Comparison

ACH vs credit card payments: which should your business accept?

Updated October 2026. Evergreen page — refreshed in place as facts change.

ACH network

35.2B payments

Worth $93 trillion in 2025 (Nacha)

Same Day ACH limit

$1M

Per payment, since March 2022

ACH settlement

1–3 days

Business days; same-day windows exist

Card approval

Seconds

Then paid out on the provider's schedule

Card on $5,000

$145.30

Stripe 2.9% + 30¢, published Oct 2026

ACH on $5,000

$5.00

Stripe 0.8%, capped at $5, Oct 2026

Unauthorised ACH debit

60 days

Consumer return window, Nacha rules

Card chargebacks

120 days

Most Visa and Mastercard reasons

Deciding between ACH vs credit card payments is mostly a question of invoice size. On a $5,000 invoice, a bank payment costs a business about 97% less than a card at published rates, but it arrives days later and can be returned. This guide compares the two on cost, speed, reversal risk and what customers prefer, explains how an ACH debit actually moves, and shows where the instant bank rails, RTP and FedNow, now fit alongside both.

How do ACH and card payments differ?

ACH moves money directly between bank accounts through the US Automated Clearing House network, run under Nacha rules. A card payment runs through Visa, Mastercard or another card network and carries interchange. That one difference drives most of the others.

If you are weighing ACH against wires for sending money rather than collecting it, our wire transfer vs ACH guide covers that comparison.

What does each cost on a real invoice?

Because card fees grow with the amount and ACH fees are often capped, the gap widens with every dollar. Below a few hundred dollars the difference is small; on a five-figure invoice it can be hundreds of dollars.

Not every ACH price is capped. Square's published fee for ACH on invoices is 1% with a $1 minimum, capped at $10 only on its Plus and Premium plans (October 2026), so check the cap as well as the percentage.

How fast does the money arrive?

A card payment is approved in seconds, so the customer and the business both know at once that it went through; the money then reaches the business on the provider's payout schedule. An ACH debit is submitted in batches and typically takes one to three business days to settle, and longer before a provider treats it as final.

Same-day ACH, available for payments up to $1 million each, can shorten that where the provider offers it. Instant bank rails such as RTP and FedNow are a separate network and settle in seconds, but they are push payments the customer sends, not debits the business pulls.

How does an ACH payment actually move?

An ACH debit is a pull: the customer authorises the business to collect, and the business's bank sends the request into the network. ACH runs through two operators, the Federal Reserve's FedACH and The Clearing House's EPN, which sort each batch and pass the payments to the customers' banks in scheduled settlement windows on business days. The network carried 35.2 billion payments worth $93 trillion in 2025, according to Nacha, the organization that writes its rules, including 1.4 billion Same Day ACH payments worth $3.9 trillion.

Because it is batched, nothing moves the moment the customer clicks pay. That is the trade for its low cost, and it is why a provider may wait a few days before it treats an ACH payment as final and releases the funds.

Returns vs chargebacks: which is riskier?

Both can be reversed, under different rules. An ACH payment can be returned if the account lacks funds or is closed, generally within two banking days, or as unauthorised: a consumer can generally claim an unauthorised debit for up to 60 days, while an unauthorised debit from a business account must be returned within a couple of banking days.

Card chargebacks cover a wider set of reasons, including goods not received or not as described, and customers can commonly file for up to 120 days, usually with a dispute fee for the business. For B2B invoices paid from business accounts, a cleared ACH payment is often the lower-risk option.

What does a customer need to pay by ACH?

Only a US bank account. Most checkouts let the customer sign in to their bank to confirm the account in seconds; the alternative is typing the account and routing numbers, sometimes confirmed with small test deposits that take a day or two. Since 2021, Nacha rules have required businesses taking ACH debits online to validate the account in a commercially reasonable way the first time it is used, which bank sign-in covers.

On the business side, the customer's authorisation is the record that matters. If a consumer later tells their bank a debit was unauthorised, the bank can return it without asking you first; the authorisation and the invoice it paid are what you use to collect from the customer afterwards. Keep both for at least as long as the return window, and longer for recurring debits.

Where do RTP and FedNow fit?

Instant payments are a third option that turns the ACH model around. RTP, run by The Clearing House since November 2017, and the Federal Reserve's FedNow, launched in July 2023, settle each payment individually in seconds, 24 hours a day, every day, and the money is final once it arrives. Both have accepted single payments of up to $10 million at the network level since 2025, though each bank sets its own lower limit.

They are push payments: the customer sends the money from their own bank, so there is no ACH-style return for 'unauthorised' and no chargeback. Both networks support requests for payment, but how banks present them varies, so for now an instant payment usually arrives as a transfer the customer starts to the business's account and routing number. Anytime Capital business accounts receive by RTP and FedNow as well as ACH and wire, so a client paying a large invoice on a Saturday can settle it the same day.

When should a business offer ACH, cards, or both?

Most businesses that invoice should offer both and let the customer choose, then nudge large payments toward ACH. The choice is about the customer as much as the cost: consumers often prefer cards for rewards and protection, while finance teams paying a large invoice often prefer bank payments.

• Cards and wallets: retail, ecommerce, small tickets, first-time and international customers
• ACH: business-to-business invoices, retainers, rent, tuition and other large recurring bills
• Both on every invoice: let the customer pick, and make ACH the obvious choice above a set amount
• Passing card costs on with a surcharge has its own rules; see our guide to lowering processing fees

Taking ACH and cards with Anytime Capital Payments

Every Anytime Capital checkout, payment link, invoice and subscription takes Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and other major card brands, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay. Payment links and invoices also take ACH bank debit, and USDC or USDT can be requested to your wallet, which suits international customers.

Invoices carry your logo and colour, send reminders before, on and after the due date, and support deposits and partial payments. Once paid, money settles into your Anytime Capital business account, and our current ACH and card pricing is on the pricing page.