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Payment Methods Cheat Sheet

Use this page when you need the answer in 30 seconds, not 30 minutes.

Cost Comparison​

MethodPer-Transaction CostNotes
Credit Card2.5-3.5%Varies by card type and merchant category
Debit (Regulated)0.05% + $0.21-$0.22Durbin-regulated banks (>$10B assets)
Debit (Exempt)0.8-1.0% + $0.15Small bank cards
ACH$0.20-$1.00Plus potential return fees
Same Day ACH$0.30-$1.50Premium over standard ACH
RTP/FedNow$0.01-$0.50Varies by volume
Push-to-Card0.5-1.5%Visa Direct / Mastercard Send
Wire$25-$40 flatPlus receiving fees
BNPL2-8%Varies by provider and volume
PayPal2.99-3.49% + $0.49Varies by product
Open Banking (UK/EU)0.1-0.5%Much cheaper than cards
Mobile Money1-3%Varies by market
Carrier Billing15-30%High fees, high conversion
eCash/Vouchers2-5%Boleto, OXXO, Paysafecard

Settlement Timing​

MethodAuthorizationSettlementFunding
Credit CardReal-timeT+1-2T+2-3
Debit CardReal-timeT+1T+1-2
ACHBatchT+1-2T+1-2
Same Day ACHBatch (intraday)Same daySame day
RTP/FedNowReal-timeInstantInstant
WireReal-timeSame daySame day
Push-to-CardReal-timeMinutesMinutes
BNPLReal-timeT+1-2T+1-2

T = Transaction date. All times are business days.

Push vs. Pull & Reversibility​

MethodPush/PullReversible?Who Can ReverseReversal Window
Credit CardPullYesCardholder/Issuer120 days
Debit CardPullYesCardholder/Issuer (Reg E)60 days
ACH CreditPushLimitedODFI in special cases5 days (most)
ACH DebitPullYesRDFI/Customer60 days (unauthorized)
RTP/FedNowPushNoOnly voluntary refundN/A
WirePushNoOnly bank cooperationN/A
PIX/UPI/etc.PushVery limitedScheme-specificVaries
SEPA CreditPushLimitedVery limited recall10 days
SEPA Direct DebitPullYesCustomer8 weeks (no questions)

Key insight:

  • Pull methods (cards, direct debit) = merchant at risk of reversal
  • Push methods (RTP, wire) = sender at risk, irrevocable

Dispute/Chargeback Windows​

MethodDispute WindowMerchant Response Window
Credit Card120 days from transactionVaries (often 7-20 days)
Debit Card60 days (Reg E)Varies (often 7-20 days)
ACH2 days (most) / 60 days (unauthorized)Limited
RTP/FedNowNone (irrevocable)N/A
WireNone (irrevocable)N/A
BNPLProvider-specificProvider handles
PayPal180 days10 days typically
SEPA DD8 weeks (no questions) / 13 months (unauthorized)N/A

Fraud & Risk Matrix (Simplified)​

MethodPrimary Fraud PatternDispute MechanismConversion Impact
Credit Card (CNP)Stolen cards, friendly fraudNetwork chargebackBaseline
Credit Card (CP)Lost/stolen (reduced by EMV)Network chargebackBaseline
Debit CardATO, lost/stolenChargeback + Reg ESlightly lower
Apple/Google PayVery low (tokenization + biometrics)Card chargeback30-50% uplift on mobile
PayPalATO, INR/SNAD claimsWallet dispute (buyer-friendly)30-50% uplift
ACH DebitUnauthorized debitsR10/R29 returnsLower (friction)
RTP/FedNowSocial engineering, BECNoneN/A (mostly payouts)
Push-to-CardATO, misdirected payoutsNoneN/A (payouts only)
WireBEC, vendor impersonationNoneN/A (B2B only)
BNPLFirst-party "never pay"Provider handles20-40% uplift
Crypto via PSPCompromised wallets, AMLNone (complaints only)Niche
Mobile MoneySIM swapProvider-specificEssential in market

Quick Decision Tree​

US Consumer E-commerce​

Cards + Apple Pay + Google Pay + PayPal
  → Add BNPL if AOV > $50
  → Add Venmo/Cash App if young demographic

B2B / SaaS / Invoice​

Cards + ACH
  → Add wires for > $50K
  → SEPA DD for EU recurring

Global Marketplace​

Cards + PayPal + local APMs per market
  (PIX, UPI, iDEAL, OXXO, M-Pesa, etc.)
  → RTP or push-to-card for instant seller payouts

Payouts​

ACH (cheap, 1-2 days)
  → Same Day ACH (same day)
  → RTP/FedNow (instant, needs bank enrollment)
  → Push-to-card (instant, any debit card, 0.5-1.5%)

Regional Payment Preferences​

RegionDominant Methods
US/CanadaCards, ACH
UKCards, Open Banking, Direct Debit
EU (Euro)Cards, SEPA, iDEAL (NL), Bancontact (BE)
GermanyCards, SOFORT, Giropay
BrazilPIX, Boleto, Cards
MexicoCards, OXXO, SPEI
ChinaAlipay, WeChat Pay, UnionPay
IndiaUPI, Cards
JapanCards, Konbini, PayPay, JCB
Southeast AsiaGrabPay, GoPay, ShopeePay
AfricaM-Pesa, MTN MoMo, Cards

Cross-Border Cost Factors​

FactorTypical Cost/Impact
FX conversion1-3% of transaction value
Cross-border interchange+0.5-1% vs domestic card rates
Local entity setup$5K-$50K+ per jurisdiction
VAT/GST collection15-25% of revenue (remitted to government)
Payment method localizationDev time + ongoing maintenance per market
Fund repatriationBank/wire fees + potential delays

For the full international picture, see International Payments.

ACH Return Codes (Common)​

CodeMeaningAction
R01Insufficient FundsRetry or contact customer
R02Account ClosedFind alternate payment
R03No Account/Unable to LocateVerify account number
R10Customer Advises UnauthorizedInvestigate fraud
R29Corporate Customer Not AuthorizedSerious, investigate

Network Comparison​

NetworkUS Market ShareTypical InterchangeNotes
Visa~52%Varies by categoryLargest, most complex rates
Mastercard~32%Varies by categoryVery similar to Visa
American Express~7%2.0-3.5%OptBlue for small merchants
Discover~4%Similar to Visa/MCOften slightly lower

See Also​