All I want for Christmas is… better member solutions than ever before!

Cringeworthy headline aside, member solutions aren’t the first thing that you’d expect to see at the top of a Christmas list. But as the New Year rolls in, and people’s next priority is shedding the mince pie bloat, leisure operators’ focus will be on driving member acquisition and retention.

So in a few paragraphs (so you can quickly get to the Direct Debit processing deadlines below) let me explain why improved member solutions should be your first port of call in 2019.

We talk about online joining a lot. But that’s because it really is one of the greatest sales aids to gyms and health clubs. Without this radical joining solution, customers must sign up face-to-face or over the phone – an option that doesn’t sit well in today’s faced-paced culture of customer convenience.

Online joining can take anywhere from three minutes to twenty minutes, depending on the system that you use. A three-minute process is obviously much sleeker and won’t prevent people reaching that end click because of a sluggish system.

Once a member is over the threshold, your next job is keeping them. Everything from the enthusiasm of your staff to the technological advancement of your machines will affect member longevity. As Direct Debit experts, we believe one of the keys lies in making member’s payment instances easier. Online joining is just one example of this, but there are plenty of others that will make a difference to your leisure facility.

What I’m trying to say is to not let the needs of your members slip in 2019. Competition is rife, and loyalty is an endangered trait.

– Ivan Stevenson

Just a reminder that Direct Debit processing dates will change over the Christmas and New Year period:

If the payment arrival date is 24th December, the processing date is 21st December and last submission is 20th December.

If the payment arrival date is 27th December, the processing date is 24th December and last submission is 21st December.

If the payment arrival date is 28th December, the processing date is 27th December and last submission is 24th December.

If the payment arrival date is 31st December, the processing date is 28th December and last submission is 27th December.

If the payment arrival date is 2nd January, the processing date is 31st December and last submission is 28th December.

If the payment arrival date is 3rd January, the processing date is 2nd January and last submission is 31st December.

DFC is a leading Revenue Solutions Management Solutions provider, handling Direct Debits for thousands of happy customers across the UK.

Swim school operators: should you be using Direct Debit?

If you manage a swimming school or run swimming lessons as part of your leisure operation you’ve probably already considered Direct Debit. Everyone else is doing it, right? But is Direct Debit the best collection avenue for your business? Do you even want to migrate to Direct Debit? Your first question might be…

Why should I change if I’m happy with our current set up?

Remember, Direct Debit is an option, not an obligation. That said, we do suggest you read on a little further to understand why so many operators are making the move to Direct Debit – if nothing else, the common Direct Debit queries should prove useful. In the end, you will have a pretty good idea of whether Direct Debit is right for your business.

Why are so many swimming operators choosing Direct Debit?

There are few swimming schools in the UK that don’t use Direct Debit as a collection method. Why? Direct Debits carry big benefits to customers and businesses in equal measures.

Parents using Direct Debit can spread costs easier over a 12-month period. This solves the 10-week payment problem, which sees parents, especially those with two or more children, commonly remove their children from the scheme after the first instalment.

This cost-spreading is also handy for your business because it balances out the inevitable cashflow peaks and troughs that come with upfront or annual payments.

Statistics on swimming schools using Direct Debit show that:

  • Overall attrition rates sit at around 2.5% per month
  • This equates to 30% loss of swimming club pupils over the year compared to many schemes that lose 60% or more of their swimmers over the year.
  • Many schools are close to 100% income collection rates

 

Great news for customers and a predictable stream of income for your business.

What’s more important than the number of swim schools on Direct Debit?

Answer: the number of swim schools that have stayed on Direct Debit.

Once a school has migrated to this collection method very few, if any at all, change back. Reasons for this include

  • Cost (Direct Debit is the cheapest payment method available in the UK)
  • Ease of time and resources
  • Less administrative burden

Unlike standing orders, time spent on managing incoming payments is minimal. Most operators opt for online joining to remove themselves from the sign-up as much as possible and speed up the process for customers.

The only thing left for back-of-house staff to do is to monitor incoming and cancelled payments. There’s not much to it and with less administrative faff, they can focus their attention on more important areas of the business.

Swim schools that migrate to Direct Debit generally find no reason to move away once they’re on it.

 

Common Direct Debit questions

 

How easy is it to introduce Direct Debit payments?

As with any change in process, the trick is to plan in advance. You might want to consider bringing in a specialist company to help manage the process. It’s a fairly straight-forward process, but there’s lots to think about and it helps to have an expert hand.

We recommend that you communicate with your members in advance to let them know you’re offering a new payment method. Staff training is also important. You’ll need to ensure that frontline staff are clear how the process works both online and with walk-ins.

 

Will I need to change to a different number of teaching weeks?

If you’re already operating to a 50-week programme, then there’s no need to change the number of teaching weeks. Simply take the cost of weeks and divide it by 12.

If you operate on anything less than a 50-week programme, then Direct Debit is a great opportunity to work towards this.

 

What are the benefits to the customer?

We’ve already lightly touched on this above with cost spreading. But the benefits go deeper than that.

  • For starters, the smaller upfront payment will be significant in their initial decision to use you vs a competitor.
  • Many organisations, particularly leisure facilities like swimming schools, channel cost-savings through Direct Debit into member discounts.  Special offers and incentives for people signing up by Direct Debit will make your business even more attractive to prospects and fend off local competition.
  • Direct Debit is accessible 24/7. Prospects can sign up easily and at any time from the comfort of their couch or on their commute to work. There’s no need to physically visit the organisation, although it is still an option for people nearby.
  • It’s paperless. Contract documents are stored virtually, which means no storage hassle (or lost paperwork).

Why should I change if I’m happy with our current set up?

Have you had any further thoughts on this? If you’re happy with the way things are going then that’s great. But if you think Direct Debit might be the way forward for your swim school then it’s worth having a chat with the Direct Debit leisure experts to discuss how Direct Debits will fit into your business.

Phone DFC for a chat on how to implement Direct Debit for your swimming school: 01908 422 000.

Or fill in your details below to get a free member joining demo.

 

Unscrambling the membership management puzzle in the digital age

Those of us who’ve been in the fitness game for a long time might remember the faff of administrating membership payments. I certainly do. I remember the arduous setup. The gruelling form-filling. The cumbersome management processes. The storage snags. Hooray for digital, I say.

At DFC, Direct Debits are our forte. But we certainly wouldn’t have got onto the cutting-edge of our industry without insights from all the other areas of the digital payment revolution.

Direct Debit was once merely a resource for collecting ongoing payments. It was a pretty useful one, but its aptitudes were limited. Nowadays, Direct Debit is a front and back end sales aid and an administrator’s ally. It’s not just an efficient way to manage your bottom line. It’s a sustainable way to capitalise on it.

Take online joining, for instance. Gyms across the country lord this as the holy grail of gym membership acquisition. It functions beyond the 9-5 hours of operation and it’s accessible across most connected devices.

Online joining eliminates monotonous paperwork, solving the storage conundrum I previously mentioned and speeding up the process considerably. It truly is a remarkable solution that’s altered the membership collection landscape beyond recognition. It kicks down the barriers that stood in the way of gyms and their potential members.

Online joining portals can be integrated into your current website, app and CRM. Just think how effective it is to house billing information from your one central hub. That in itself arguably highlights one of the most valuable aspects of our high-tech age. All roads can lead back to your website and CRM if you want them too.

Even credit control doesn’t have to be a manual process anymore. We personally have a solution called My Payments that enables members to pay defaulted and payments online through an automated email or SMS prompt.

The technological age opens up myriad opportunities for simplified communication and development. It solves brainteasers that once plagued fitness professionals around how to ease the buying and membership journey for their customers. But the best is yet to come and I can’t wait to see what exciting innovations are in store.

 

 

 

 

 

– Ivan Stevenson, Director at DFC

 

DFC is a leading Revenue Solutions Management Solutions provider, handling Direct Debits for thousands of happy customers across the UK.

How fintech is revolutionising the financial world

The word ‘fintech’ pops up regularly in conversations centred on innovation, trade, finance and disruptive technologies.

But don’t be fooled, it’s not just a buzzword. According to Accenture investment in fintech increased from $930 million in 2008 to more than $12 billion by early 2015, and is growing by the hour.

What exactly is fintech?

You may have already correctly guessed that fintech is a portmandea for ‘financial technology’. It’s a term that describes the technology used to support banking and financial services. This includes lending, mobile banking, investments and open banking.

The main goal of this industry is to make financial services more readily accessible to businesses and consumers alike. As attention spans shorten, business transactions speed up and everything steadily goes more digital, people want financial services that compliment this, whether they’re attempting to keep track of finances or looking to take out a loan.

The US, UK & Ireland and the rest of Europe are currently at the forefront of fintech investments overall, with China and India closely following.

How is fintech revolutionising the financial industry?

According to EY’s Fintech Adoption Index, one-third of consumers use at least two or more fintech services. We’ve highlighted just some of the activities that have disrupted the world of personal and commercial finance:

Crowdfunding: thanks to crowdfunding, businesses can now raise money in weeks rather than months and thus be able to launch their products and services much quicker than ever before. Suddenly, entrepreneurs don’t have to jump through so many hoops to get a great idea off the ground.

Mobile credit card processing: accepting card payments through technology like PayPal and Square means that vendors can afford to accept card payments anywhere and with minimum set up effort, which usually means that the sales potential is increased multi-fold and businesses are future-proofed.

Borderless money transfer: currency fees are now a thing of the past thanks to companies like TranswerWise that have revolutionised the way people bank, how entrepreneurs are able to fund their projects and how expats are able to manage payments borderlessly.

What’s the impact on consumer behaviour?

Having the technology to simplify our daily lives in this way is revolutionising consumer behaviour around the globe. Most notably, in Europe, we can now see a drastic shift to using electronic payments. Competition in this regard is incredibly fierce.

All retailers must keep up with the shifting landscape – such as introducing their own mobile loyalty apps or different payment platforms.

At the same time, customers are increasingly more willing to share their personal data in order to receive a personalised shopping experience – yes, on the high street too! It’s not uncommon to receive a digital receipt or have personalised QR codes for a blend of in-store and online browsing and shopping.

Fintech is at the heart of all of these changes and the future looks exciting.

Fintech and Direct Debit

Direct Debit was once merely a resource for collecting ongoing payments. It was a pretty useful one, but its aptitudes were limited. Nowadays, Direct Debit is a front and back end sales aid and an administrator’s ally.

An increasing number of people are choosing to join memberships and subscriptions online. As such, making a long-term payment commitment like a gym membership or car insurance is getting quicker and more simple.

The power is in our fingers. People can sign up from their couch or train commute. With comparison sites on the up, it’s easy to find the best Direct Debit deals spread out over a flexible time period.

Even painstaking failed payment procrastination is a thing of the past. Our own MyPayments portal allows customers to login and manage the payment first-hand before it becomes a growing issue. No lengthy phone-calls. No embarrassment. Hurrah!

 

DFC is a leading Revenue Solutions Management Solutions provider, handling Direct Debits for thousands of happy customers across the UK.

 

How to chase late-paying customers (and maintain their loyalty)

Whilst it is your right to collect deserved payments for your services, we can understand your frustrations. You want to remain cordial with your clients, so demanding payments goes against the grain.

But consider this crazy statistic for a second. 62% of SME invoices were paid late in 2017…

Late payments cost one quarter of UK businesses ten hours a week. In other words, one-quarter of forty-hour week is being used to chase customers. Hours that could be deployed much more usefully and at a lesser expense.

If you’re one of many organisations that’s rightly sick of chasing payments, here are some tips on how you can manage this sticky situation without destroying the relationship you’ve worked hard build.

Avoiding late payments early-on

Sure, new business is exciting. But you don’t want to create a rod for your own back.  Prevention is better than cure, as the old saying goes. The trick is to remove any potential hiccups early in the game.

  1. Credit check all new clients – this should give you a pretty good estimate of the organisation you’re doing business with.
  2. Ask new customers to pay a percentage up front – if they’re going to be difficult, at least you’ve already been handed a good portion of the money.
  3. Ensure that you know exactly who to send the invoices to – most companies will have at least two designated persons who can sign-off invoices so start getting CC happy with those emails.

 

Make sure the issue doesn’t lie with you

Believe it or not, invoices are commonly unpaid because the purchase information or bank details simply aren’t on the invoice. Sorry but it’s true.

 

Navigating the excuses (and there will be many)

Every phone call will come with an inevitable excuse. Luckily, most of these are so predictable they might as well be scripted. So we’ve done just that:

  • “We haven’t received your invoice” – the answer to this is to ask the customer to send a hard copy and an email. You can even put a read receipt on the email. Watch them try to get out of that one…

 

  • “We’ve paid/are in the process of paying” – “that’s great. Please can you send proof of posting or remittance advice?”

 

  • “The only person who can authorise this is on annual leave” – this relates back to our earlier statement about two designated persons who can authorise payments. After all, who’s going to authorise the urgent one the only person who can is away?

 

  • “Can I get such and such to ring back?” – start notetaking. Keep a record of who you’ve spoken to and when. Not only does this give you more ammo as time goes on, it will also come in handy if the only possible outcome is legal action.

 

  • “We’re waiting for a customer to pay so we can pay you” – this is one of those challenging business scenarios that make everyone’s lives difficult. In this instance, see how much they can pay at that time and work the rest off in instalments.

 

  • “I’m not happy with the service you’ve provided” – put a time-barring clause in your terms and conditions stating that complaints about work must be made within a certain time-limit.

 

Migrate to Direct Debit

Direct debits give you, the company, control over payments. We’re not saying late payments are a thing of the past when you switch, but you’ll certainly find them sucking less time out of your day.

Payments come direct from a customer’s account. Unlike cards, which can get damaged or expire, the only way that a payment can’t be made is when an account is empty. As a result, late payments are reduced dramatically.

 

Get someone else to do the hard graft for you

Using a third-party debt collection company or bureau takes the onus off your organisation. It prevents your employees having to handle potentially challenging conversations, so that you can deal with only the good aspects of your partnership.

Bureaus specialise in everything from credit control to cashflow management. They can improve collection rates and save your staff from ever having to chase a late payment again.

 

Finally remember: Some people are just badly organised. So don’t despair. Cashflow is the backbone of your organisation and customers do understand this. Most of the time, they’ll pay up eventually.

 

DFC is a leading Direct Debit bureau offering a transparent service, with clear pricing and no hidden extras.

DFC’s mission is to make our clients business easier and help improve your relationships with your customers so that they stay longer. You can let DFC collect your Direct Debits, while you concentrate on running and growing your business. Find out more: https://www.debitfinance.co.uk/solutions

Will we still have SEPA after Brexit?

At the time of writing, Brexit negotiations are still very much up in the air. One arm of the political throng is poised to steer the UK down a path that will see us maintain a close relationship with the EU, whilst the other is adamant that Britain will leave without such an agreement.

At DFC we’re impartial to politics, but whatever the outcome, it’s important to consider the cross-border impact this could have on payment processing and collection with the UK’s European neighbours, particularly in relation to the SEPA scheme.

The SEPA scenarios

SEPA (the Single Euro Payments Area), a European initiative that enables merchants to transfer payments across borders, is comprised of the EU member states. But with 7 non-EU member states already forming part of the scheme, is Brexit likely to be the nail in the coffin for the UK’s SEPA alliance?

The European Payments Council (EPC), who are directly responsible for upholding SEPA, paints three scenarios for Britain’s SEPA fellowship in the wake of Brexit:

  1. Britain leaves the EU but remains in the European Economic Area (EEA) – if Theresa May has her way then the UK will preserve a close trading relationship with the EU. This would keep the UK aligned with the EU legal framework, enabling us to uphold our participation in SEPA.
  2. Britain leaves the EU and EEA but activates a free trade agreement – in order to conserve a relationship with the EU, any kind of free trade agreement would have the ‘functionalequivalencee’ of the EU legal framework. Again, this should put the UK in a position to continue its participation in SEPA.
  3. Britain leaves the EU and EEA or does not agree on an alignment of its relevant legal framework with that of the EU – in the event of a ‘no-deal Brexit’, the EPC will have to assess the admissibility of the UK against the geographical scope of SEPA and its eligibility criteria. With territories outside the EU already in SEPA, geography shouldn’t be a barrier. Whether it passes all the checks falls more on the UK maintaining an EU-equivalent regulatory framework.

The outcome?

All things considered, it’s unlikely that the UK would be forced to cut ties with SEPA, even in the event of a no-deal Brexit. And if we do? It probably won’t be the end of the road for cross-border transactions between Britain and the EU.

Instead, the UK will have to determine new policies that ally with transactional processes across Europe. Who knows? This may even open up room for new opportunities. We’ll just have to wait and see!

 

DFC is a revenue management solutions provider, using the latest technology in collection management to handle your Direct Debits and grow your business.

For more information on our services, give us a call on 01908 422 000 or get in touch here.

Reducing membership churn for your gym

The fitness industry is booming. One in seven people across the UK now possesses gym membership.

Despite this, a report from Mintel found that gyms lose around 50% of their members each year. Membership churn, also known as attrition rate, is a growing problem for long-established gym chains, who are fiercely battling an upsurge of competition from an exploding budget and boutique gym market.

Gyms are flexing their strategy more than ever in a bid to keep hold of existing members. After all, it costs between 5-25 times more to acquire a new member than retain one.

So what is the solution? Here are a few top tips from industry experts DFC:

Invest the ‘smart’ way

Tech-up as many aspects of your facility as you can, from the sign up process to the actual gym itself. Cutting-edge equipment and services will enable you to comfortably compete because it makes for a more hassle-free, informative and enjoyable experience.

Create a sociable gym environment

The most loyal members are ones who experience a sense of community in their gym. The trick is to smile lots, employ enthusiastic team members and work to build a sociable culture through amenties such as communal areas.

Cement your value

You can’t beat budget or boutique gyms on price alone so you need to think twice about what it is that distinguishes you from the crowd. Work out exactly what it is that keeps people coming back and exploit it. The above points are just some examples. Other’s might include:

  • Being more than a gym. A diverse range of facilities will entice a wider audience.
  • Member rewards. This doesn’t have to be financial. It could include regular advice, health checks, loyalty schemes etc.
  • Community investment. This is particularly true of social enterprises and charities.

Track payments

Losing members is inevitable. Just make sure it isn’t happening for the wrong reasons. A bad payment experience can be cause for a great deal of stress from all concerned parties and it would be a shame to lose a happy customer over something so avoidable.

Direct Debit is your best bet because it gives everyone control. 82% of gym membership payments are made in this way. Direct Debits are quick to set up, incredibly easy to maintain thereafter and payments are generated automatically from a member’s bank account. Not only does this save the hassle, it reduces bounced payments.

DFC is a leading revenue management solutions provider, working with well-known fitness operators around the UK. Using the latest technology, and a belief in total transparency, DFC manages the Direct Debit process for thousands of happy clients. Just take a look at what some of them had to say: Testimonials

Top tips for managing your energy bills

Bills are just another complicated component to add into the intricate web of adulthood. There’s no avoiding them. But managing them doesn’t have to be as stressful as your acquaintances may have you believe.

Here are some top tips for managing your energy bills:

 

Set yourself up on a direct debit

Yep – we’re jumping straight in with this one, and not just because we’re the Direct Debit experts. If you don’t want to have to think about manually transferring your bills every month, then Direct Debit is the way to go.

Your monthly Direct Debit bill will come out as an estimate of how much energy, on average, you use. Whilst this sounds like a scary concept, it’s actually designed to help you spread costs throughout the year more easily.

In the summer, you’ll build up credit because you use less, and then the surplus is used for the winter when you use much more. Don’t worry – any spare pennies will be refunded straight back into your account.

 

Get organised

The best way to do this is to dedicate a set time in the month for meter readings and bill checking. Focus on the following:

  • Splitting the bills – who’s paying what? Keep a monthly record of exactly how much is being spent. There are free apps that can help you with this, such as splitwise.
  • File all bill payments digitally or in a physical folder, so that you’ve got a permanent record you can refer back to if need be.
  • Check for mistakes. You want to look out for any dramatic rises or falls in your payment history. If this is the case and you can’t think of a reason why (i.e. a holiday, or an additional house member) then get in touch with your energy provider.

 

Heat in, bailiffs out

Organising your bills is far less stressful when you cut down the amount you spend. Here are some easy ways to cut down your energy usage.

  • Keep your curtains closed
  • Only put the boiler on when heating is needed
  • Dry your clothes outside whenever you can (we do appreciate that this is the UK we’re talking about)
  • Move your furniture away from radiators to allow the heat to circulate better
  • Put lids on saucepans – voila, cooking is quicker and you use less gas/electric
  • Switch to energy saving bulbs and you could save around £35 a year

If you’re doing a good job of organising your bills as well as cutting down usage, and you’re still finding a big hole in your pocket every month, then the easiest thing to do is switch to a cheaper provider!

 

DFC is a leading revenue management solutions provider using the latest technology and a belief in total transparency to collect Direct Debits for thousands of happy customers. You can leave us to manage your payments, while you concentrate on running – and growing – your business. Find out more here.

 

Why outsource your Direct Debit administration?

Direct Debit is the most popular collection method for memberships and subscriptions. If you run a gym, an energy company or a magazine subscription service, then it’s likely that Direct Debit is responsible for generating your primary revenue stream.

But like any mundane finance task, Direct Debit management isn’t as cut and dry as dipping into your customer’s pockets on a weekly or monthly basis. If you fall into any of the above categories, you will appreciate that maintenance is a continuous cycle.

 

What are the benefits of using Direct Debit?

Direct Debit comes with a plethora of advantages over other collection methods:

  • It’s a much cheaper alternative than cash, cheque or card.
  • The cost benefits open your organisation up to discounts and incentives for people who sign up on Direct Debit.
  • Your organisation is responsible for all customer transactions. Payments can be adjusted in line with the peaks and troughs of business.
  • The cost spreading of Direct Debit allows for much more accurate forecasting. You can pre-empt exactly how much you are likely to be bringing in in a set month.
  • Even with the constant maintenance, it still requires less administration than cards or standing order because payments are automatic.
  • Direct Debit mandates are paperless. You can collect as many as you want and it won’t take up any physical space.
  • Finally, customers prefer it. Giving them the benefits to spread the cost automatically makes their lives easier.

 

If the benefits of Direct Debit are so ample on their own, why outsource?

Your admin team might be brilliant folks. But here’s the real question: are they getting you more bang for your buck?

Direct Debit is about more than money management. It is a money generator in itself, and several of the above benefits, when enhanced, can have direct implications on attrition rates and the acquisition and retention of customers.

The main catch for this is that it needs to be managed fully to reap the benefits and this is a difficult task for a busy finance/administration team. Here are just some of the reasons you should consider outsourcing your Direct Debits to a bureau:

 

Credit control – not only are Direct Debit bureaus highly adept and experienced in keeping check of late payments, they do the chasing for you.

Advice – as experts in the field, Direct Debit bureaus are well-placed to help you develop a membership or subscription package that entices prospective customers.

Customer service – Direct Debit queries are a time-sucker, no doubt about it. Most Direct Debit bureaus will offer a customer helpline for advice on joining, cancelling, defaulted payments and more. Your team are saved the hassle of having to take calls and learn the ropes in this respect.

Reporting – Direct Debit bureaus will usually offer reporting services which keep you in the loop on your paying customers and cashflow.

Better solutions – products such as online joining are convenient for your team and your customers. Your customers can sign up beyond the realms of a normal 9-5 without input from an employee. It’s quick and simple.

Likewise, MyPayments is DFC’s, way of managing defaulted payments without any embarrassment to the customer. An easy way for customers to sort their late payments, DFC has seen over a 50% success rate in payments on members in stage one of the default process.

 

DFC is a leading revenue management solutions provider, offering transparent Direct Debit solutions to a wealth of clients across the UK.

Our mission is to make our clients business easier and help improve your relationships with your customers so that they stay longer. You can leave us to collect your Direct Debits, while you concentrate on running – and growing – your business.

 

 

Is open banking safe?

What is open banking?

It’s a term most of us have heard of, but few really know what it means. Though you’ve probably seen stacks of open banking services advertised without even realising it.

For the uninitiated, open banking is the sharing of transactional data with third-parties outside of an individual’s personal bank. Under new rules that came into force in January, consumers can securely share data to money management service providers to help them better organise their users finances.

The most common of these have appeared in the form of apps – think Mint, Emma and Money Dashboard. There are a plethora of ways that companies are using this new-found freedom, including stock investments, incoming vs outgoing management, pension control and personal spend allocation.

 

Is it safe?

As you might expect, open banking is a controversial topic. Some are hailing it as a revolution, whilst others are concerned about the dangers posed by sharing data.

But despite such unchartered territory for banking, it’s fair to say that open banking is safe. To explain this in more detail, we need to first tell you how open banking works.

The process of transmitting personal data from the bank to a third-party service provider takes place through an API. In a nutshell, an API is a function that enables company A to access the data in the software or operating system of company B. For example, whenever you use an online travel service to choose a flight, you’ll see an array of information from a range of airlines. All this information is pulled through using an API.

In the case of online banking, your transactional data will be fed back to you through the same process. There is absolutely no need to hand over your login details.

 

How do I know if a provider is approved?

All banks involved in this process have to comply with brand new Open Banking Regulations that ensure your account information is secure. Above all, open banking applications cannot access your information without your permission and you can opt-out at any time.

Service providers offering open banking services must be authorised on the Financial Conduct Authority Register or the Open Banking Directory. An easier way of finding this out is to look for a registration number on their website or app.

It’s worth bearing in mind that there will be a relatively long period of time in which to get every provider authorised, so if you’re still unsure, ask the provider in question.

 

DFC is a leading revenue management solutions provider, delivering bespoke Direct Debit solutions that drive growth and retention. To find out more about their products and services, head to https://www.debitfinance.co.uk/solutions.