If you’ve paid a bill online recently, you may have noticed a subtle shift.
More utilities, insurance providers, medical offices, and service companies now give customers a choice: pay by credit card, or pay using bank-based methods such as ACH or check. Credit card processing costs continue to rise, and in many cases those costs are reflected in convenience fees passed on to the customer. Offering bank-based options allows businesses to manage expenses while giving customers a way to save money.
This change isn’t accidental. And it isn’t about nostalgia for checks.
It reflects a broader effort by businesses to control payment costs, improve predictability, and better manage payment risk.
The Real Driver: Predictability Over Preference
Credit cards are familiar and fast, but they introduce variables businesses have to manage: interchange costs, chargebacks, and post-transaction disputes. As volumes increase and ticket sizes grow, those costs can have a meaningful impact on margins.
Bank-based payments offer a different profile:
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More predictable settlement
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Fewer post-transaction disputes
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Greater control in how payments are accepted
That predictability refers to how payments move through bank rails and how businesses manage timing and costs. It does not mean those payments are guaranteed to clear without issue.
That’s why many organizations continue to rely on bank-based payments as part of their overall payment mix, especially for larger dollar amounts. The ACH network continues to grow steadily year over year, processing billions of payments annually and moving enormous transaction value across the U.S. economy. That growth reflects a broader reliance on bank-backed payment methods as businesses look for more stable, cost-effective ways to get paid.
Cards remain an important option. Bank-based payments are simply another tool businesses use to balance convenience, cost, and control.
Different Markets, Same Operational Reality
At first glance, online bill pay looks nothing like an auto dealership or a retail environment. Operationally, they are very different.
But the underlying challenge is the same.
Businesses are constantly balancing:
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Customer convenience
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Cash-flow timing
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Certainty of funds
Where they differ is how risk shows up.
Recurring billers typically deal with predictable payment behavior, where efficiency is the primary concern. Dealers and retailers, on the other hand, handle larger, one-time transactions, where the impact of a failed payment is far more disruptive.
The payment method may look familiar. The consequences are not.
Bank-Based Payments Aren’t the Problem. Uncertainty Is.
As bank-based payments are used more frequently for higher-dollar transactions, the focus shifts.
It’s no longer just about how a customer pays.
It’s about what happens if that payment doesn’t clear.
In environments such as vehicle purchases, down payments, service repairs, or large retail transactions, a returned or delayed bank payment creates real operational strain:
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Time spent on follow-up
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Accounting reversals
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Strained customer conversations
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Disrupted cash flow
Offering payment flexibility is important. Managing what happens when a payment fails is essential.
Where Payment Protection Fits
CrossCheck doesn’t exist to steer businesses toward one payment method over another. Our role is straightforward.
When a business accepts bank-based payments, including ACH and checks, we help protect those funds.
That means:
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Supporting existing payment workflows
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Reducing exposure to returned payments
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Allowing businesses to offer flexibility without taking on unnecessary risk
As margins tighten and transaction values increase, payment certainty becomes a critical part of day-to-day operations.
What We’re Seeing
What we’re seeing is a broader shift toward bank-based payments as businesses look for greater predictability, lower costs, and more control. As more payments move over bank rails, the risk associated with those transactions becomes more visible, especially when dollar amounts are higher.
In environments like auto and retail, the question isn’t whether bank-based payments are part of the strategy. It’s how businesses manage the uncertainty that comes with them. Guaranteeing those payments is what allows bank-based methods to scale without disrupting operations.
Learn more about how CrossCheck helps businesses protect bank-based payments without adding friction.
