Airwallex Direct Debit: How Does it Work?

If you’ve just signed up for an Airwallex account for your business (or are considering it), you’ll need to know how everything works. One of the main things to grasp is how payments work with Airwallex, which includes direct debits.

In this helpful guide, we’ll run through how Airwallex direct debits work.

This includes info on the types of direct debit schemes the platform supports in different countries, and how to set up direct debits for sending and receiving payments within your Airwallex account.

So, let’s get started.

How does Airwallex direct debit work?

Airwallex supports direct debits coming into and out of your business account. This means you can pay international bills and other payments using direct debit, as well as accepting direct debit payments from your customers.

A direct debit is a payment instruction that authorises a company or organisation to automatically collect payments from a bank account on a set date. It’s useful if your business has a subscription model and needs to collect recurring payments, or if your company has recurring bills to pay.

Read more about Direct Debit collection rules in the UK.

Airwallex currently supports the following direct debit schemes across the world:¹

How to set up Airwallex direct debit - for sending and receiving payments

Now, let’s take a look at how to go about setting up your Airwallex account to send or receive direct debits.

How to send a payout with Airwallex direct debit

To start sending direct debit payments, you first need to enable direct debit functionality within your Airwallex Global Account.

You’ll only be able to do this if you have a Global Account in USD, GBP, AUD, EUR or CAD based in one of the following countries:²

• UK
• US
• Canada
• Australia
• The Netherlands.

You can check to see whether functionality is enabled by selecting your Global Account and looking under the ‘Account capabilities’ section. If direct debit isn’t ticked, you may need to raise a support request with Airwallex.²

Once functionality is enabled, all you need to do is give your Global Account details to the recipient. You’ll also need to sign a direct debit mandate to give them permission to debit funds from your account.³

How to accept direct debits with your Airwallex Global Account

It is possible to accept direct debit payments from customers, but setting it up can be more complicated. You may need to use the Airwallex API to configure it, or contact your Airwallex Account Manager for assistance.

But generally speaking, you’ll need to build a direct debit mandate into your checkout, which the customer uses to provide their bank details and agree for payments to be debited from their account.

Can you add funds to your Airwallex wallet via direct debit?

The option to add funds to your own Airwallex account from another bank via direct debit is currently only available in the US and Australia.⁴ This means that Airwallex customers based in the UK can’t access it just at the moment.

Airwallex direct debit fees

There are fees for making use of the Airwallex direct debit service, which vary by country and direct debit scheme.

Let’s take a look:¹

Accept international direct debit payments with Wise Business

If you have customers in other countries, or would love to trade internationally in the future, it’s super handy to have a Wise Business account.

With this powerful multi-currency account, you can accept payments from 8+ currencies and set up direct debit for your customers. You can hold 40+ currencies in your account at once and switch between them when you need to, always with the mid-market exchange rate.

Get started with Wise Business 🚀

FAQs - Airwallex direct debit

What’s the difference between a standing order and a Direct Debit?

Standing orders and direct debits are similar in that they’re both types of recurring payments However, they work in slightly different ways.

A standing order is a push payment, which means you set it up through your own bank, and the bank will send a fixed amount on a regular basis as agreed. A direct debit is a pull payment, which means the merchant or organisation being paid is in control of the transfer, and can debit varying amounts if needed.

Read more about Standing Order vs Direct Debit.

How to cancel direct debit payouts with Airwallex?

To cancel a direct debit payout, you’ll first need to contact the recipient and end the direct debit agreement you have with them.

Only once you’ve done that can you cancel the direct debit mandate in your Airwallex account, which will stop future payments from going out.

How do I get my customers to pay by Direct Debit?

You may need to configure your account and checkout integration using the Airwallex API, to give customers the option to set up a direct debit.

The most important thing is to include a direct debit mandate, which gives permission for the payment to be taken and also provides the customer’s bank details.

Sources used:

Sources last checked on date: 24/06/2025