Pay by Bank Getting Started Guide

Learn how to enable and configure Pay by Bank as a payment option on your Segpay payment pages for UK and EU customers.

Overview

Pay by Bank is an open banking payment method powered by TrueLayer that lets consumers in the UK and EU pay directly from their bank account using real-time bank transfers. Funds typically settle within seconds, and transactions aren’t subject to fraud, chargebacks, or revokes. In the UK, Pay by Bank runs on the Faster Payments network. In the EU, it runs on the SEPA Instant network. Although the underlying networks differ, the outcome is the same: a fast, real-time bank-to-bank payment.

Payment method properties

Property Details
Payment Type Real-time payments
Currencies Supported GBP, EUR
Consumer Locations UK, DE
(more countries coming soon)
Merchant-Supported Countries Available to merchants in Segpay-supported regions.
Supported Billing Models One-Time, Digital Purchase, Dynamic Pricing

Before you begin

Before you can accept Pay by Bank payments, the following must be in place:

  1. Enable Pay by Bank on your merchant account. Contact your Account Manager to request activation.

  2. Complete the Pay by Bank Service Addendum. Sign and return the addendum provided by Segpay.

  3. Enable Pay by Bank on at least one package. See Enable Pay by Bank on a package below.

Limitations

Pay by Bank has the following limitations:

  • No recurring payments. Pay by Bank is not available for recurring payment sign-ups. Consumers signing up for a recurring plan will not see Pay by Bank as a payment option and will need to use another available payment method.

  • UK or EU bank account required. Consumers must have a UK or EU bank account to use Pay by Bank.

Accept Pay by Bank payments

After Segpay enables your merchant account for Pay by Bank, you can configure your existing payment packages to accept Pay by Bank payments.

Enable Pay by Bank on a package

  1. Log in to the Segpay Merchant Portal at https://mp.segpay.com/

  2. Go to My Websites > Manage Packages

  3. Find the package you want to enable for Pay by Bank and click the package ID or Edit.

    Click package ID or Edit button to edit your package

  4. Click the Package tab. If your package includes price points in currencies other than GBP or EUR, select Use Geo IP from the MultiCurrency Options drop-down menu.

    On the Package tab, select "Use Geo IP" if you are using a currency other than GBP

    If your package does not use GBP or EUR price points, Pay by Bank will not function correctly unless the Use GEO IP setting is enabled.

  5. Click the Alternative Payments tab and select Enable Pay By Bank UK, Enable Pay by Bank EU , or both, depending on which regions you want to support.

  6. Click Save to apply changes.

Simplify the checkout experience

This configuration is optional. Before Pay by Bank appears as a payment option on your pay page, consumers must select an eligible country (the United Kingdom or a supported EU country) and a supported currency (GBP or EUR). You can simplify the checkout experience by adding join-link parameters that automatically set these values so the consumer doesn’t have to select them manually.

Add these three parameters to your join link to preselect the country and currency on the pay page, set Pay by Bank as the default payment option, and reduce steps for the consumer:

Parameter Value Description
allowedpaymenttypes pbbi Sets Pay by Bank as the default payment option.
dmcurrency GBP or EUR Sets the default currency to GBP or EUR.
x-billcntry GB or DE Sets the default country to the United Kingdom or the customer’s EU country (example, Germany)

Add parameters to the join link

The steps below provide an example configuration for UK consumers. To adapt this flow for consumers in the EU, update the country and currency parameter values accordingly.

  1. Go to My Websites > Manage Packages.

  2. Click Edit for the relevant package.

  3. Go to the Pricing tab and click Get my button code for the relevant price point.

  4. Click Go to this page to open the join link in your browser.

  5. Append the parameters to your join link using this format: &allowedpaymenttypes=pbbi&dmcurrency=GBP&x-billcntry=GB

    Join Link Example Using Parameters
    https://secure2.segpay.com/billing/poset.cgi?x-eticketid=xxxxxx:xxxxx&allowedpaymenttypes=pbbi&dmcurrency=GBP&x-billcntry=GB

Display additional payment types

If you want to display additional payment types alongside Pay by Bank, add them to the allowedpaymenttypes parameter as a comma-separated list. Only payment types included in the list will appear as an option on your pay page, regardless of your package configuration.

Payment Type Value
Pay by Bank pbbi
Credit card cc
PayPal pp
Crypto cryp
SEPA Direct Debit sdd

Each payment type must be enabled on your package before it will appear on your pay page, even if it is included in the allowedpaymenttypes parameter.

Join Link Example Using Multiple Payment Type Values
https://secure2.segpay.com/billing/poset.cgi?x-eticketid=xxxxxx:xxxxx&allowedpaymenttypes=pbbi,pp,cc,cryp&dmcurrency=GBP&x-billcntry=GB

Reporting

The Merchant Portal indicates when a transaction was made with Pay by Bank. You can view Pay by Bank transaction data in the following reports:

  • Transaction Summary

  • Transaction Detail

  • Sales by Country

  • Invoice

  • Detail Ledger

  • Daily Revenue

  • Statement

Searching for transactions

  1. Log in to the Merchant Portal at https://mp.segpay.com/

  2. Go to My Consumers > Manage Consumers.

  3. Click the Find purchase by menu, select your search criteria, enter the search information, and click Find.

Generating reports

  1. Go to Performance Reporting in the Merchant Portal.

  2. Select Real Time Payment from the Payment Type filter to view Pay by Bank transactions.

Viewing processing fees

  1. Go to Merchant Information.

  2. Click the Processing fees tab.

  3. Select Real Time Payment from the Payment Type menu.

Consumer experience

If Pay by Bank is enabled for your payment packages, UK and EU consumers will see it as a payment option on your pay page.

Payment flow

When a consumer selects Pay by Bank on your pay page, they complete the following steps:

  1. Selects the United Kingdom or a supported EU country from the Country drop-down menu

    Pay by Bank only appears on your pay page when an eligible country is selected (the United Kingdom or a supported EU country). If you include x-billcntry=<country code> in your join link (for example, x-billcntry=GB or x-billcntry=DE), the country is preselected and this step isn’t necessary.

  2. Selects GBP or EUR from the currency drop-down menu.

    If you use the dmcurrency parameter in your join link, this step is not necessary.

  3. Selects the Pay by Bank tab on the pay page.

    If the consumer selects Pay by Bank without first selecting GBP or EUR, a message prompts them to change the currency. When they click OK, the currency switches automatically.

  4. Enters their first name, last name, and email address, then clicks Proceed to Payment.

  5. Clicks Continue.

  6. Selects or searches for their bank and clicks Go to bank.

  7. Scans the QR code with their banking app or clicks the link to log in through their browser.

  8. Logs in to their bank and completes the payment.

  9. Views a receipt page confirming the purchase and receives a transaction confirmation email.

Consumer portal transaction view

Consumers can visit the Segpay Consumer Portal to search for Pay by Bank purchases and view transaction details.

Consumers cannot update payment information through the Consumer Portal.

To search for a Pay by Bank purchase:

  1. Go to https://cs.segpay.com/.

  2. Enter any two of the following: Purchase ID, IBAN number, or email address.

  3. Click Look Up My Purchase.

To view transaction details:

  1. In the search results, click the eye icon in the Actions column.

  2. View the transaction details in the pop-up window. The Current Payment Type for Pay by Bank transactions is Real Time Payment.

Glossary

  • Biometric authentication: A security method that uses unique physical characteristics, such as Face ID or fingerprint recognition, to verify a consumer's identity. Pay by Bank consumers authenticate transactions through their mobile banking app.

  • Open banking: A system that allows licensed financial technology providers to securely access bank customer data and initiate payments through bank APIs, with explicit consumer consent. Pay by Bank is powered by open banking technology.

  • SCA (Strong Customer Authentication): A regulatory requirement under EU and UK payment regulations that mandates multiple verification methods to authorize transactions. Pay by Bank complies with SCA requirements by using biometric authentication.

  • Real-time settlement: The immediate transfer of payment funds upon successful consumer authorization. Pay by Bank transactions settle within seconds, compared to card payments which typically settle within one to three business days.

  • Account-to-account payment: A direct payment method where funds transfer between a consumer's bank account and a merchant account without using card networks. Also referred to as a bank-to-bank payment.

  • Chargeback: A consumer-initiated payment dispute processed through a card network. Pay by Bank transactions are not subject to chargebacks because payments are authorized directly through the consumer's bank.