Online payments
NMI payment gateway with a merchant account, set up by Stratamize
What NMI is and is not, the merchant account behind it, and what we set up: virtual terminal, card on file, recurring billing, invoicing and checkout.
Online payments
ACH payments through NMI and Authorize.net eCheck, boarded where available
ACH and eCheck through the NMI and Authorize.net gateways, boarded by Stratamize where available: who turns it on, settlement, returns and authorizations.
ACH is a bank-to-bank payment: your customer gives you a routing and account number instead of a card, and the money is pulled from their checking account through the ACH network. NMI calls it ACH or electronic check; Authorize.net calls it eCheck. Both gateways support it in the virtual terminal, on invoices, in the customer vault and in recurring billing, and we set it up for B2B companies collecting large invoices, subscription businesses that want fewer failed renewals, and service businesses whose customers prefer to pay from a bank account.
The honest version: ACH is not a switch in the gateway. It is a separate product boarded on your merchant account, with its own underwriting, and not every business gets it. Where it is not boarded, the gateway shows a bank-payment option that does nothing, so we put ACH in the application from the first call. Approvals usually come back within hours, three days at most. ACH boarding can run on its own clock, and we tell you which is the case before you promise bank payments to a customer.
What we set up
- Add ACH or eCheck to your merchant account application so it is underwritten with the card account.
- Tell you plainly whether ACH is boarded, on what settlement schedule and with what per-item and return fees.
- Enable bank payments in the virtual terminal, on invoices, in the customer vault and in recurring billing.
- Set the retry, notification and return handling for recurring plans so a bounced debit is seen, not silent.
- Show you which authorization each channel needs and where the gateway captures it for you.
- Connect ACH to your checkout, invoices or billing integration where the platform supports it.
What merchants ask about ACH and eCheck payments
Does NMI do ACH payments, and who turns it on?
Yes, where your merchant account is boarded for it. The NMI gateway supports ACH in the virtual terminal, on electronic invoices, in the Customer Vault (a stored bank account, like a stored card) and in recurring billing. What NMI does not do is approve anyone for ACH: the gateway only carries the debit to a processor that has boarded your business, and that boarding is arranged by the reseller, which is us. If the bank-payment option in an NMI gateway from another provider is missing or fails, that is almost always why. Tell us on the first call and we add ACH to the application.
How do I get eCheck on Authorize.net, and what does it cost?
eCheck is Authorize.net's name for ACH. It is applied for separately from the card gateway, has its own underwriting, and can be declined for a business that was approved for cards. Once enabled it appears in the virtual terminal, in customer profiles, in automated recurring billing and in the API, so an integration that already supports Authorize.net can normally add it. Authorize.net publishes fees for its direct eCheck service; our Authorize.net page carries those figures. What you pay through us depends on how your account is boarded, and we quote it with the account.
How long does an ACH payment take to clear, and why is it slower than a card?
Because nothing is approved in real time. A card authorization asks the issuing bank for a yes or no while the customer waits; an ACH debit is accepted by the gateway, batched, sent through the ACH network, and only then paid or returned by the customer's bank. Funds reach your account several business days after the batch; the exact schedule, including any hold on a new account, is set at boarding, so ask us for yours. An acceptance at checkout is not a promise of payment, so a common pattern is cards at checkout and ACH for invoices, deposits and recurring plans.
What happens when an ACH payment is returned or disputed?
A return is the bank sending the debit back: insufficient funds, a closed or invalid account, or the customer telling their bank they did not authorize it. The gateway marks the transaction returned with a reason code, the amount comes back out of your account, and both gateways charge a fee per returned item, which we quote with your pricing. Most returns arrive within the first few business days, but an unauthorized-debit claim from a consumer can come much later, and there is no representment on ACH. Your defense is the authorization record: who agreed, when, for how much.
Can I store a customer's bank account and bill it on a schedule?
Yes, on both gateways. NMI's Customer Vault stores a bank account as a token alongside or instead of a card and the recurring module can run a plan against it; Authorize.net's customer profiles and automated recurring billing do the same with eCheck. Subscription and membership businesses ask for this because bank accounts do not expire or get reissued the way cards do. The trade-off: a failed debit shows up days later rather than at the moment of billing, and you need a standing authorization. Our recurring billing page covers plans and retries.
Can my customers pay an invoice by ACH?
Yes, where boarded. NMI's electronic invoicing and Authorize.net's invoicing both let the customer choose card or bank account on the payment page, and the paid status, receipt and settlement flow back into the gateway the same way a card payment does. This is where ACH earns its keep for B2B and service businesses: a large invoice paid from a checking account is normally cheaper to accept than the same invoice on a card, and the customer's accounts-payable team often prefers it. If you invoice from QuickBooks or another system, tell us which one; not every sync route carries the bank option.
Can I take ACH if underwriting calls my business high risk?
Sometimes, and it is decided case by case. ACH boarding is a separate, more conservative underwriting than the card account, because a debit returned as unauthorized has no network dispute process behind it. Businesses in subscription, supplements, credit repair, debt collection and the other industries we board are often approved for cards and then asked more about ACH: refund policy, how authorization is captured, expected return rates, sometimes a reserve. Authorize.net's own eCheck guidance warns that a high-risk business can be declined; the same is true on NMI. We will not promise ACH that underwriting may refuse.
Is ACH cheaper than taking cards for a small business?
Per transaction, often yes, which is why it matters most on large tickets. Card processing is a percentage of the sale plus a per-item fee; ACH on a merchant account is priced per item, as a small percentage, or both. Where ACH is not cheaper is everything around the payment: slower funds, returns that arrive after you have delivered, the fee per returned item, and the authorization records you keep. For a shop selling small tickets to consumers, cards remain the right default; for a business that bills fewer customers larger amounts, ACH is often worth it.
Do I need a signed authorization from my customer for an ACH debit?
Yes, in a form that matches how you took the payment. The ACH network rules require proof that the account holder agreed to the debit: a signed or electronically accepted authorization for a one-time web or invoice payment, a standing authorization for a recurring plan, and a recorded or written confirmation for a phone payment. Each channel maps to an ACH entry type, and the gateway asks you to pick the right one. The hosted payment pages and invoices on both gateways capture the customer's acceptance for you; a phone order keyed into the virtual terminal is yours to document. Keep the records; a returned debit is decided on them.
Transparent pricing
We quote the gateway fee and processing together so there is no second surprise; ask us for a quote.
Ready to take payments online?
Tell us how you sell and we will recommend the gateway and the setup, in writing. Our team is based in Newnan, Georgia, and we work with businesses nationwide.
- Apply online with your need already selected.
- Confirm your email, then complete the secure application.
- After approval, we provision your gateway and set it up with you.