Canada (PAD) bulk change process
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 Canada need to complete a Pre-Authorised Debit (PAD) Agreement to authorise merchants to take payments from them via PAD, the local Direct Debit payment scheme.
When a merchant switches to GoCardless from another Direct Debit provider, we are required to transfer active payers’ PAD Agreements 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 PAD Agreements 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 Pre-Authorized Debits to (merchant)
From (change date), (merchant) are changing our payment processor for Pre-Authorized Debit payments. Our new processor, GoCardless, will be taking over responsibility and power for all Direct Debit collections from this date.
There is no action required from you to continue paying by Pre-Authorized Debit, 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 before (payment reference).*
GoCardless are taking over responsibility for future Pre-Authorized Debit payments only, they will not be responsible for any chargebacks or refunds relating to previous payments between (the merchant) and customer.
If you do not want your Pre-Authorized Debit payments transferred over to GoCardless then you can cancel the service by contacting us on (merchant contact details), by contacting your bank.
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 update this to the name you have requested to appear on your customers’ bank statements. If you are unsure, please reach out to your GoCardless contact.
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 PAD 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.
Payments/subscriptions will need to be created after customers have been imported to your GoCardless dashboard.
5. GoCardless processes the new PAD Agreements
We’ll verify and approve the details that you’ve uploaded, and then create new PAD Agreements for your customers on the date agreed in step 4. You’ll receive confirmation from us once this has been completed.
6. Cancel your customers’ previous PAD Agreements
You’ll need to ensure that your customers’ previous PAD Agreements 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 PAD Agreements are created.
Client migration data requirements
| 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. Example: john.smith@example.com |
|
E |
Customer Language |
(Optional) This will determine the language of customer notifications. |
|
F, G, H, I, J, K, L |
|
(Optional) - The customer's address to be stored against their PAD Pre-Authorised Debit.
Example: 80 Wellington Street, Imagination Office, 123 Imagination Building, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A2, CA |
|
M |
Customer Phone Number |
Example: +1 617 555 1294 |
|
N |
Bank 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.
Example: John Smith |
|
O |
Bank Account Number |
7-digit account number. A CAD-enabled bank account must be used for CAD Debit payments.
Example: 0123456 |
|
P |
Bank Branch Transit Number |
5-digit brand code
Example: 00063 |
|
Q |
Bank Financial Institution Number |
4-digit bank code
Example: 0036 |
|
R |
Bank Account Metada: 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.
Example: Jam12251 |
|
S |
Customer Metadata: custom_reference |
(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.
Example: Gym12251 |
|
T |
Mandate Metadate: mandate_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.
Example: WIL12251 |