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Bank Transfer Payments

Accept direct bank transfers from your customers with automatic payment matching. When customers transfer money to your bank account with the correct reference, PayRequest automatically detects and marks the payment as complete.
Automatic Reconciliation: Bank Transfer payments use the Ponto integration to automatically match incoming bank transactions with pending payments - no manual work required.

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How It Works

1

Customer Selects Bank Transfer

At checkout, the customer chooses “Bank Transfer” as their payment method
2

Payment Details Displayed

Customer receives your IBAN, account name, exact amount, and a unique payment reference (e.g., PAY-12345)
3

Customer Transfers Funds

Customer logs into their bank and transfers the exact amount with the reference in the payment description
4

Automatic Matching

PayRequest syncs your bank transactions via Ponto and automatically matches the payment by reference and amount
5

Payment Confirmed

Invoice/order is marked as paid, and customer receives confirmation

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Requirements

Ponto Connection

You need an active Ponto bank connection to use Bank Transfer payments. Ponto syncs your bank transactions automatically.

Business Bank Account

A business bank account connected to Ponto. Most European banks are supported through the Ponto network.

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Enabling Bank Transfer

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Step 1: Connect Ponto

First, ensure you have Ponto connected:
  1. Go to Settings → Ponto
  2. Click Connect Ponto API if not already connected
  3. Authorize access to your bank account
  4. Wait for initial account sync

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Step 2: Enable Bank Transfer Payment Method

Once Ponto is connected:
  1. On the Settings → Ponto page, find the Bank Transfer Payment Method section
  2. Toggle the switch to enable Bank Transfer
  3. Your IBAN and account name will be displayed (pulled from your connected bank)
Custom Instructions: You can add custom instructions that will be shown to customers when they select Bank Transfer. Use this to provide additional guidance or expected processing times.

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Customer Experience

When a customer selects Bank Transfer at checkout, they see:
What customers see:
  • Account Name: Your business name from the bank account
  • IBAN: Your bank account number
  • Amount: Exact amount to transfer
  • Reference: Unique payment reference (e.g., PAY-12345)
Each field has a copy button for easy copying to their banking app.
The payment reference is crucial for automatic matching. Customers are instructed to:
  • Include the exact reference in their payment description
  • Transfer the exact amount (not more, not less)
  • Use standard SEPA transfer (not instant/express which may truncate references)
If the reference is missing or incorrect, automatic matching won’t work and manual reconciliation may be needed.
After the customer initiates the transfer:
  1. Invoice status changes to Pending
  2. Customer can return to the payment page anytime to see the bank details
  3. Once matched, status updates to Paid
  4. Customer receives email confirmation (if email templates are configured)

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Automatic Matching

PayRequest automatically matches bank transfers using this logic:
1

Transaction Sync

Ponto syncs your bank transactions regularly (typically every few minutes)
2

Reference Detection

System scans incoming transactions for payment references matching the PAY-XXXXX pattern
3

Amount Verification

The transaction amount must match the pending payment amount exactly
4

Status Update

When matched, the invoice/order is automatically marked as paid with a transaction record

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Matching Criteria

CriteriaRequirement
ReferenceMust contain exact PAY-XXXXX reference
AmountMust match exactly (to the cent)
DirectionMust be an incoming payment (credit)
TimeframeTransaction within last 30 days
Partial Payments: Bank Transfer currently requires the exact amount. Partial payments are not automatically matched.

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Where Bank Transfer Appears

Bank Transfer is available as a payment option in:

Payment Pages

Your public payment page (e.g., payrequest.me/yourbusiness)

Invoice Payments

Customer portal where customers pay their invoices

Smart Links

Payment links created for specific amounts or products

Shop Checkout

Your online shop checkout (coming soon)
Not for Recurring: Bank Transfer is only available for one-time payments. For subscriptions and recurring billing, use SEPA Direct Debit instead.

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Use Cases

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B2B Payments

Business customers often prefer bank transfers for:
  • Accounting and audit trails
  • Internal approval workflows
  • Avoiding credit card fees
  • Large transaction amounts

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High-Value Transactions

For large payments where:
  • Credit card limits may apply
  • Lower fees are important
  • Customer prefers bank-level security

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Cost-Conscious Customers

Some customers prefer bank transfers to:
  • Avoid card processing fees being passed on
  • Not share card details online
  • Use their familiar banking app

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Pricing

Transaction Fee

€0.00No PayRequest fee for bank transfers

Percentage Fee

0%No percentage-based fees

Ponto Costs

VariesCheck your Ponto subscription for API usage costs

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Troubleshooting

Possible causes:
  1. Wrong reference: Customer didn’t include the reference or made a typo
  2. Wrong amount: Amount doesn’t match exactly
  3. Sync delay: Ponto hasn’t synced yet (wait a few minutes)
  4. Reference truncated: Some banks truncate long descriptions
Solution: Check your Ponto transactions manually and verify the reference/amount. Contact support if needed.
Check these settings:
  1. Is Ponto connected? (Settings → Ponto)
  2. Is Bank Transfer enabled? (Toggle in Ponto settings)
  3. Is your IBAN available? (Refresh accounts if needed)
  4. Is this a recurring product? (Bank Transfer not available for subscriptions)
Advise your customer:
  1. Return to the payment page with ?invoice=ID parameter
  2. The reference and IBAN are displayed there
  3. They can also check their email for the invoice

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Best Practices

Clear Instructions

Add custom instructions explaining your expected processing time and any special requirements

Reference Format

Inform customers to copy the reference exactly - including the hyphen

Amount Precision

Remind customers to transfer the exact amount shown, not rounded

Bank Selection

Advise customers to use standard SEPA transfers, not instant transfers that may truncate references

Bank Sync (Ponto)

Learn more about connecting and configuring Ponto for bank synchronization

Payment Methods Overview

Compare all available payment methods and their features

Invoice Payment Links

Creating and managing payment links for invoices

Smart Links

Create reusable payment links with Bank Transfer support