Guides
Setting up Mandates
Direct Debit Mandates Verified Mandates Collecting mandates offline Importing MandatesSend an outbound payment
Adding a new recipient Initiate an outbound payment Approve an outbound payment Cancel an outbound paymentSetting up mandates / collecting payments
Billing Request with Actions: Setting up a Direct Debit mandate Collecting a Direct Debit payment Billing Request with Actions: Taking an Instant Bank Payment Billing Request with Actions Dual Flow: Taking an Instant Bank Payment and setting up a Direct Debit mandateOne-off Direct Debit
What are One-off Direct Debits payments?
One-off Direct Debits allow you to collect fixed or variable amounts from your customers on a flexible schedule. The customer sets up a Direct Debit mandate once; after that, you can collect payments of any amount at any time without requiring re-authorisation.
When to use One-off Direct Debit payments
Usage-based billing (utilities, metered services)
Professional services with variable monthly charges
Invoice payments
One-off Direct Debits vs Instant Bank Payments
One-off via Direct Debit | Instant Bank Pay | |
|---|---|---|
Mandate required | Yes | No |
Customer authorisation | Once (mandate setup) | Per payment |
Confirmation speed | 2-5 business days | Minutes |
Re-use for future payments | Yes, collect again without re-authorisation | No, new authorisation each time |
Protection | Scheme-specific | None |
Customer experience | One-time setup, then hands-off | The bank app redirects each time |
When to use Instant Bank Pay instead? For time-sensitive payments, consider Instant Bank Pay, which confirms within seconds. However if you expect to charge the customer more than once it’s usually better to stick with Direct Debit, as Instant Bank Pay requires the customer to open their banking app and confirm every payment.
When to combine both: If you need immediate confirmation for the first payment but also want a mandate for future charges, use the combined Instant Payment + DD Setup flow instead.
How it works
The customer sets up a mandate via your chosen integration
You create a payment against the mandate via the API
GoCardless collects the payment (typically 2-5 business days)
You receive a webhook confirming the payment status
Funds are included in your next payout
Key differences from recurring payments: You control when and how much to charge. There's no automatic schedule; you create each payment individually via the API.