Transactions and fees FAQs
What does each plan offer?
When do Chargeback fees apply?
Are transaction fees applied only to successful payments?
Can I collect payments via paper mandate or over the phone? How much does this feature cost?
How long am I locked into a plan for?
Do you offer discounts for large transaction volumes?
What exchange rate does GoCardless use?
Are add-ons billed separately?
Why does GoCardless charge VAT on its fees?
I am exempt from VAT so why are you charging me?
Do you offer a pricing plan that is tailored to charities?
Do I need separate bank accounts to collect international payments?
What does each plan offer?
Standard
The Standard plan offers basic customisation and access to our core capabilities, including collecting one-off and recurring payments via Direct Debit, Instant Bank Pay and international payments.
Advanced
The Advanced plan offers our core capabilities, full customisation, and access to some of our more advanced features, such as instant payer verification through Verified Mandates and intelligent retries with Success+.
Pro
The Pro plan gives businesses access to all of the features we offer, including advanced fraud protection with GoCardless Protect+, a scalable payment recovery solution and a fully customisable user experience.
You can find an overview of the features included in each plan on our pricing page.
When do Chargeback fees apply?
Chargeback fees will only apply if you have over 15 chargebacks per month
Are transaction fees applied only to successful payments?
Transaction fees are charged on all submitted payments, regardless of whether these are successful or not. Chargeback, refund and failure fees may also apply.
Can I collect payments via paper mandate or over the phone? How much does this feature cost?
We offer paper and phone authorisation (otherwise known as offline mandates) options included in all of our pricing plans. You can find more information here.
How long am I locked into a plan for?
Unless you signed a custom pricing agreement, you are on rolling monthly contracts. This means you will be able to change plans very easily and with little notice. You can find more information on our downgrade process here. For customers who signed a custom pricing agreement, the minimum term remains 12 months.
Do you offer discounts for large transaction volumes?
Yes, in some instances we can offer custom pricing to businesses that have large transaction volumes. To find out more, please fill out this form and our Sales team will reach out to you to discuss this further.
What exchange rate does GoCardless use?
We use the real exchange rate powered by Wise. It is considered to be the fairest exchange rate possible. Unlike banks and most money transfer providers, we don’t take a commission on top of this rate, and this service is simply covered by our international transaction fee, from the payments taken in your customers’ currencies.
Are add-ons billed separately?
Add-ons are billed on a monthly basis. If multiple add-ons are selected, then these will be summed up in the monthly invoice.
Why does GoCardless charge VAT on its fees?
This is not something that we have chosen to do, it is something that we have been instructed to do by HMRC. Please refer to the VAT FAQs for more information.
I am exempt from VAT so why are you charging me?
If your business is registered in the UK: since April 2020 HMRC has charged GoCardless VAT on all transaction fees. This applies regardless of whether the business collecting the payment is VAT exempt or not. This is a HMRC decision and not something that we have any control over.
If your business is registered in France: the VAT treatment of supplies is a matter for the supplier and not the customer. GoCardless is required under French VAT law to charge VAT on its fees (where applicable) - under French VAT law the VAT status of the recipient of the services has no impact on this.
Do you offer a pricing plan that is tailored to charities?
If you're a registered charity, then you’re eligible for our Charity Pricing plan. You can find more details here.
Do I need separate bank accounts to collect international payments?
No, you don’t need separate bank accounts for each currency. During our sign-up process, you will specify a single bank account as your home currency account, and all of your collected payments will be paid into that. If payments are collected in a currency that differs from your home scheme, they will be paid into your account after currency conversion. These transactions will be charged the international transaction fee.