What Bank Transfer Does
Bank Transfer is a manual gateway — it shows your bank account details to the client and instructs them to transfer money directly. No payment processing happens automatically. An admin must confirm each payment received.
This gateway is ideal for:
- Regions where card payments are uncommon
- B2B clients who pay by bank transfer on 30-day terms
- Corporate accounts requiring formal purchase order processes
- Clients who are uncomfortable entering card details online
Configuration
Go to Admin → Settings → Payment Gateways → Bank Transfer and fill in:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Bank Name | e.g. "HSBC UK", "ING Netherlands" |
| Account Name | Name on the bank account |
| Account Number | Your bank account number |
| Sort Code / Routing Number | UK sort code or US routing number |
| SWIFT / BIC | International identifier (required for international transfers) |
| IBAN | Full IBAN (optional but recommended for EU clients) |
| Extra Instructions | Any additional text shown to the client (e.g. "Please allow 3–5 business days") |
Click Save and enable the Bank Transfer toggle.
[!IMPORTANT] All fields except Bank Name and Account Number are optional, but you should fill in every field applicable to your bank. Clients need complete details to make the transfer correctly. A missing IBAN or SWIFT code can cause international transfers to be rejected or delayed.
Client Experience
When a client selects Bank Transfer on the payment page:
- Your bank details are displayed in a clear table
- The invoice number is shown as the required payment reference (e.g.
INV-2026-00042) - The client clicks I have made the transfer to submit
- A pending payment record is created — the invoice remains
unpaid - Commerce shows a confirmation message: "Thank you. Your payment is pending confirmation."
[!TIP] Instruct clients to always use the invoice number as their payment reference. This is the only way to match incoming bank transfers to specific invoices. Add this instruction to the Extra Instructions field.
Confirming a Payment
When you receive the bank transfer:
- Go to Admin → Invoices → [invoice]
- Click Record Payment
- Set the amount received
- Set the date (the date the transfer arrived)
- Set the gateway to "Manual"
- Paste the bank transaction reference in the Reference field
- Click Save
If the amount matches the invoice total, the invoice is marked paid and any linked provisioning is triggered.
Alternatively, use the quick Mark Paid button on Admin → Clients → [client] → Invoices tab.
No Automation
Bank Transfer has no webhook, no API, and no automated confirmation. Everything is manual:
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| Automatic payment confirmation | No |
| Partial payment recording | Yes (manual) |
| Refunds via gateway API | No |
| Refund as credit note | Yes |
To "refund" a bank transfer, issue a credit note through the Commerce refund interface. Commerce adds the amount to the client's account credit. You must process the actual bank transfer back to the client outside Commerce (via your bank's online portal).
Using Bank Transfer with Other Gateways
Bank Transfer can be enabled alongside card gateways (Stripe, PayPal, etc.). Clients choose their preferred payment method. A common configuration:
- Stripe for immediate card payments
- Bank Transfer for corporate/B2B clients on invoice terms
[!TIP] For B2B clients who always pay by bank transfer, consider setting a longer payment due date (e.g. 30 days) for their invoices. Use the Due Date field when creating manual invoices or in the product settings for recurring services.