Pay by Bank from allpay

Pay by Bank from allpay is an account-to-account payment service for organisations that want customers to pay from their bank rather than enter card details. It is particularly well suited to rent, bill and other regular collections at substantial volume. The bank-authorised flow and instant settlement are compelling, but custom pricing and an unfinished Gateway Plus integration make it a specialist choice rather than a universal payment replacement.

Overview

At checkout, a customer selects Pay by Bank, chooses their bank and is redirected to the bank’s app or online banking to approve the payment. Confirmation is near instant and settlement is described as instant, giving collection teams prompt visibility. Since approval takes place with the bank, the organisation does not handle sensitive account details.

Allpay positions account-to-account payments as an alternative to traditional card networks. That may reduce processing costs, although no rate is published to quantify the difference. Avoiding expired cards, mistyped details and manual entry can also help reduce failed or abandoned transactions, a meaningful advantage for recurring income collection.

Key features

• Bank authorisation: Customers approve each payment through their own bank. This limits the sensitive payment information handled by the organisation and keeps authentication within the banking channel.
• Redirect payment flow: Bank selection and approval replace card-number entry. It removes several common card-entry errors, though it still depends on the customer completing the bank authorisation.
• Near-instant confirmation: Organisations receive confirmation quickly, while instant settlement supports faster reconciliation and payment visibility.
• Hosted journeys: Rollout is beginning in the allpayments app and online payment journeys using hosted payment pages. Gateway Plus support is coming soon, with no date given, so organisations dependent on that integration need to plan around its current absence.
• Security and compliance: allpay describes the method as FCA-regulated and says customers do not share bank details with the organisation. The company also states that it is Level 1 PCI DSS compliant and adheres to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, ISO 45001 and ISO 50001 standards.

Pricing

Pay by Bank is a paid service with pricing on request. There are no published plans, transaction rates, quotas, seat limits or trial terms to compare. That sales-led approach may suit larger organisations needing a tailored arrangement, but smaller teams cannot calculate total cost or compare the claimed processing savings without contacting allpay. Sales contact is the route for purchasing, and the allpay Help Centre provides support.

Platforms

The service supports Android, iOS and web payment journeys. Allpay describes consistent payment journeys across web, mobile and assisted payment channels, with the current rollout centred on the allpayments app and hosted online payment pages.

Who it's for

Housing associations, local authorities, rent and income collection teams, utilities and billing organisations are the clearest fit. The same applies to organisations handling high-volume regular payments, where reducing card expiry and manual-entry failures can have an operational impact. It is less suitable for a business that requires Gateway Plus immediately or needs transparent, self-serve pricing before committing.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Less sensitive data handling: Bank-side authorisation means the organisation does not receive customers’ sensitive account details.
• Fast payment visibility: Near-instant confirmation and instant settlement can support quicker reconciliation.
• Fewer card-related failure points: Customers avoid expired cards, incorrect card details and manual card entry.
• Established provider: allpay traces its history to 1994, and its May 2026 announcement says the platform supports 5.5 million end users and more than 90 million transactions each year.

Cons

• No published cost: Custom pricing prevents straightforward budget or savings comparisons.
• Gateway Plus is not ready: Organisations using that route must wait for an undated rollout.
• Bank redirect required: The payment depends on a customer leaving the checkout flow to approve in banking software.

Alternatives

Browse Open Banking Payment Platforms when you want a wider category comparison.

• TrueLayer Data API is a better fit for teams wanting a free Sandbox with mock-data testing and a production tier priced by volume and use case.
• Lean Payments suits organisations seeking an alternative paid open-banking platform across Android, iOS, web and API access.
• Trustly is worth considering when merchant-focused products and sales-led pricing match your procurement process.
• Volt provides another paid option across Android, iOS, web and API platforms.
• TrueLayer Payments is an alternative paid service without a free plan.
• Finshark is an API and web option for organisations that do not need mobile platform coverage.
• Fire Payments API fits businesses prepared for a sales-led account and customised corporate pricing.
• Noda is an alternative when transaction-based pricing tailored to business needs is preferable to fixed plans.

Verdict

Choose Pay by Bank from allpay if you manage recurring or high-volume rent, utility or billing collections and want bank-authorised payments, fast settlement and less card-data handling. Its main reason to choose it is the streamlined account-to-account flow; its main reason to look elsewhere is the combination of custom pricing and Gateway Plus still awaiting an undated rollout.