Payment integrations
SEPA Direct Debit for recurring collections
We integrate SEPA Direct Debit, through Stripe or GoCardless, for businesses that collect regular amounts from their customers' bank accounts. It suits gyms, associations, schools, monthly business-to-business services and subscription platforms. The customer authorises once online, and later collections happen on their own, with alerts when one fails.
Collect every month without chasing
Anyone who collects membership or monthly fees knows the problem: transfers that never arrive, forgotten references, cards that expire halfway through the year. With SEPA Direct Debit, the customer authorises the collection once and the amount leaves their bank account on the agreed date. Your team stops sending reminders and only looks at the exceptions.
Direct debit works with bank accounts across the SEPA area, which covers Portugal and the rest of the European Union. It works for consumers and businesses alike.
How authorisation works
The customer enters their name and IBAN in a form on your website, in the customer area or at sign-up, and accepts the debit mandate. The provider records and stores that mandate, and the customer gets a confirmation by e-mail. From then on, each collection is made by the platform without asking for the details again.
In a client portal, customers can check their collections, update their IBAN or cancel the mandate themselves, without calling anyone.
Tied into your invoicing
The provider's webhooks tell your system about every step: collection submitted, paid, failed or returned. A failed collection can be retried automatically and trigger a notice to the customer. Where certified invoicing software is in place, the invoice can be issued at the right moment through integrations and APIs.
When it makes sense
Direct debit pays off when amounts repeat and the customer relationship is long: associations, schools, gyms, retainers, software plans. For one-off purchases in a store, card, MB WAY and Multibanco remain the simpler choice. The two often work together: card for the first purchase, direct debit for everything after.
Payment methods
- SEPA Direct Debit
- Card as a fallback
Typical uses
- Membership fees for associations, clubs and gyms
- Monthly fees for schools, tutoring and activities
- Ongoing business services, such as retainers and maintenance
- Software and platform subscriptions
What we set up
- Authorisation form with IBAN, built into your website or app
- Connection to Stripe or GoCardless, depending on volume and type of collection
- Collection schedule per customer, plan or invoice
- Automatic retries and notices when a collection fails
- Status of every payment fed into your system through webhooks
- Testing in the provider's sandbox before going live
Payment providers
- Stripe
- GoCardless
Frequently asked questions
Can the customer reverse a collection?
Yes. Under the SEPA Direct Debit rules for consumers, a customer can ask their bank to refund an authorised collection for up to eight weeks. That is why we notify customers before each collection and show returned payments in your dashboard, so your team can follow up.
How long does a payment take to confirm?
A few working days, unlike card payments, which are instant. For membership and monthly fees that is rarely a problem. When the service has to start straight away, we take the first payment by card or MB WAY and use direct debit for the rest.
Stripe or GoCardless, which should I choose?
If you already use Stripe for cards, direct debit goes into the same account. GoCardless specialises in bank collections and suits businesses that collect mostly by direct debit. We compare the two for your case.
What are the fees?
The provider's fees apply, and they differ from card fees. We explain the ones that apply to you in the proposal. Our own work is on request, quoted for each project. Request a quote
Shall we talk about your project?
Tell us what you have in mind and what you want to achieve.