ACH payment
Also known as: e-check, bank transfer, direct debit
Bank-to-bank electronic transfer through the Automated Clearing House network. Lower fees than credit card (typically $0.25–$0.75 vs 2.9% + $0.30) but slower settlement (1–3 business days).
ACH (Automated Clearing House) payment is the US bank-to-bank electronic-transfer system. It's the rails behind direct deposit, online bill pay, and most recurring B2B payments. For service businesses, ACH is meaningfully cheaper than credit cards on big-ticket invoices — a $5,000 invoice paid by card costs ~$145 in processing; the same invoice paid by ACH costs $0.25–$0.75.
The trade-off is settlement speed. Credit card transactions clear in 1–2 business days; ACH typically takes 2–3 business days, sometimes 4. ACH also has return risk that credit cards don't — the customer's bank can return the payment up to 60 days after the transfer for some return reasons. For service businesses, ACH is the right choice for: large invoices ($1,500+), recurring contracts with established customers, commercial accounts. Credit card is the right choice for: smaller residential invoices, one-off jobs, customers without established trust. Most FSM platforms support both as native options; the customer chooses at payment time.