Recurring revenue is the best kind of revenue — and the most overcharged. Every billing cycle, card fees take their cut and a few payments fail for reasons that have nothing to do with your customer. eChecks fix both problems at once.
Cards are built to fail at rebills
Cards expire. They get lost and reissued. Banks replace them with new numbers after fraud scares. None of that is your customer's fault — but every one of those events turns into a failed rebill, a dunning email, and sometimes a canceled subscription. Industry folks call it involuntary churn: customers you lose because the payment method broke, not because they wanted to leave.
Businesses spend real money fighting this — retry logic, card updaters, win-back campaigns. All to work around a flaw in the payment method itself.
Bank accounts don't expire
eChecks pull from a bank account, and bank account numbers rarely change. That single fact makes recurring eChecks more reliable than recurring cards: fewer failed rebills, less dunning, less involuntary churn. The payment method just keeps working, month after month.
And then there's the cost. Our pricing is a flat $0.75 per transaction — no tiers, no percentages.
The math on one billing cycle
Say you bill 500 subscribers $50/month. Here's one cycle, side by side:
eCheck: 500 × $0.75 = $375.00 in fees.
You keep an extra $500.00 every month — about 57% less in processing costs — before counting the failed rebills you avoid.
What the authorization rules actually require
Nacha — the body that governs the ACH network — requires one thing above all for recurring debits: the customer's clear authorization. In plain English:
- The customer agrees to let you debit their account — usually a signed agreement or an online acceptance at signup.
- The authorization states the amount, the schedule (monthly, quarterly, whatever it is), and how to cancel.
- You keep it on file for as long as they're an active customer.
That's it. No special licenses, no extra paperwork. We walk you through the exact wording during setup.
Where it fits best
- Memberships — gyms, clubs, associations
- SaaS and subscriptions — software, boxes, content
- Tuition and childcare — schools, daycares, programs
- Rent and HOA dues — property managers, associations
- Anything billed on a schedule — if it repeats, eCheck probably beats cards on it
Frequently asked questions
QWhat happens when an eCheck rebill fails?
The most common cause is insufficient funds (NSF). You'll see the return in your dashboard right away, and most setups retry the debit automatically after a few days — many NSF issues resolve on the next attempt.
QWhat authorization do I need to rebill a customer's bank account?
The customer's clear authorization — typically a signed agreement or an online acceptance during signup — stating the amount, the billing schedule, and how to cancel. Keep it on file for 2 years after the authorization ends.
QHow fast do recurring eCheck payments settle?
Typically 2–3 business days, same as any ACH payment. Recurring billing runs on a schedule, so the timing is predictable — just set billing dates a few days ahead of when you need the funds.
QCan I switch existing subscribers from cards to eCheck?
Yes. Invite current subscribers to switch — many will once they see it's the same checkout with a bank account instead of a card number. New signups can default to eCheck with cards as the backup.
QDo I have to stop taking credit cards?
No. Most businesses run both: eCheck as the default or encouraged option, cards as backup. Every payment that moves to eCheck costs you less.
Where else eChecks win
Recurring billing is one of three places cards overcharge the most. The others: B2B invoicing and high-ticket sales.
Start accepting eChecks
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