United Kingdom (GB_BACS_DEBIT)
To add funds to their connected accounts via Bacs direct debit, your customers must first link their United Kingdom external bank accounts based on the requirements mentioned in Linked Accounts.
The owner of the external bank account must agree with the Direct Debit Guarantee, displayed and signed according to UI guidance that will be shared by your relationship manager. You are also required to send the bank account owner a setup confirmation email after the Linked Bank Account is created, and an advance notice email 3 business days before each debit: both are available to you as white-labeled solutions.
Before any Bacs direct debit is processed, the owner of the external bank account must authorize Airwallex to directly debit the account on your behalf by agreeing to the Bacs Direct Debit Guarantee. A copy of the agreement will be sent by Airwallex via email to the bank account owner, and is stored and made available to be shared with the customer at all times. An advance notice email will also be sent 3 business days before each direct debit’s collection date.
The following is a guide to building your native scale experience for your connected account customers to link their external bank account and sign the mandate/agreement.
1. Linking an external bank account
The title should clearly inform your connected account customers that they are linking an external bank account to set up direct debit.
You must ask the external bank account owner (or display their previously entered):
- Bank account name
- Bank account number
- Sort code
- Bank account owner's email address
- Bank account billing address
2. Confirmation of account details and direct debit authorisation
The connected account customers must be given a prompt to confirm that their bank account details are correct before submitting the linked bank account.
- On the confirmation prompt, only the last 2 digits of the account number/sort code can be shown
There must be a checkbox or a similar mechanism for the external bank account owner to confirm that they are authorised to set up Direct Debit payments on the account.
The following Direct Debit Guarantee must be provided to the customer, exactly as shown and with the Direct Debit Guarantee logo included:
Direct Debit Guarantee
The Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits. If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit, Airwallex (UK) Limited will notify you 2 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request Airwallex (UK) Limited to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request. If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by Airwallex (UK) Limited or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society. If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when Airwallex (UK) Limited asks you to. You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us.
The following privacy notice wording should also be displayed:
By clicking “Confirm”, you are confirming that you are authorised to set up a Direct Debit Instruction on this account and you understand that Airwallex will be collecting Direct Debit on behalf of {merchant’s name}. Airwallex will appear on the statements of this account following each Direct Debit payment. Regulatory information regarding how Airwallex's partner processes your payments is available here , including the handling of personal data as outlined in their Privacy Notice .
The following wording or something to a similar effect should also be included:
This is the Instruction to your bank or building society to pay by Direct Debit. Please check these details are correct before selecting Confirm below. You can go back to make changes, or cancel the setup.
There should also be contact information for customer support.
3. Confirmation of direct debit set up
You should provide a confirmation page that the connected account customer will receive notification within 3 business days confirming that the mandate has been set up.
It is also recommended that you provide a confirmation page to your connected account customers at the end of the process to inform them that direct debit has been successfully set up for the linked bank account.