Note: This feature is available for customers using the QuickBooks Payments payment processor.
When confronted with credit card processing fees, it may seem like a significant portion of your hard-earned revenue is being relinquished. ACH payments offer a valuable and cost-effective alternative to credit cards, facilitating faster payment processing compared to physical checks. Novi AMS enables you to seamlessly accept ACH payments, providing a more economical solution for your transactions.
What is ACH?
From QuickBooks Online:
An Automated Clearing House (ACH) payment is a method of transferring funds electronically. ACH payments can be used to move money from one account to another at the same bank or between two separate banks.
Learn more about ACH payments with QuickBooks Online.
The Benefits of ACH
There are several benefits to using ACH with Novi and QuickBooks Online.
Cost savings: It's no surprise that the main benefit is that it is more cost-effective for most organizations. Visit QuickBooks Online to see their current ACH rates compared to credit card fees.
Automation: Users can save their ACH payment method on their Member Compass for easier checkouts.
Secure transactions: ACH adheres to the same financial regulations and security that credit card processing does through QuickBooks Online.
Accepting ACH Payments in Novi
This new payment feature is available to frontend users checking out on the website.
Note that the user's phone number is required in both cases, and frontend users are required to enter the account number twice for verification purposes.
To start using this feature, navigate to your QuickBooks Online account:
Select Account and Settings.
Then, select the Sales tab on the left and scroll down to Invoice Payments to ensure that Accept ACH is turned ON.
If needed, navigate to Novi (NOTE: This setting will already be ON by default):
Click the ⚙️ icon at the top right and select Association Settings.
Select the QuickBooks tab on the left and scroll down to the Credit Cards section
Select "Allow ACH Payments"
You should now be able to process ACH payments on the frontend of your Novi site!
Important ACH Feature Information
When ACH is turned on in Novi, a Payment Method must exist in QuickBooks Online called “ACH." If you do not already have one, Novi will create one for you.
ACH transactions are recorded as invoices with accompanying payments.
Adding or removing payment methods is something the user manages on their end via their Member Compass. For security purposes, an admin cannot save an ACH account to a member's record for future use (or remove an existing one).
ACH bank accounts can be saved to a user's Member Compass and are securely stored in QuickBooks, like credit cards.
Along those same lines, ACH can be used for membership auto-pay and subscription renewals!
You can set a maximum dollar amount that can be paid by ACH via Association Settings (similar to, but separate from, the credit card limit). Note that QuickBooks does have a $99,999.99 overall limit for ACH (per transaction).
ACH Troubleshooting: Disputes or Other Issues
If there is a problem with an ACH payment (i.e. the customer disputes it or other issues), QuickBooks Online shows a Bank Alert with instructions on what to do next on their homepage.
The transaction will NOT automatically change - it will still say paid. The bookkeeper should look for these alerts in QuickBooks Online.