Payment methods

Payment methods represent how funds move into and out of Moov accounts.

Payment methods are determined by an account's linked funding sources: bank accounts, cards, or Moov wallets. When a funding source is linked, the associated payment methods become available. Some payment methods, such as ach-debit-collect, require additional steps like verifying the bank account.

Each payment method has its own characteristics:

  • Speed: Instant, same-day, or 1-2 business days
  • Network: ACH, card networks (Visa/Mastercard), or real-time rails (RTP/FedNow)
  • Risk: Exposure to chargebacks and returns varies by method
  • Cost: Processing fees differ across payment rails

Payment methods are separate from capabilities.
A payment method defines how money moves, while a capability defines what actions an account can perform.

  • Source payment methods specify where funds originate
  • Destination payment methods specify where funds are delivered

Most payment methods work in a single direction. The exception is moov-wallet, which can be both a source and a destination.


Source payment methods

Source payment methods fund a transfer. The source is where the money comes from.

Payment method Funding source Description Can send to
moov-wallet Moov wallet Transfer from a wallet balance Wallet, Bank, Card
ach-debit-fund Verified bank account Debit a bank account to fund a wallet or payouts Wallet
ach-debit-collect Verified bank account Debit a bank account for a consumer or B2B payment Wallet
card-payment Card Charge a credit or debit card Wallet
apple-pay Apple Pay Accept Apple Pay Wallet
pull-from-card Debit/prepaid card Pull funds from a debit or prepaid card Wallet

Destination payment methods

Destination payment methods receive a transfer. The destination is where money goes.

Payment method Funding source Description Can receive from
moov-wallet Moov wallet Credit a wallet balance Wallet, Bank, Card
ach-credit-standard Bank account Credit a bank account (1-2 business days) Wallet
ach-credit-same-day Bank account Credit a bank account (same day) Wallet
instant-bank-credit Bank account Real-time credit via RTP or FedNow Wallet
rtp-credit Bank account Real-time credit via RTP (deprecated) Wallet
push-to-card Debit/prepaid card Instant credit to a debit card Wallet

Payment methods and capabilities

Payment methods belong to an individual account, but capabilities determine what the initiating account is allowed to do.

  • When collecting funds, the destination account requires a collect-funds capability.
  • When sending funds, the source account requires a send-funds capability.

Collecting funds

The destination account pulls from a payment method owned by the source (payer).
The payer only needs transfers.

Source payment method Destination account needs
card-payment, apple-pay collect-funds.card-payments
ach-debit-collect collect-funds.ach
pull-from-card money-transfer.pull-from-card

Example:
A merchant accepting a card payment pulls from the payer’s card-payment method.
The merchant (destination) needs collect-funds.card-payments and wallet.balance.
The payer (source) only needs transfers.


Sending funds

The source account pushes to a payment method owned by the destination (recipient).
The recipient only needs transfers.

Destination payment method Source account needs
ach-credit-standard, ach-credit-same-day send-funds.ach
instant-bank-credit, rtp-credit send-funds.instant-bank
push-to-card send-funds.push-to-card or money-transfer.push-to-card

Example:
A business sending a payout via ach-credit-same-day pushes funds to the recipient’s bank account.
The business (source) needs send-funds.ach and wallet.balance.
The recipient (destination) only needs transfers.

For full details, see the capabilities reference and enablement guide.


Funding source requirements

Payment methods require linked and verified funding sources:

  • Bank account credit methods (ach-credit-same-day, instant-bank-credit, etc.) require a linked bank account
  • Bank account debit methods (ach-debit-fund, ach-debit-collect) require a verified bank account
  • Card-based methods (card-payment, push-to-card, etc.) require a linked card
  • Wallet-based methods (moov-wallet) require an enabled wallet

Get payment methods

To retrieve payment methods for an account, use the:

List payment methods

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curl -X GET "https://api.moov.io/accounts/{accountID}/payment-methods" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {token}" \
  -H "x-moov-version: v2024.01.00" \
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mc, _ := moov.NewClient()

var accountID string

mc.ListPaymentMethods(ctx, accountID)
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const moov = Moov(token);

moov.paymentMethods.list(accountID);

Retrieve payment method

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curl -X GET "https://api.moov.io/accounts/{accountID}/payment-methods/{paymentMethodID}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {token}" \
  -H "x-moov-version: v2024.01.00" \
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mc, _ := moov.NewClient()

var accountID string
var paymentMethodID string

mc.GetPaymentMethod(ctx, accountID, paymentMethodID)

Transfer limits

The table below describes Moov platform or payment network limits. Individual accounts may have lower limits depending on verification and underwriting.

To request higher limits, contact Moov.

Payment method Limit
ach-debit-fund (same day) $1,000,000
ach-debit-fund (standard) $99,999,999.99
ach-debit-collect (same day) $1,000,000
ach-debit-collect (standard) $99,999,999.99
ach-credit-same-day $500,000
ach-credit-standard $99,999,999.99
instant-bank-credit $10,000,000
rtp-credit $10,000,000
moov-wallet (as source) Lesser of $99,999,999.99 or availableBalance
card-payment $99,999,999.99
apple-pay $99,999,999.99
push-to-card $25,000
pull-from-card $10,000
Summary Beta