Bank account linking is the future

Online merchants have long favoured bank cards as a payment method for a number of reasons. Their reach was one of the main selling points. For some time, card payments were among the most popular payment options, and frankly, there wasn’t much else to choose from when it came to digital payments.

However, open banking and the European PSD2 Directive allowed for new payment methods to step into the market and offer payment options that outweigh the cards in many ways. One such method is Account-to-Account (A2A) payments. According to the 2021 McKinsey Global Payments Report, “The pandemic accelerated ongoing declines in cash usage and adoption of electronic and e-commerce transaction methods.” The report predicts that this trend will outlast the pandemic and create new opportunities for payment providers.

With the world turning away from old-fashioned payment methods, kevin. is here to offer merchants innovative payment solutions. kevin. has built an A2A payment feature, called bank account linking, which has many advantages that benefit both merchants and their customers.

What is bank account linking?

Bank account linking is a feature that allows clients to link their bank account to a mobile application or a website and pay for goods or services directly through their bank.

For example, many food delivery app users have their bank cards linked to the app. It’s practical since it allows paying for orders in a few clicks. However, users often have a number of similar apps linked to their cards. Once a card expires, all apps will require updating the information. The same applies if a bank card is lost.

Account linking allows linking a bank account rather than a bank card. It’s a convenient and secure way to pay for goods and services because it enables payments without any middlemen, as using cards involves. Eliminating card payments means merchants can save on card transaction fees. It also means that merchants can receive the payment instantly (when SEPA instant payments are available). Account linking creates a quicker checkout flow and offers a better user experience for customers. Once a client links their bank account to an app or web page, future payments can be made in one click directly from the bank account.

Bank account linking falls under the umbrella of Account-to-Account (A2A) payments and makes them even more convenient for the end-user. While A2A payments allow transfers from a client's bank account directly to a merchant’s account, account linking enables linking a bank account to a merchant’s site or app without the need to log in to the bank for every transaction.

How does account linking work?

First, to start using the account linking feature, a merchant needs to integrate kevin. payment infrastructure. kevin. has extensive, developer-friendly documentation that explains how to integrate. Our support team is also available 24/7 to assist with any questions.

When a client pays for goods or services via the merchant’s app or website, they can choose to link their bank account. To do that, the client needs to connect to their bank account. Once that’s complete, all the payments for the next 90 days can be done in one click. As a security precaution, after 90 days, the client needs to log in to their bank again to confirm they still want to have their account linked.

Benefits

Account linking brings various benefits to merchants and their clients. Here are some of the advantages:

1. Increased conversion rates

Account linking can help merchants increase their conversion rates by offering a payment method with improved checkout flow. Clients will no longer need to fish out their bank cards when paying for goods or services. They also won’t need to enter all the payment details for every payment. Once the bank account is linked, consumers can conveniently check out in one click without leaving the merchant’s app or website.

2. Higher client retention rates

Once your client links their bank account, all the payments for the next 90 days can be done in one click. A convenient and straightforward checkout may increase your client retention rate because they’ll know that they can easily shop for your products or services.

3. Security

As already mentioned, account linking eliminates bank cards and enables end-users to pay directly from their bank accounts. With card fraud remaining a pressing issue, removing bank cards from the payment flow eliminates card fraud risk.

4. Lower transaction costs

Each card transaction may include up to 15 different fees. Account linking allows merchants to cut card transaction fees because cards no longer need to be involved. By eliminating cards, merchants can significantly save on unnecessary costs with every transaction.

5. Quicker payouts

Depending on the payment method, it takes days or even weeks for money to travel from a client's bank account to a merchant’s account. With kevin. account linking feature, the funds can instantly reach the merchant’s account if SEPA instant payments are available. Once the money is transferred, merchants can send out the goods without any chargeback risks.

Account linking helps uniPark offer safer payments

uniPark, part of the Parkdema Group, is one of the largest parking solution providers in the Baltics. Their app has over 250 000 users, and the company processes large volumes of transactions every day.

kevin.’s account linking is one of uniPark’s offered payment methods. Around 40% of the app users have already chosen to link their bank account without any additional advertising. And the number keeps growing. This means that clients see the benefits of account linking and increasingly choose to opt in for this payment method over traditional ones.

Integrating kevin.’s payment method has helped uniPark offer a convenient, safer and cost-effective payment option that benefits both the company and its clients. Read the full uniPark success story to learn how kevin. helped solve uniPark’s challenges.

Conclusion

Card payments are no longer the most attractive payment option for several reasons. The pandemic has increased the use of e-commerce transaction methods, and innovative fintech companies created new payment opportunities.

kevin. offers an account linking feature, which eliminates card payment transaction fees. This feature enables companies to provide a more convenient payment method by offering clients the opportunity to link their bank accounts to the merchant’s app or website.

The account linking feature brings many benefits to merchants, including quicker payouts, increased customer retention and conversion rates, and lower transaction costs. Meanwhile, merchants’ clients also benefit from the account linking feature as they experience a more user-friendly and faster checkout flow.

If your company would like to save on card transaction fees and enjoy other benefits of kevin.’s innovative payment infrastructure, fill out this form. Our team will be in touch to make you an offer you’ll want to take.