Go Cardless
Payments using GoCardless
What is GoCardless ?
GoCardless is a simple online payment method which is a cross between a BACS (electronic bank transfer) and a one-off Direct Debit payment. GoCardless is a UK company which accesses the UK Direct Debit network through its sponsor, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and is registered as a small Payments Institution with the Financial Services Authority.
Why use GoCardless instead of other payment methods ?
In order to keep our membership and other fees to a minimum the office and accounting tasks at WSC are run entirely by volunteers. Handling and processing cheques, debit card and cash payments can be very labour intensive with possibilities of delays and errors. Chasing up incorrect payment amounts and 'unmarked' cheque or cash payments can consume lots of time. Though BACS payments are preferred over these other methods they can still cause work for volunteers due to incorrect payment references, incorrect amounts and reconciliation delays.
How much will GoCardless cost me ?
Nothing ! You will not be charged anything to make a GoCardless payment. The cost to the WSC is 1% of the payment value plus 20p with a cap of £4. There are no setup fees or monthly subscription costs. This benefits WSC for large payments such as mooring fees. As an example a mooring payment of £500 would cost up to £17 using Paypal, whereas using GoCardless the Club will be charged £4.
Will payments be taken from my account without my knowledge ?
No. Although the transfer mechanism for payment is Direct Debit, unlike paying for your utilities or TV licence, there are no regular or automatic payments taken from your account. Each payment is only taken from your account after you authorise it via the Club's website.
Does the Club need my bank account or bank card details ?
No. WSC does not hold your bank account or bank card information. However you do need your bank account details to set up the Direct Debit mandate with GoCardless in exactly the same way as any other Direct Debit. Unlike Paypal or other online payment systems GoCardless does not use credit or debit cards as the name suggests !
How does it work ?
IT volunteers at the Club have integrated GoCardless with the club website for mooring and yard payments, membership renewals and other payments. Login to the website and you should see your Portal page. Scroll down to see Payments detail. Click on MyGoCardless setup which redirects you to the GoCardless website. From there follow the simple instructions after which you will be redirected back to the WSC website. You will also receive an acknowledgement email. The payment will be collected after GoCardless have been given authorisation from your bank, typically 5 working days.
Can I set up a future payment ?
No. There is no facility with GoCardless or on the WSC website to set up future payments.
Can I check my GoCardless payment history ?
Yes. Go to My statement of account to view details of all payments made to the Club.
Visit www.GoCardless.com for more details.
Last updated 20:48 on 14 October 2024