If you’re already charging your customers via another Direct Debit provider, we may be able to move your existing customers’ mandates over to GoCardless for you.
Please note: This request is taken on a case-by-case basis and it is not guaranteed that you will be able to move your existing mandates over to GoCardless from a previous provider.
Requesting a bulk change of customer mandates
GoCardless must confirm details of payments taken via the previous provider. Such information may include:
- Your current Direct Debit provider
- Number of active mandates
- Average transaction size
- Payment frequency (e.g. monthly/annual)
- If you have valid email addresses for all customers
Process overview
1. Create a GoCardless account (if you have not done so already)
2. Complete the verification process
Your details will need to be fully verified before you’re able to upload the bulk change file to import your customers’ details. If you would like more information on completing the verification process, please click here.
3. Contact GoCardless to request a bulk change
GoCardless take all bulk change requests on a case-by-case basis. To request this please email help@gocardless.com.
4. Contact your current Direct Debit provider
Once we’ve confirmed we can perform a bulk change for you, you will need to contact your current provider to advise them that you wish to migrate your customers' mandates to GoCardless. (You will need to organise a date to bulk change your customer mandates with both your existing provider and GoCardless).
Your previous provider will send you a file with the customer data. Please let your GoCardless Onboarding Advisor know once you’ve received this.
5. Import your customer details to GoCardless
Once you’ve confirmed to us that you have received the file from your existing provider, we will enable the import function on your account to upload your customers’ details. You can see a step-by-step guide on how to import this information here.
6. Notify your customers
Merchants are required to notify customers that they’ve switched Direct Debit provider, and confirm the details of their change in Creditor Identifier (CID) and the customer’s new mandate reference.
If you are joining GoCardless on our Standard or Plus packages, you will only know your customers' mandate references once they have been set up with GoCardless. Merchants using our Pro package are able to set their own preferred custom mandate references.
You can see more information regarding notifying your customers by clicking here.
7. Cancel subscriptions with previous provider
If you have set up recurring payments with your previous provider, these instructions should be cancelled to avoid duplicate charges.
8. Create a payment
Your customers’ mandates will be created against their respective bank accounts upon submission of their first payment. Please click here to see more on how to create one-off payments. You can also click here to learn how to create recurring payments.
Checklist
Here’s a checklist you can use to help keep track of where you are in the
process:
🔲 GoCardless account has been fully verified
🔲 Requested a bulk change from GoCardless
🔲 Agreed a bulk change date with previous provider
🔲 Requested customer information from previous provider
🔲 Imported customer data to GoCardless dashboard
🔲 Notified customers before they are charged
🔲 Cancelled recurring payment instructions with previous provider