Bulk change process
To kickstart the bulk change process, you will first need to create a GoCardless account and complete the verification process.
Please note: GoCardless take all requests of this nature on a case-by-case basis. We require certain criteria to be met to process a bulk change.
Payers (customers) in New Zealand need to complete a Direct Debit Instruction (DDI) to authorise merchants to take payments from them via BECS NZ, the local Direct Debit payment scheme.
When a merchant switches to GoCardless from another Direct Debit provider, we are required to transfer active payers’ DDIs over to us from the previous provider.
This transfer process is known as a bulk change.
Important: Payments/subscriptions will not transfer over from your previous provider. You will need to set these up again after customers have been imported to your GoCardless dashboard.
The steps involved in the bulk change process are:
1. Let us know you’re ready to begin the bulk change process
To begin, navigate to the Customer section in your dashboard and click Continue on the banner that says Migrate from another Direct Debit provider.
2. Notify your customers that you’re moving to a new Direct Debit provider
You will need to notify all customers whose DDIs you’ll be moving over to us using the following template notification.
Letter/email/SMS template for merchants to send to customers
Subject: Change of Payment Processor for Direct Debits to (merchant)
From (change date), (merchant) are changing our payment processor for Direct Debit payments. Our new processor, GoCardless (Direct Debit Authorisation Code 1220559 *), will be taking over all Direct Debit collections from this date. Read their privacy notice at gocardless.com/privacy.
There’s no action required from you, and the change will not affect the service you receive in any way. The only change you will notice is that ‘GoCardless’ will appear on your bank statement.**
GoCardless will not be responsible for any reversals or refunds relating to previous payments between (the merchant) and customers.
If you have any questions, you can contact us on (merchant contact details) or by emailing the GoCardless customer service team at help@gocardless.com.
*if you have the custom branding add-on, please reach out to your GoCardless contact for your unique authorisation code).
** if you have the custom branding add-on, your business name will appear on customers’ bank statements.
We recommend that you notify your customers using the same communication channel(s) as you use for other messages (e.g. newsletters, email, post, etc.) to ensure receipt.
The notification must be sent at least 10 calendar days before any payments are taken via GoCardless - this is a BECS NZ scheme rule.
3. Confirm in writing to GoCardless that you’ve notified your customers
You can email us on the ticket we will create when you submit the bulk change request via your GoCardless account, to confirm that all customers have been notified. Please include a copy of any notification emails and/or letters sent to your customers.
4. Upload your existing customers’ details into your GoCardless account
You will need to download the CSV import template, add in your customers’ details, and upload the CSV into your GoCardless account via our bulk change migration flow that you can access via the ‘Customer’ tab in your GoCardless dashboard. Please see below for the data requirements.
5. GoCardless processes the new DDIs
We’ll verify and approve the details you’ve uploaded and then create new DDIs for your customers. Once this has been completed, you’ll receive confirmation from us.
6. Cancel your customers’ previous DDIs
You’ll need to ensure that your customers’ previous DDIs are cancelled. If you’re moving to GoCardless from another Direct Debit provider, they will need to perform this action on your behalf. We recommend that this action is performed on the same date that the new DDIs are created.
Client migration data requirements
IMPORTANT: When completing a BECS NZ migration, it's important to ensure that you complete the following fields correctly in your .csv template; supplying incorrect data can cause mass payment & mandate failures once the details are submitted; see below:
| COLUMN | DATA | INFORMATION |
|---|---|---|
|
A, B, C |
Customer.given_name & customer.family_name OR customer.company_name |
Enter either customer given name + surname OR company name. |
|
D |
customer.email |
A valid email address is required for each customer so that they receive notifications from GoCardless about their payments. If you are planning to send your own notifications to your customers, please speak with your Account Executive. |
|
E |
customer.language |
This will determine the language of customer notifications. |
|
F |
customer.phone_number |
Example: +64 4 817 9999 |
|
G, H, I, J, K, L |
|
Enter the customer's postal address; each line of the address split across the corresponding columns. |
|
M |
bank_account.account_holder_name |
This is separate to the 'name' entry fields, since account holder name can differ from the individual (e.g., it could include a middle name) or company name. |
|
N |
bank_account.account_number |
A BECS NZ-enabled bank account must be used for BECS NZ Direct Debit payments. |
|
O |
bank_account.branch_code |
Example: 0123 |
|
P |
bank_account.bank_code |
Example: 01 |
|
Q |
bank_account.metadata.bank_custom_key |
(Optional) - Use this field to add a custom reference for your customer if required. This will be assigned to your bank account within your dashboard and is a searchable field. |
|
R |
customer.metadata.custom_reference |
(Optional) - Use this field to add a custom reference for your customer if required. This will be assigned to your customer within your dashboard and is a searchable field |
|
S |
mandate.metadata.mandate_custom_key |
(Optional) - Use this field to add a custom reference for your customer if required. This will be assigned to your mandate within your dashboard and is a searchable field. |