Guide
ACH moves money directly between bank accounts. Cards run on card networks. Each has a place.
✓ Installed by our team and supported by phone. Rates and equipment are quoted to your business.
Merchant Fund Express explains payments in plain English so owners can make better decisions about equipment and processing.
ACH moves money directly between bank accounts. Cards run on card networks. Each has a place.
ACH is typically cheaper per transaction for larger amounts and recurring bills, but it takes days to settle and fails when funds are short. Cards are instant for the customer, easier to dispute and cost more.
Many businesses use both: cards for retail and convenience, ACH for recurring contracts and big invoices.
Bank to bank, slower, lower cost.
Instant, widely accepted, higher cost.
ACH suits stable monthly bills.
Rules differ between ACH and cards.
A contractor asks big clients to pay by ACH and uses cards for small jobs. The cost of processing falls while the invoices still arrive on time.
Owners often learn this the hard way, through a surprising line on a statement or a call from a bank. Reading it now, before it matters, costs a few minutes and tends to make the next conversation with a processor shorter and more specific.
On a monthly statement this usually appears as a line or two inside a longer table, which is why it is easy to read past. When you review a statement, mark the lines you cannot explain and ask about those first.
Payments vocabulary is built to sound harder than it is. Once you know which layer a term belongs to, a statement stops being a wall of numbers and starts being a list of choices you can ask about. Keep this page handy the next time a rate sheet or a notice arrives.
Call (305) 384-8391 and tell us how you sell. We will explain the options in plain English, give you a personal quote and review your current statement for free. There is no price list to compare against, because the right setup depends on your business.
The practical decision is about who bears which risk. A card payment gives the customer easy dispute rights and gives you instant certainty of approval; an ACH payment costs less on a large invoice but can be returned days later if the account lacks funds. Many businesses use cards for the first payment and ACH for recurring, and keep a written authorization either way.
As explained by Merchant Fund Express. Updated 2026.
Ask us what options apply to your account.
It has different risks, including returns.
Cards authorize instantly; ACH takes days to settle.
Often ACH, because of cost.
From approval to live is typically 24 to 48 hours in the DFW metro and 5 to 7 business days nationwide, depending on your location and the readiness of your menu.
Clover can accept payments in offline mode for a limited time and sends the stored transactions when the connection returns; ask us how the limits apply to your account.
Call Merchant Fund Express. We install it, train your staff and stay on the line after launch. Ask for a free rate review while you are at it.
