pay in full — and each customer picks what suits them. No two customers need to be on the same schedule. One might pay weekly over 3 months, another monthly over 6 — all from the single plan link you create. 🙌

Try a live Flexipay demo here to see exactly what your customers experience.

You’re in control

Flexibility for your customers doesn’t mean ambiguity for you. As the business owner, you set the key parameters like:

Minimum payment — what customers need to pay upfront – $100, 10%, etc.
Completion timeframe or date — all payments must be completed within a specific timeframe from sign up (eg: 12 months) or a specified date (eg: 28 January 2027)
Allow pay-in-full — decide whether you want to offer the option to pay in full
Pay-in-full discount — optionally reward customers who pay the full amount upfront

Flexipay also supports ecommerce and other scenarios where each customer has a varying total via templates. This lets you bring the power of Flexipay plans to any workflow you have including WooCommerce, Shopify and almost anything else via Zapier.

Who is it for?

Flexipay is a great fit for businesses where customers have varying budgets or cash flow preferences — and where a one-size-fits-all plan isn’t ideal. Some examples include:

🎓 Coaches & course creators — let students choose a deposit and pace that suits their cashflow

📸 Photographers & creatives — offer payment flexibility without lengthy back-and-forth on custom plans

🏋️ Fitness & wellness — training packages and retreats where clients have different financial rhythms

🎪 Events & experiences — sell tickets or packages months in advance and let customers spread the cost their way, while having a hard completion date for everyone x days before the event

🛠️ Service businesses — take on clients who need flexibility without abandoning your payment terms

If you currently use our Pay Your Way plans for flexibility, Flexipay takes that further — giving customers true control over their own schedule, not just a choice between two fixed options. Talk to us about migrating your existing Pay your way plans to Flexipay if this suits your needs better.

As always, we’d love to hear what you think. If you have questions or feedback, reach out via the chat icon 💬

👉 Try the Flexipay demo
👉 Flexipay setup instructions

New Find Customer Zapier action allows for more automated workflows

Zapier

If you use Paythen with your ecommerce store either via the email based flow (eg: for Shopify) or our plugin (like WooCommerce), the flow typically involves customers completing the checkout with the payment plan option chosen, and then either being shown or emailed their payment plan link.

For WooCommerce, the order status automatically changes if they complete their payment plan payment, but for email based workflows like Shopify, Webflow, Eventbrite and any others, once a customer is emailed their payment plan link, you had to manually check if they had paid by logging into the Paythen dashboard, and then manually following up.

You can now fully automate this process with our new Find Customer action available in Zapier. In your zap where you send customers the Paythen payment plan link, just add a short delay after the current flow (eg: wait for 10 minutes) and then use the Find Customer action to check if the customer exists in Paythen. If they do, you can update your eCommerce store order – eg: adding a note and/or tag in Shopify and passing the customer’s Paythen link for reference or in other platforms, you can update the status of the order directly too.

If the customer doesn’t exist, this means they haven’t signed up to their payment plan yet – you can set it up in Zapier to send them a reminder with custom text in it and include the payment plan link again. You can then continue to do this multiple times for a few hours or even a few days after the order was placed, and cancel the order and more as needed if the customer doesn’t pay eventually.

The same setup works when you’re using Paythen with any third party form tool, or any other custom workflows where you show / email them the payment plan link. You can now just add a short delay, then check if they have paid and exist as a customer in Paythen, and if not, trigger one or more reminders and take further steps as needed.

This process required manual admin till now – but can now be fully automated, saving you time. To get started, open your Zapier account and in the action step, choose “Find Customer”. You can modify your existing zap by adding a delay after you send the payment plan link, then checking if the customer exists in Paythen, and then either updating the order in your eCommerce platform or other system (find order and add a note in Shopify for example), or if not found, you can then trigger another reminder email with custom text. You can then set up further steps to check again, say in 1 hour, 4 hours, 2 days, etc to continue automated follow-ups as needed.

If you’re not sure how to do this with your workflow, just reach out to us via the chat icon and we’ll help you get set up.