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API Reference

BECS Direct Debit

Learn how to process BECS Direct Debit payments with the BlueSnap APIs.
For more information on topics like subscriptions and refunds, visit our support guides.

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This payment method is currently in Beta. Please reach out to BlueSnap Merchant Support to enable it.

BECS Direct Debit Payments are an alternative to credit cards in Australia. BECS is a payment method where money is electronically withdrawn from the shopper’s bank account and then deposited into the merchant’s own bank account. This payment method is supported for payments from Australian shoppers to merchants in AUD.

Supported Currencies

Australian Dollar (AUD)

Supported Shopper Countries

Australia

Benefits

  • Boost your sales in Australia by reaching additional shoppers who do not use credit cards or other payment methods.
  • Eliminate the need for paper checks and instead enable customers to provide their payment info online.
  • Store shopper account information for easier repeat purchases.
  • Enjoy transaction costs that are typically lower than credit card transactions.
  • Reduce issues with failed payments due to failed or invalid cards, since bank accounts do not have an expiration date, and your shoppers rarely switch banks.
  • Solution for B2B transactions and other payments for high-cost items where a credit card limit could be exceeded.

Transaction Processing

These are the main steps involved in processing BECS Direct Debit transactions:

  1. On the checkout page, your shopper selects BECS Direct Debit and enters their BSB number, account number, and personal details.
  2. Once they have entered their info, the shopper accepts the mandate authorizing their account to be debited and submits payment.
  3. When your shopper submits the transaction, BlueSnap verifies that the BSB number corresponds to a financial institution.
    • If the BSB number is valid: BlueSnap creates an invoice in pending status and sends the transaction for processing.
    • If the BSB number is not valid: BlueSnap returns an error message and the transaction is not sent for processing.
  4. Within 2 business days the bank will notify BlueSnap if the payment was declined.
    • If the payment was declined: BlueSnap will update the status of the invoice to be canceled and a Decline IPN will be sent.
    • If BlueSnap does not receive the notification within this timeframe, the invoice status will be set to approved
  5. If the bank sends a declined status after 3 business days, the invoice status will be set to refunded.

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Notes

  • We have validation criteria in place and will return an error if an invalid account number is entered.
  • We recommend delivering the product only after you receive the approval.
  • The shopper has 90 days to dispute the debit on their account. If this occurs, BlueSnap will remove the funds from your account and send a Refund IPN, and the invoice status will be updated to refunded. Please note that some banks might allow a longer timeframe for reversals.

API Integrations

BECS Direct Debit transactions are supported in BlueSnap's Payment API.

For Payment API requests, see:

Requirements

1. Enable the BECS Direct Debit payment method in your account.
First enable this payment method in your account. In the Merchant Portal, go to Checkout Page > Payment Methods and select Show in the menu next to the BECS Direct Debit payment method. Click Submit to save your changes.

2. Obtain the shopper's permission to debit their account via a mandate called a Direct Debit Request.
For certain BECS Direct Debit transactions, you must obtain permission from the shopper to debit their account by having them authorize a mandate, also known as a Direct Debit Request. You must obtain this authorization when the shopper adds a new bank account while making a one-time or subscription payment, or while editing their returning shopper account. Merchants do not need to obtain this authorization when the shopper is using an existing debit account while checking out.

One approach is to display a mandatory checkbox next to a link that contains the following text:
"I authorize the DDR Service Agreement and this transaction, agree to this debit of my account and understand that my account information will be securely stored."

To retrieve the mandate, call BlueSnap's Get Debit Agreement API request. Keep in mind that you need to create the mandate before you can create a BECS transaction.

3. Send the mandate to the shopper.
Once the shopper has authorized the mandate, it should be emailed to them. The mandate email text may be retrieved via the attribute preNotificationRef in BlueSnap's API response.

Note: Please ensure that shoppers are logged in and verified using their credentials before they add or use the BECS Direct Debit payment method.

Hosted Pages

BECS Direct Debit transactions are supported in BlueSnap's Payment Buy Now 3 Hosted Pages.

Requirements

1. Enable the BECS Direct Debit payment method in your account.
First enable this payment method in your account. In the Merchant Portal, go to Checkout Page > Payment Methods and select Show in the menu next to the BECS Direct Debit payment method. Click Submit to save your changes.

2. Send the mandate to the shopper.
Once the shopper has authorized the mandate, it should be emailed to them. You will know that the mandate has been authorized when you receive the Charge Pending IPN.
a. Find the mandate text that should be emailed to the shopper here.
b. Insert the phone number and email address that your shoppers should use to contact you in place of the tags in the mandate text.
c. Retrieve the following attributes from the Charge Pending IPN and append them to the mandate:

  • BankAccountFinancialInstutition
  • BankAccountBranch
  • BankAccountAccountName
  • BankAccountBSBNmber
  • BankAccountAccountNumber

Note: Please ensure that shoppers are logged in and verified using their credentials before they add or use the BECS Direct Debit payment method.

Direct Debit Request (DDR) Service Agreement

  • By signing a Direct Debit Request, you have authorised us to arrange for your nominated account to be debited according to the agreement we have with you.
  • Changes by us - We will advise you 14 days in advance of any changes to the Direct Debit arrangements. <NOTE – The Direct Debit arrangements must be set out in reasonable detail the terms to apply including, if applicable, the basis on which billing advices will be issued to the Customer.>
  • Changes by you – For all matters relating to the Direct Debit arrangement, including deferment, stops, cancellations or alteration of any of the arrangements, please contact us
    • By Phone – <Insert merchant's phone number>
    • By Email – <Insert merchant's email address>
  • Please allow 7 days for the amendments to take effect.
    • Disputes – If you believe that there has been an error in debiting your account, you should contact us in the first instance to confirm the details so that we can investigate the matter and advise you in writing whether your account has been incorrectly or correctly debited. If we can not resolve the matter, you can still refer it to your Financial Institution and they may lodge a claim on your behalf.
    • Your responsibility – It is your responsibility to ensure you have sufficient cleared funds available in the account to be debited when payments are due.
    • If the due date for a payment falls on a non-working day or public holiday in New South Wales, the payment will be processed on the next working day. If you are uncertain as to when the debit will be processed to your account, you should contact your Financial Institution.
    • Returned Payments – In the event that the debit to your account is returned to us unpaid, the following procedures will apply:
      You will be notified by phone that your payment has been returned unpaid.
       You will have 7 days to pay the amount. You may request us to debit your account under this DDR again.
      A fee of $20 will be charged per returned payment unpaid.
  • All customer records and account details will be kept private and confidential to be disclosed only at the request of the customer or Financial Institution in connection with a claim (including JP Morgan) made to an alleged incorrect or wrongful debit.

Sandbox Testing

You may use the following bank credentials to test various scenarios.

Simulate declined transaction*
Account Number: 9990000004
BSB Number: 980201

Simulate approved transaction*
Account Number: 9990000001
BSB Number: 980201

  • After the initial transaction request, you will see the status change within an hour.