For decades, Direct Debit via the BECS system has powered recurring payments across industries like utilities, insurance, education, SaaS, and financial services. But that era is ending: BECS is planned to be decommissioned by 2030, and with it, the traditional direct debit model.
Enter PayTo — a real-time, account-to-account payment system built for today's digital economy. While the transition is inevitable, how your business adopts it will define your competitive position.
Why You Need to Be Thinking About It Now
Direct Debit isn't just outdated — it doesn't align with modern payment operational needs nor with customer expectations:
- Slow and batch-based: Settlement and dishonour notifications can take days.
- Opaque and error-prone: Failures are detected too late.
- Vulnerable: Relies on BSB/account numbers with minimal fraud prevention.
- Outdated infrastructure: Limited support for customer control or real-time visibility.
The shift to PayTo shouldn't be viewed as optional — it's an industry-wide transition already underway. Moving early gives you a head start in delivering better customer experiences, improving cash flow, and avoiding last-minute disruption.
What is PayTo?
PayTo is a real-time, bank-authorised pull-payment system. Like direct debit, it allows a business to debit a customer's account — but with real-time processing, smarter controls, and embedded digital authorisation.
What Makes It Different
- Instant confirmation of payment success or failure (vs. waiting 3+ days).
- 24/7 availability, even on weekends or holidays.
- Built-in fraud and error protection via real-time account validation.
- Rich reference data for easy reconciliation and reporting.
- Customer-managed authorisations (pause, cancel, approve) via banking apps.
How Glider Stands Apart
Every PayTo transaction rides on the same national rails. But that's only the foundation. What matters to your business is what gets built on top — and how it integrates into your systems, processes, and customer journey.
Most providers offer a technical gateway to PayTo — APIs and compliance tools that still require in-house buildout. Glider is different. We deliver enterprise-grade orchestration that wraps around the payment — automating, integrating, and optimising every part of the customer payment journey.
Glider enables you to not just use PayTo, but to deliver smarter, faster, and more intuitive payment experiences — with minimal lift from your internal teams.
Why Businesses Are Making the Switch
- Faster access to funds
- Lower admin overhead: No more chasing ghost debits or mystery transfers
- Better customer compliance: Visibility in banking apps builds trust and reduces disputes
- Proactive issue resolution through instant pause/cancel notifications
- Better control and reporting across billing, finance, and operations
And with BECS retiring, this is not just an opportunity — it's a deadline.
Get Ahead Now
Direct Debit has served its purpose but its time is up. Businesses that delay shifting to PayTo risk disrupted payments, frustrated customers, and high-stakes re-platforming at the last minute.
Don't just replace the rail. Redesign your payment experience around it. Talk to our team to see how Glider can help you transition to PayTo.
