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Direct Debits

Overview

This feature allows you to create a GoCardless account (or connect your existing one). It enables you to set up and manage your Direct Debit payments within Blink, alongside all your other payments.

You can add new customers, create subscriptions or take one-off payments, and manage your customer's payments and mandates all in one place. We also offer the ability to integrate into a test GoCardless account, so you can try out the Direct Debit features and the functionality without using any real funds.

Creating/Connecting your GoCardless Account

Navigate to the Direct Debits area by selecting the ‘Manage Direct Debits' icon on the dashboard, or by using the left-hand navigation bar (Customer Centre>Direct Debits).

You will now be asked to select from a Live or Test account, and then to log in to your existing GoCardless account, or create a new one. This will take you to a page hosted by GoCardless to enter the relevant information.

Managing your Direct Debits

Once a GoCardless account has been connected, the landing page is replaced with two tabs, Customers and Payments.

Customers

Viewing

This page displays all the customers that you have had a Direct Debit agreement with.

You can view each customer and their payment history with you, or create a new customer. Mandates, one-off payments and subscriptions can all be created and managed on this page too.

All your customers are listed here with their basic contact information, date created, status and various action buttons.

Each customer can be selected and expanded to display further information on the customer (including address and bank account), the mandates that you have (and had) with them, and any payments or subscriptions that you have taken or have scheduled.

Address/Bank accounts

The customers bank account and address are shown here. The merchant can select the “Edit” button, and update the customers name, email and address, or attach custom metadata to this customer.

Mandates

Each mandate is shown with its reference, date initiated, the last payment taken using this mandate (this shows the actual date of the payment, not the date it was initialised), and its status. A mandate can be edited to attach custom metadata too.

Subscriptions

Each subscription is shown with its name, date created, date of the first and last payments, the amount and frequency that it is collected, and its status. It can be expanded to show all payments that have been taken or have been submitted (This include pending_submission status).

One-off payments

Each payment is shown with its reference, amount, status and date that it was initiated.

Adding new customer

Select the button “Add Customer” at the top left of the page and enter the customer's email. The customer will now receive an email from GoCardless to set up a mandate agreement with you. When the customer has completed the form, the Merchant will be notified by an email from GoCardless and the customer will appear in their “Customers” list.

Creating a mandate

If a customer is “Inactive”, then they do not have a working mandate with the Merchant. A mandate can be created by 3 methods, Reinstating an Inactive mandate, or creating a new one.

  • Reinstating an Inactive mandate - Select an “Inactive” customer, and then the “Reinstate” button next to the customers “Inactive” mandate. This will resubmit the previous mandate.
    A mandate can only be reinstated if it has been cancelled through Blink or the GoCardless dashboard. Any mandate that has been cancelled by the bank cannot be reinstated. A mandate can be resubmitted up to 10 times.

  • Creating a new mandate - Locate an “Inactive” customer, and select “Create mandate” button. This will prompt the merchant to select the customers bank account, and then submit a mandate request for that bank.

  • Requesting A Payment (within Payments) takes a payment and creates a mandate.

Creating and managing a subscription

Locate an “active” customer, select the “Create new” button and then “Subscription”.

This will open an iframe where the merchant can input the name and amount for this subscription, and decide its schedule. The start date can be chosen, along with the frequency and length.

The merchant then selects the mandate that this subscription will be created on and creates the subscription.

A subscription will have two buttons, “Edit” and “Cancel”.

  • Edit - This opens an iframe where you can change the name and amount of the subscription. (Please note, that any changes to the amount will only occur for the next scheduled payments. Any payment that has already been submitted (i.e. has at least a status of pending_submission - the first stage) will use the original amount that it had)

  • Cancel - This will cancel the subscription and any future scheduled payments. Any payment that has already been submitted will not be cancelled. (To cancel those payments, see “Creating a one-off payment” below)

Creating a one-off payment

Locate an “Active” customer, select the “Create new” button and then “One-off payment”.

This will open an iframe where the merchant can input the amount and description for this payment, and select the date for the payment to be initialised. (Please note, this is the date the payment will be actioned. The actual funds will not be transferred on this day)

Any payment that is still in the “pending_submission” stage can be cancelled using the “cancel” button.

Delete customer

Locate a customer and select the “Delete Customer” button.

This will remove the customer from the merchant's list. Only “Inactive” customers (with no active mandates) can be deleted. (Please note, that any payments that have already been submitted will not be cancelled. They can only be cancelled using the “Cancel” button in the “One-off payments” section under a customer, so if this customer is deleted then there will be no option to cancel the payment. This payment will still show up in the “Payments” tab)

Payments

This page displays all payments that you have taken or have pending.

Each payment is shown with the Customers name and email, reference, amount, requested date, completed date and status.

Possible options for statuses are

Pending

  • Pending Submission - The payment has been created but hasn’t yet been submitted to the banking system for processing. The payment will be automatically submitted prior to the charge date. You can still cancel payments while they are pending submission. 

  • Submitted - The payment has been submitted to the banking system for processing, and can no longer be cancelled. If you would still like to cancel the payment at this stage, please advise your customer to contact their bank directly with this request. 

  • Pending Customer Approval - The customer has selected “More than one person is required to authorise Direct Debits” on the online mandate form, but has not yet sent this to GoCardless. Alternatively, the customer is set up with a restricted mandate and has not yet approved the payment. 

Unsuccessful

  • Failed - The payment was not successfully collected from the customer’s bank account. (The reason for this failure will be listed on your GoCardless dashboard)

  • Cancelled - The payment was cancelled before the charge date. No further action will be taken on this payment.

  • Charged Back - The payment was returned to the customer’s bank account in accordance with Direct Debit rules. This is actioned by the customer’s bank at the request of the customer.

Successful

  • Confirmed - The payment has been confirmed by the customer’s bank as having been successfully collected from their account. Once the payment has been confirmed, GoCardless will arrange for it to be paid out to your registered account. Please note that we can only pay out to a bank account that has been fully verified. 

  • Paid Out - The payment has been paid out by GoCardless to your registered account. Payouts are typically generated in the morning and should arrive into your account in the afternoon. Please note that all times are estimated. 

Receipts

All emails and receipts are handled by GoCardless.

Logging out/Connecting a new GoCardless account

Select the profile icon in the top right-hand corner of the portal, and then “My Connected apps”. If a GoCardless account has been linked to Blink, a “Disconnect My GoCardless Account” button will be displayed there. (Please note, only the Lead Admin will see this button)

To connect a new GoCardless account (or the same one), follow the same steps as “Creating/Connecting your GoCardless Account” section above.

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