A convenient, secure payment option customers trust

A direct debit payment is an automatic bank payment where a merchant – or in this case, Riverty – is authorised to collect funds directly from a consumer’s bank account. The consumer provides their IBAN once at checkout, and payments are collected automatically on the due date. It’s one of the most trusted and widely used payment methods across DACH and the Netherlands, particularly for consumers who prefer not to use credit cards or who want a familiar, straightforward checkout experience.

SEPA direct debit is the standardised bank debit payment system used across Europe. When a consumer selects direct debit at checkout and enters their IBAN, Riverty auto-generates a SEPA mandate authorising the collection. The consumer receives a pre-notification of the charge 3 to 5 days before it’s taken. Riverty manages the full process from there – collection, chargeback handling, dunning, and recovery – the merchant receives payment without getting involved in any of it.

Direct debit payment for merchants is available via Riverty’s integration. Once set up, it appears at checkout alongside other Riverty payment methods. Riverty auto-generates SEPA mandates, validates and tokenises IBAN details, and manages the full post-payment process. Merchants have visibility on performance and settlement through the Riverty Merchant Portal. For merchants running subscription or recurring billing models, customers only ever need to enter their IBAN once – it’s stored securely and reused for every future transaction.

Yes. Riverty’s direct debit payment solution includes IBAN validation and tokenisation, meaning sensitive bank details are never stored in a raw format. SEPA mandates are auto-generated and consumer-authorised. Riverty also takes ownership of chargeback claims, removing the financial and operational risk from the merchant entirely. For consumers, the pre-notification system ensures they’re always informed before a charge is taken – no surprises.

Direct debit is deeply embedded in consumer behaviour across DACH and the Netherlands, making it a high-converting payment method for merchants operating in those markets. Beyond conversion, the ecommerce direct debit payments model with Riverty shifts the operational burden entirely; chargeback ownership, dunning, and recovery are all handled by Riverty, leaving merchants with predictable cash flow and none of the collection complexity. For subscription and recurring models, it’s particularly effective: once a customer’s IBAN is validated, it’s stored securely and never needs to be entered again.

If a direct debit payment fails, Riverty applies a chargeback fee and communicates directly with the consumer. If no payment is received, dunning begins eight days after the chargeback communication, handled entirely by Riverty, including any dunning fees. If no payment is received within 24 days after the dunning letter is sent, the invoice moves to debt collection, and the merchant is not involved at any stage of this process.

A mandate is the authorisation a consumer gives to allow funds to be collected directly from their bank account. With Riverty’s SEPA direct debit solution, mandates are auto-generated at checkout; no manual process, no paperwork. The consumer authorises the collection when they enter their IBAN, and Riverty handles everything from there. For merchants running recurring payments direct debit models – subscriptions, memberships, utility-style billing – the validated mandate functions as a recurring billing solution: reused securely across future transactions, with no repeat entry needed from the consumer.

Riverty’s direct debit payment solution is currently available in Germany, the Netherlands, and Austria. It’s particularly well-suited to merchants targeting consumers in DACH markets, where bank-based payments are a deeply embedded part of everyday shopping behaviour. For merchants operating across multiple markets, Riverty’s broader payment suite includes Pay in 3, fixed instalments, and 14- and 30-day invoice, each suited to local consumer preferences.