PayTo is an Australian account-to-account payment service built on the New Payments Platform. It enables a business or service provider to establish a digital payment agreement that the customer can authorise through their banking channel.
How it differs from direct debit
Traditional direct debit commonly relies on account and BSB details plus a mandate managed largely by the billing organisation. PayTo agreements are designed to be visible and manageable within a customer’s banking experience. Payments can move using the NPP’s real-time infrastructure, subject to participating institutions and service arrangements.
Potential business uses
- Recurring subscriptions and memberships
- Regular invoices and account payments
- Wallet or account funding
- One-off payments with an authorised agreement
- Alternative payment options for higher-value transactions
Questions for a provider
Ask about agreement creation, amendments, pauses and cancellation; customer-bank coverage; payment timing; dishonour handling; reconciliation identifiers; refunds; pricing; and API or platform integration. Customer communication matters because the authorisation experience differs from entering a card.
PayTo should be evaluated as part of a payment mix, not solely as a card replacement. Consider conversion, operational workflows, customer preferences, failure handling and total cost.