Disclosure: This article is educational and may include affiliate-oriented recommendations. We do not provide tax, legal, accounting, or financial advice. Product terms, pricing, and rules change, so verify details with the official provider or a qualified professional before acting.
Who this is for
- Small businesses that want to stop mailing checks
- Owners paying recurring suppliers, landlords, agencies, or contractors from invoices
- Teams using QuickBooks, Xero, or spreadsheets to track bills
- Businesses that want a cleaner audit trail for payments
Core steps
- Ask the vendor which bank transfer method they accept. Domestic vendors often accept ACH, while some international vendors require wire or a specialized transfer service.
- Collect bank details through a secure process and verify them before the first payment.
- Match the invoice to the vendor record and confirm the amount, due date, and payment terms.
- Schedule the transfer with enough time for settlement and any internal approval.
- Save the confirmation and reconcile it against the bank account and accounting system.
Price and cost notes
Your bank, bill pay platform, or transfer provider controls fees. ACH, wire, check mailing, international transfer, and card funded payment costs can differ widely. Check official pricing for Melio, your bank, or any payment provider before assuming one method is cheapest.
Pros
- Less mail handling and fewer paper checks
- Better timing control for recurring vendor bills
- Cleaner payment records when confirmations are saved properly
- Potentially easier accounting sync if you use bill pay software
Cons
- Wrong bank details can send money to the wrong place
- Some vendors still prefer checks or card payments
- International transfers can add fees and compliance checks
- Manual bank portals can still create bookkeeping cleanup work
Next step
Pick one recurring vendor, verify their payment details, and test the full bank transfer workflow from invoice to reconciliation.