How do they compare at a glance?
When you can deposit
- Mailed check
- Whenever it arrives
- Card
- At checkout
- ACH debit
- After processor setup and enrollment
- Check draft
- The day your customer approves
Cost on a $15,000 invoice
- Mailed check
- Postage and staff time
- Card
- Often about $435 at 2.9% + $0.30
- ACH debit
- Processor fees, usually per payment
- Check draft
- No per-payment fees; a flat monthly plan
What your customer does
- Mailed check
- Writes, signs and mails a check
- Card
- Enters card details
- ACH debit
- Enters bank details and enrolls
- Check draft
- Approves from an emailed link
What you need
- Mailed check
- Nothing
- Card
- A merchant account
- ACH debit
- An ACH processor and underwriting
- Check draft
- A bank that accepts remotely created checks, and a printer
If it's disputed
- Mailed check
- Their signature is the proof
- Card
- Card network chargeback rules
- ACH debit
- Nacha return rules
- Check draft
- Your authorization record is the proof
Fees vary by processor, card type and volume. The card figure uses a common published rate of 2.9% + $0.30 as an example.
When is a check draft the best fit?
- Your customers already pay you by check, and you're tired of waiting for it.
- Invoices are large enough that a card fee hurts.
- Your customer won't enroll in ACH or set up a vendor portal for you.
- You need the payment today, not after their next check run.
When is an ACH debit the better choice?
If you collect a high volume of recurring payments, already have an ACH processor, and your customers are happy to enroll, ACH debit avoids printing and moves electronically. It runs on different rules (Nacha's), with its own return windows.
When do cards make sense?
For small invoices, one-off buyers, or customers who insist on paying by card, the convenience can be worth the fee. On large business invoices, the percentage adds up fast.
Is waiting for a mailed check really that costly?
The check itself is free. The cost is time: your customer's approval cycle, their check run, the mail, and the days in between when your cash is somewhere else. How to stop waiting.
Can you offer more than one?
Yes, and most businesses do. A check draft is a good way to turn "we'll mail a check" into a payment today, without changing how you accept cards or ACH from customers who prefer them.
Common questions
Is a check draft cheaper than ACH?
Often, for a business that collects a moderate number of payments. DraftPay is a flat monthly price with no per-draft fees, and you deposit at your own bank under its normal terms. A high-volume ACH program can also be inexpensive per payment, so compare your own volume.
Do I need a merchant account for check drafts?
No. You deposit check drafts at your own business bank account. Your bank does need to accept remotely created checks.
Is an eCheck the same as a check draft?
No. An eCheck is usually an ACH debit, processed electronically under Nacha rules. A check draft is a paper check you print and deposit.
Keep reading
- GuideWhat is a remotely created check?A remotely created check (RCC) is drawn on a customer's account with their authorization but without their signature. How RCCs work, and when to use one.
- GuideHow to get paid by check without waiting for the mailBusiness customers who pay by check pay on their own schedule. How to collect the same payment the day they say yes, with a check draft they approve by email.
- PricingSimple pricing. No contracts.DraftPay plans are $29, $49 or $79 a month with no per-draft fees and no contract. Nothing is charged while we verify your business. Cancel anytime.
- GuideWhat happens if a payer disputes a check draft?Why check drafts get returned, how an unauthorized claim flows back to the business that deposited it, and the records that settle a dispute.