Connect the payment to the invoice
The invoice explains what is owed, the approval identifies who may pay it, and the payment method moves the money. A purchase order or agreed payment term helps manage the transaction, but neither is a payment method.
A link or wallet may be the interface for a card or bank payment. Financing changes when or how the buyer funds a purchase. Identify the underlying method before comparing cost, timing and protections.
Compare the methods you can use
Scroll the table sideways to compare all columns.
| Method | How it works and what to confirm |
|---|---|
| ACH credit | The payer instructs its bank or provider to send money. Confirm supplier bank details, cutoff, funding time and remittance information. |
| ACH debit | The payee submits an authorized collection. Confirm authorization, collection date and how failed or returned payments are handled. |
| Bank wire | The payer asks its bank or provider to send a wire. Confirm destination, currency, fees, cutoff and receipt checks. |
| Card | The buyer uses the seller’s supported card-payment process. Confirm acceptance, processing charges and any buyer borrowing cost. |
| Check | The payer issues a check for the payee to deposit. Confirm delivery, deposit handling and how both sides will track its status. |
Fedwire is one US wire-transfer service. For the payment you intend to make, ask about the actual route, cutoff and provider handling. The word “wire” alone does not promise that a domestic or international recipient gets the funds instantly.
Use current provider terms to compare service charges, financing costs and the work needed to handle failed or unmatched payments. The least expensive choice depends on the full arrangement.
Match one payment to two invoices
Suppose a print shop has approved Invoice A for $1,000 of paper and Invoice B for $1,400 of packaging. The supplier accepts one $2,400 payment if the remittance identifies both invoices.
Send the $2,400 to the verified supplier destination. The remittance assigns $1,000 to Invoice A and $1,400 to Invoice B. Match the payment record and the supplier’s allocation to those two approved invoices.
The total alone is not enough: $2,400 without references may leave the supplier unsure what it covers, and a matching bank amount does not prove it reached the right supplier. Check the amount, destination and allocation together.
Verify changed payment instructions
If a supplier changes its payment instructions, confirm the change through a trusted contact method, such as a phone number independently verified earlier. Do not use only the contact details in the change request. An urgent message still needs verification.
Keep the invoice, approval, payment reference and supporting records together. Give someone responsibility for unmatched payments and failed instructions. A payment that is difficult to find needs investigation before anyone sends it again.
Test automation with a payment that goes wrong
Try a partial payment, a changed invoice and a failed instruction as well as a straightforward payment. In each case, check that the team can see the invoice and approval, attach the recipient’s references and distinguish a scheduled instruction from a completed or failed payment.
The person investigating a payment should be able to trace it without submitting it again. Follow the approval, references and status through to the accounting records so you can see whether they still agree.
References
See Trolleys payment acceptance and fees
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