When you send an invoice, should you expect clients to pay with a card or a bank transfer (ACH)? The answer: it depends — and your setup matters.
Giving clients the option to pay however they prefer can help you get paid faster — but understanding the pros and cons of each method can save you money, too.
💸 Cost Reality: On a $10,000 job, credit card fees (2.9%) cost you $290, while ACH fees (0.8%, max $5) only cost you $80. That's a $210 difference!
💳 Credit/Debit Cards: Fast and Familiar
Most clients are familiar with card payments — they're quick, they get confirmation instantly, and they often come with rewards points.
Pros:
- Instant processing and confirmation
- Familiar to all clients
- Works with reward credit cards
- High success rate
Cons:
- Higher processing fees (typically 2.9%)
- Potential chargebacks
- Credit limit restrictions on large amounts
🏦 ACH (Bank Transfers): Low-Fee Alternative
ACH is short for "Automated Clearing House." It's a secure bank-to-bank transfer — kind of like a digital check. Clients enter their routing and account numbers once, and payments process in 1–3 business days.
Pros:
- Much lower fees (0.8% with Scope‑Kit, capped at $5)
- No credit limit restrictions
- Very low failure rate
- No chargebacks
- Fee cap makes large payments very cost-effective
Cons:
- Takes 1-3 business days to process
- Some clients less familiar with process
- Requires bank account information
- Still has a processing fee (though much lower)
🔁 What We're Seeing in Practice
Based on data from thousands of invoices processed through similar platforms:
- Habit-driven choices: Some clients default to card out of habit — especially for smaller invoices
- Cost-conscious decisions: For larger jobs ($5K+), clients often prefer ACH due to significant fee savings
- Flexibility wins: If you give both options, your client chooses — and you stay in control of the fee structure
- Split preferences: About 60% of contractors see clients split between both methods
- Fee cap advantage: The $5 cap on ACH makes it especially attractive for large invoices
📊 Industry Insight: Contractors who offer both payment methods see 23% faster payment times and save an average of $180 per $10K invoice in processing fees by encouraging ACH for larger amounts.
How Scope‑Kit Handles Both
Scope‑Kit lets you accept both card and ACH payments. You can even choose to pass processing fees to clients, giving them the flexibility while protecting your profit margin.
Smart Setup Tips:
- Set ACH as the default option to encourage lower fees
- Clearly display fee differences at checkout
- Use fee pass-through for both payment types
- Educate clients about ACH savings, especially on large invoices
- Highlight the $5 cap benefit for payments over $625
Bottom line: Let your clients choose, but structure your fees to encourage the most cost-effective option for everyone.
Try Scope‑Kit Free