Preferred payment method discount
Encourage clients to pay the way you prefer (for example, by direct debit) by offering a percentage off when they use that method.
Why it helps
More clients on direct debit. A small discount is often all it takes for clients to save their bank details.
Lower fees. Direct debit usually costs you less to process than cards.
Fully automatic. The discount is worked out, applied and updated in your accounting system for you.
Turn it on
Go to Settings → Business → Payment Settings → Billing.
Set Preferred payment method discount to Yes, then confirm with Turn on discount.
Choose the Preferred payment method: Direct Debit or Credit Card.
Enter the Discount percent (maximum 10%).
Click Save.
When the discount applies
The discount is taken off the unpaid balance at the moment the client pays with your preferred method:
How the bill is paid | Discount applied? |
|---|---|
Client pays in the portal | ✅ Automatically |
Client pays when accepting a proposal | ✅ Automatically |
Automatic payment on the due date | ✅ Automatically, when collected |
Client starts a payment plan | ✅ Applied to the plan |
Your team charges the client | You're asked Apply payment method discount? Choose Apply discount or No discount. |
The discount is not applied when:
the client pays with a different method
the bill is already part-paid in your accounting system
the bill is on an active payment plan (unless the discount is being applied as the plan starts)
the bill has already been sent to GreatSoft or FreeAgent
What clients see
Portal: "Paying by {method} takes {percent}% off the unpaid balance of eligible bills…" If they choose another method, they're prompted to switch to save.
Proposals: the preferred method shows a Save {percent}% tag.
Payment plans: the plan shows that the discount is included.
What happens to the bill
The bill's line amounts (including tax) are reduced by the discount percentage.
A $0 line is added to the bill, for example: "Invoice discounted by 5% for paying by direct debit".
The bill shows a Discounted {percent}% badge.
Xero and QuickBooks: the invoice is updated in your accounting system straight away. If that update fails, the discount isn't applied and the client pays the full amount.
No surcharge is added to a discounted payment.
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