Which payment methods should you offer?
Updated 2026-06-18
A lot of late payment isn’t because the client doesn’t want to pay — it’s that paying is too much hassle: they have to ask for your account, switch apps, remember a pile of details. Reducing payment friction is the most underrated way to get paid faster.
How to choose payment methods
There’s no single “best” method, only the mix that suits your clients:
- Bank transfer: low cost, good for larger B2B, but slower to land and needs the client to act manually.
- Online payment link / QR: one tap to pay, lowest friction, fastest collection; usually carries a fee.
- Credit card: convenient for the client but higher fees — suited to smaller B2C amounts.
- Third-party / platform payment: depends on what’s mainstream in your region and industry.
Rule of thumb: offer one or two convenient options, but not so many it causes choice paralysis.
How to present them on the invoice
The clearer the payment method, the faster they pay:
- Put the account or payment link right on the invoice — don’t make the client ask (see what to include on an invoice).
- Add a line like “pay via any of the methods below” to lower the mental barrier.
- Include the amount, payee name and a reference (the invoice number) in full, so they pay correctly first time.
Balancing cost and speed
- Larger, thin-margin jobs: prefer low-cost methods (bank transfer).
- Small jobs where you want fast turnover: prefer low-friction methods (payment links) — the faster collection often outweighs the fee.
- To quantify the change in collection speed, check the DSO calculator periodically.
Make paying frictionless end to end
Set up the payment methods well, add timely reminders, and you noticeably shorten the collection cycle. Use the invoice generator to issue an invoice with clear payment methods; to automate reminders and chasing, take a look at Duefy.