AccessPay vs London & Zurich Direct Debit

AccessPay connects business finance and back-office systems to banks for payments, collections, and bank statement retrieval. It supports Bacs, Faster Payments, CHAPS, SWIFT, SEPA, and Direct Debit collections, and says it connects finance applications with more than 11,000 banks worldwide. ERP, payroll, and other back-office systems can connect through SWIFT, Host-to-Host, EBICS, sFTP, or API. Its file transformation engine handles formats including CSV, Standard18, and PAIN, as well as less common formats. Fraud and error controls include payment screening, beneficiary checking, sanctions screening, and Confirmation of Payee capabilities. Security measures listed include masked and encrypted transaction data, MFA or SSO login, user access controls, segregation of duties, and audit trails. The platform does not cap transaction count or value, though payment schemes may set their own value limits. Pricing is on request and depends on estimated annual transaction volumes, users, and required configurations and workflows. Initial setup carries a one-time professional services fee of 25%; bank fees are separate.

London & Zurich Direct Debit provides collection services and administration software for businesses. It supports regular, recurring, and one-off payments after customers authorise Direct Debit collection. The DDMS portal handles mandate creation, Bacs submission, compliance, reporting, failed payments, reconciliation, accounting, and scheduling. Businesses can use their own Service User Number or operate under London & Zurich’s; the company says it can obtain one through its sponsor bank for organisations without a SUN. Integration options include a RESTful API, accounting connections, a test environment, developer documentation, and specialist integration support. API access is included within a solution, with costs depending on integration needs and setup. The service can be white labelled so bank statements show the customer business’s name. London & Zurich describes AWS hosting, UK-based servers, multi-factor authentication, 24/7 monitoring, Cyber Essentials Plus, FCA authorisation, and Bacs Approved Bureau status. Pricing is on request, with Business, Foundation, and Enterprise/Reseller options.