Please note: this article is only relevant for Bacs users |
A bulk change is the process of moving your customers’ existing Direct Debit mandates from one payment provider to another. This transfer is achieved by cancelling the existing mandates with the current provider and then setting up new ones through the new provider on a set date, without any input or action required from the customer.
Once the bulk change has been completed, payments and subscriptions will need to be set up again as these are not transferred as part of the bulk change process.
1. What to expect when bulk changing to GoCardless
2. How to start the bulk change process
3. Further guidance on how to complete the bulk change deed
4. Download the bulk change deed
What to expect when bulk changing to GoCardless
As a bulk change is a manual process that requires actions from various stakeholders throughout, it typically takes 4-6 weeks to complete a bulk change.
Within this time period, you will need to complete a number of tasks to prepare for the bulk change date, for which the migration will take place.
The tasks you will be expected to complete will depend on the type of Direct Debit provider you are currently with, however they will include:
1. Notify your customers of an upcoming change in payment provider
When completing a bulk change you are required to notify your customers that you are changing payment processors. GoCardless will provide you with a notification letter template which you will need to send to your customers in advance of the bulk change.
2. Collect your customers’ data and format it in our CSV template
In order to set up mandates within GoCardless, you will need the full name or company name of your customers, their email address, their address and bank account details. Once you’ve gathered all the above information, you will need to format it into a CSV template that we provide to you.
As GoCardless sends notifications by email, you are required to hold email addresses for all customers you are migrating to GoCardless. If you would like to migrate customers without an email address over to GoCardless, you will need to handle your own postal notifications. This feature (custom notifications) is limited to our Pro and Custom packages.
3. Test your data within our Sandbox environment
Ahead of your bulk change date, you will need to create an account in our Sandbox (testing) environment to test the validity of your CSV file. This is to ensure that it includes no errors and can be processed smoothly on the bulk change date.
How to start the bulk change process
If you're interested in moving your existing customer's mandates to GoCardless, please follow the four steps below:
A. Complete GoCardless account set-up and verification
B. Gather bulk change information
C. Complete bulk change deed
D. Submit bulk change information and deed to GoCardless
A) Complete GoCardless account set-up and verification
To kickstart the bulk change process you will firstly need to create a GoCardless account. Once you have created your account, please complete your account setup as soon as possible, as your account will need to be fully verified in order to begin the bulk change process. Whilst you are in the process of setting up your account, feel free to get started on actions B and C detailed below.
B) Gather bulk change information
In order for us to begin the bulk change process we require some information regarding your current Service User Number (SUN) and the mandates that you wish to migrate to GoCardless. Namely:
- What is your current SUN?
- What is the name of your SUN?
- Is your current SUN AUDDIS Live?
- Do you intend to migrate all of your existing Direct Debit mandates to GoCardless?
- How many active mandates in total will you be migrating over to GoCardless?
It is important that you have the answers to the above questions before submitting your details to us. If you do not know some of the answers or are unsure, please reach out to your previous Direct Debit provider or sponsoring bank to clarify, as they will have this information and will be able to confirm.
C) Complete the bulk change deed
In addition to your SUN details, a completed bulk change deed is required before proceeding with a bulk change. This is a legal agreement that transfers liability for indemnity claims from the old SUN owner to the new SUN owner.
You can find a copy of the bulk change deed attached at the bottom of this page, which you or your current Direct Debit provider will be responsible for completing, depending on how you currently collect payments.
FM (Facilities Management) - If you are bulk changing from an FM bureau where you do not own & maintain your own Service User Number (SUN), you will need to send the bulk change deed to your current bureau to complete.
MA (Managed Administration) - If you are the Service User and you are bulk changing from a Service User Number (SUN) you own, you will need to complete the deed yourself, with the help of your sponsoring bank.
If you are unsure of whether you are the Service User, please contact your current Direct Debit provider to confirm. Please note that the bulk change deed will need to be printed, signed by hand and scanned back in (electronic signatures will not be accepted).
D) Submit bulk change information and deed to GoCardless
Once you have completed the bulk change deed, confirmed the bulk change information and your GoCardless account is fully verified, the last step is to submit the information to GoCardless, which you can do here.
Please ensure that you double check the information before submission as any incorrect information can lead to a delay in the processing of your bulk change.
Further guidance on how to complete the bulk change deed
As the bulk change deed needs to be completed by the current Service User, if you are currently collecting payments through a Direct Debit FM bureau, please send the bulk change deed to them to complete.
If you are the Service User and own your SUN, please complete the bulk change deed as instructed below.
Bulk change deed example:
Please note that:
- The SUN issue date needs to be a complete date (date, month and year)
- The Long SUN name should match the company’s legal entity name
- No alterations can be made to the deed. If there is tampering or scribbles, a new deed will need to be completed.
Download the bulk change deed