Givebutter is excited to offer ACH Payments as a lower-cost payment option on any campaign with no additional setup required.
Requirements for ACH Payments 💸
To be considered for ACH Payments, you must meet the following requirements:
Read, understand, and acknowledge the "How ACH Payments Work" section below.
Once you meet the above requirements, reach out to our team and request approval for ACH Payments.
How ACH Payments Work 📄
ACH Payments work similarly to any other payment method on Givebutter, with a few differences:
Amount - ACH Payments are only available for payments of $100 or larger.
Fees - ACH Payments have a Processing Fee of 1.9% + 30¢ per transaction. That is 1% lower than all other payment methods on Givebutter!
Settlement time - ACH Payments require a longer settlement period. Typically ACH Payments will settle within 5-7 business days. This means funds will remain pending, and you won't be able to withdraw them during that time.
Refunds - Refunds on ACH payments are only possible when requested by the original payee via email.
Disputes - If an ACH payment is disputed, Givebutter will immediately remove the funds from your account. Accounts that go into a negative balance will be liable for and invoiced to cover those negative balances.
✅ Pro tip: Disputes on ACH payments are reviewed with a high degree of scrutiny. Accounts with a pattern of disputed charges will have their ACH access revoked and may have their Givebutter account suspended.
What your donors will see
If you have ACH payments enabled, donors will see it as a payment option anytime their gift is $100 or more.
If they click PAY with ACH, the donor will be re-directed to securely connect their bank information via Plaid.
Once the donor has supplied the correct information, they will get a confirmation screen.
After they click CONTINUE, the donor will return to their checkout page in Givebutter and can now complete their donation.
Troubleshooting & FAQ
Can donors use ACH to make a recurring donation?
Not at this time (as of 1/20/23) but this may be supported in the future.
Can donors use ACH with international bank accounts?
ACH only works with US bank accounts, and all payments are processed in USD.
What is Plaid? Is it secure?
Plaid is a third-party service that allows users to connect their financial accounts to an app in seconds securely. Plaid is used by hundreds of apps such as Venmo, Expensify, and TransferWise. To learn more about Plaid security, click here.
Does Givebutter see or store donors' banking information?
No. Givebutter does not see or store any banking details (such as routing and account number). With Plaid, these details are secured and invisible to Givebutter.
Why did an ACH payment fail after the pending period?
In rare cases, during the settlement period, an ACH payment may fail. This might occur if the bank account has gone into overdraft, has been closed, or the bank has denied the withdrawal. If this happens, the funds won't become available in your account. For this reason, we recommend you do not rely on funds from ACH payments until they've completely settled in your account.