Connecting GoCardless

Connecting to GoCardless is an OAuth process. It requires you to log into
GoCardless, which then shares a security token with us. To complete this you need a
GoCardless login with administrator access on your GoCardless account.

When prompted, select Connect GoCardless to log in to your GoCardless
account.
If you have not recently been logged into GoCardless you will be prompted with a
login screen. Log in as an administrator of the account.

📘
Tip
On the GoCardless authorization screen, the application requesting access appears as "Payments".
After login you are returned to a configuration screen. The connection is tested
and you are shown a green "Connected to GoCardless" message. If there is an
error with the connection, check the account details are correct and that the
user has been granted all permissions.

Connection options

Our integration with GoCardless offers several options:

Enable Refunds: If you have this feature enabled on your GoCardless account,
check this box to be able to use refunds. See
Refunding payments
in the GoCardless support centre.
Enable Custom References: If you have this feature enabled on your GoCardless
account, check this box to use custom references. The transaction.reference
(for example REF-00010012) is mapped into the GoCardless reference field. See
Custom payment references.
Enable Instant Bank Pay: If you have this feature enabled on your GoCardless
account, check this box to use it — see Instant Bank Pay
below.
Use Bank Reason Code as Decline Authorisation: When a transaction is
declined, by default a user-friendly GoCardless interpretation of the decline
reason is returned in the authorization field of the transaction. Select this
checkbox to instead return the underlying scheme decline reason code (for example
Bacs ARUDD0, ACH R01).
Retry Failed Transactions: GoCardless does not follow the same retry
processing as other gateways, due to nuances in how it works. There are three
options:
- Disable: No automated retries.
- Enabled: Automated retries, as soon as possible (typically 3 days to
  process). You can choose which declined transactions get retried — from
  Insufficient Funds and Refer to Payer — and set the number of retries
  (between 1 and 3).
- Success+: If you have this feature enabled on your GoCardless account,
  GoCardless runs an optimised retry process based on its own data (for example
  aligning retries with pay days).

Instant Bank Pay

Instant Bank Pay and Direct Debit serve different purposes. Instant Bank Pay is a
single, pay-now bank transfer that confirms payment immediately at the point of
checkout: the customer authorises a one-off push payment from their bank, giving
you real-time confirmation that funds have been approved. Direct Debit, by
contrast, is a mandate-based method designed for future payments, allowing you to
collect money later, on a schedule, or on demand, with settlement occurring over
standard bank clearing times.

Used together, Instant Bank Pay handles the "right now" payment while Direct Debit
handles ongoing payments. The Instant Bank Pay flow can also capture and verify the
customer's bank details and set up a Direct Debit mandate at the same time. This
gives you immediate payment confirmation up front, plus confidence that the bank
details and mandate are valid for future scheduled or recurring collections,
without requiring the customer to complete two separate setup journeys.

📘
Availability
Instant Bank Pay is available for Bacs (UK) and SEPA (EU) only.

Enabling Instant Bank Pay presents a fallback option:

IBP Fallback behaviour:
- Fallback to mandate-only: If a customer cannot complete Instant Bank Pay,
  they can still complete a Direct Debit mandate and process payment via Direct
  Debit.
- Fail transaction if IBP unavailable: If a customer cannot complete Instant
  Bank Pay, they cannot fall back to Direct Debit and the transaction fails.