Open site navigation sidebar Breadcrumb Resources Direct Debit: a beginner's guide The Direct Debit Guarantee: A beginner's guide Download guide Table of contents What is Direct Debit? What can Direct Debit do for my business? How does Direct Debit work? Introduction to Direct Debit Mandates Paper vs Paperless Direct Debit Introduction to taking payments with Direct Debit The Direct Debit Guarantee: A beginner's guide How does Direct Debit compare to other payment methods? How can I access Direct Debit? Glossary of UK Direct Debit terms A brief explanation of what the Direct Debit Guarantee is and what it means to you. The Direct Debit Guarantee provides a number of safeguards for customers to protect them from payments being taken incorrectly or fraudulently. (It is also known as the “Direct Debit Indemnity”.) In practice, less than 0.2% of payments are charged back. We've written about the Direct Debit Guarantee in more detail in our Direct Debit Guide but thought it might be useful to explain very briefly what the guarantee is and what it means to you. How does the Direct Debit Guarantee protect customers? In a nutshell, the Guarantee protects customers in three ways: Advance notice. Customers must be told the amount and date of each payment in advance. To help you check whether you are giving Advance Notice correctly we have put together six quick questions for you. Immediate refunds. Customers can get a full and immediate refund from their bank (known as an “indemnity claim”) for any payment taken in error. Instant cancellations. Customers can cancel a Direct Debit at any time through their bank. 3 useful tips to prevent non-fraudulent indemnity claims Provide clear contact information and good customer service. This will encourage customers to channel their complaints to you first, before calling up their bank to request a refund. Send invoices in advance. This gives customers a chance to raise any issues and, if necessary, cancel a payment before it is made. Follow the Direct Debit scheme rules. Make sure you or your provider precisely follow the rules around mandates and timings. Minimise the risk of indemnity claims with GoCardless Our processes are designed to minimise the risk of our clients receiving an indemnity claim: Invoices sent in advance for you. We give your customers three days notice of any payments via email. Provide clear contact information and good customer service. GoCardless offer a first stop for customer support. We help you to manage any indemnity claims from your customers. Immediately notify you of any claims. We will notify you of any claims immediately and then work with you and your customer to understand the reason and retake the payment if appropriate. Follow the Direct Debit scheme rules. GoCardless keep up to date with all Direct Debit scheme rules. We precisely follow all the Direct Debit rules and help you to do the same. To find out more about the Direct Debit Guarantee check out our tips on how you can avoid or dispute indemnity claims. GoCardless is used by over 60,000 businesses around the world. Learn more about how you can improve payment processing at your business today. Learn more Sign Up Previous Introduction to taking payments with Direct Debit Next What is the best way to take regular payments? Recommended for you 2 min read — Payments What Is the Impact of Payment Innovations? 2 min read — Payments Guide to QR Code Payments 2 min read — Accountants How to Pay Tax as a Freelancer 2 min read — Payments Guide to Upfront Payments for Freelancers 2 min read — Payments How to Accept ACH Payments Online 3 min read — Enterprise The 8 payment dimensions: Churn Interested in automating the way you get paid? GoCardless can help Contact sales How it works? Invoice payments Recurring payments Partner integrations API Help & Resources Customer Hub Guides FAQ IDC Business Value white paper API documentation Customer Offers Security RSS About GoCardless About us Careers Blog Press Privacy Legal Cookies Partner with us Modern Slavery Statement Contact Us Sales Contact sales +44 20 8338 9539 Support Request support +44 20 8338 9540 Seen 'GoCardless Ltd' on your bank statement? Learn more GoCardless Ltd., Sutton Yard, 65 Goswell Road, London, EC1V 7EN, United Kingdom GoCardless (company registration number 07495895) is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Services Regulations 2017, registration number 597190, for the provision of payment services. GoCardless SAS (23-25 Avenue Mac-Mahon, Paris, 75017, France), an affiliate of GoCardless Ltd (company registration number 834 422 180, R.C.S. PARIS), is authorised by the ACPR (French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority), Bank Code (CIB) 17118, for the provision of payment services. United Kingdom