Introducing Payment Requests: a secure way to request and collect payments from your customers directly in Relay. No extra tools, no additional setup—just faster payments and better cash flow control.
One overdue payment can set off a domino effect. If a client delays paying you, you might struggle to cover your own rent, utilities, or supplier costs. That delay can force you to dip into savings, rely on credit, or even miss payroll.
Late payments don’t just disrupt your finances; they disrupt your operations, relationships, and long-term stability.
With Payment Requests, Relay is giving business owners more control over when and how you get paid, including:
Faster, predictable payments: Get paid directly into your Relay checking or savings account, skipping the delays and costs of third-party payment processors
Transparent transaction data: Each payment includes detailed transaction memos, making bookkeeping easier and more accurate
Instant setup: No applications, approvals, or new accounts needed. Just send a request and get paid
Try sending your first payment request today—now available in your Relay account.
Want even more ways to streamline your revenue? Join the waitlist for early access to our upcoming suite of invoicing tools!
More control, fewer disruptions
Small business owners are already experiencing the power of Payment Requests to streamline their cash flow management.
Here’s a look at how Relay businesses are leveraging their new payment processing capabilities:
🥖 A catering business uses payment requests to collect deposits for custom orders. Now they can see when the payment is made and is in “Processing” status, so they can start planning in advance. Before, they had to wait a few extra days for the payment to actually land in their bank account before they could start baking.
🏡 A short-term rental business found out their tenants had brought along 5 extra surprise guests. Their usual rental platform didn’t make it easy to edit the booking invoice, so they used Relay as a supplementary payment processor and quickly sent a request for the additional fees.
🏋️♀️ A fitness and coaching business now uses Relay to collect payment on all their invoices. They were struggling to navigate the complex options in the credit card processing landscape. When they saw that Relay offered the same fees and processing times as the competitors, including Stripe and Square, they jumped on the opportunity to keep all their financial workflow in one place.
🕊️ A nonprofit organization was struggling with a multi-step process for collecting ACH payments. Every additional step meant another opportunity for a donor to drop out of their funnel. With Relay, they now have multiple easy ways to collect ACH payments and, as a bonus, can test out whether credit & debit processing makes sense for them.
🔨 A general contractor normally texts his clients when it’s time to pay, then waits for a check or manual transfer. Now, he sends the same text—but with a payment link. His clients can pay instantly via ACH or card, and he can track payments in real time, so there’s no more guessing if the money is on the way.
Getting started with Payment Requests
You now have a new option on your Relay menu: Get Paid. From here, it’s very easy to send your first payment request.
1. Create a payment request: Click the Request a payment button, and enter your customer’s contact info, amount owed, and due date. Attach an invoice and add a message if needed
2. Choose payment methods: Offer your customers the option of ACH, wire, credit card, debit card, or all of the above
3. Send it your way: Relay can send an email for you. Or you can copy the secure payment link and share it through your own workflow, whether through email, CRM, or invoicing system
4. Track payment status in real-time: Keep an eye on outstanding requests in Relay, easily identify overdue payments, and send reminders with one click
5. Get paid faster: Customers click the link and pay through a secure portal. It’s easy and frictionless
The safest way to share your banking details
We’ve all sent them—those polite yet awkward follow-ups to clients about outstanding invoices. But if you’re copy-pasting your bank account number into those follow-up emails or texts, you might feel uneasy about security and exposing yourself to unnecessary risks.
When you request a payment through Relay, your sensitive banking details are not exposed. Instead, we use a secure pass-through account that keeps you completely safe, without creating any additional steps for you or your customer.
Accept payments by your preferred method
You can choose which payment methods to offer for each request, giving you full control over how you receive payments. Here’s how they break down:
💳 Credit card or debit card
Best for: Businesses that want to offer customers a fast and familiar way to pay. Accepting card payments can help increase payment speed and reduce friction in your collection process
How it works: Customers can pay using all major card brands, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. Relay businesses receive the payment, minus processing fees, in batched payouts
Cost to Relay business: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Cost to paying customer: $0
Estimated settlement time: 2-3 business days
🏦 Pay by bank
Best for: Businesses that want to give customers an easy way to pay, while minimizing fees
How it works: Customers connect their bank account directly from the Relay portal and initiate a transaction using ACH rails
Cost to Relay business: 1% per transaction
Cost to paying: $0
Estimated settlement time: 2-3 business days
🖥️ ACH or wire transfer (manual payment)
Best for: Businesses that want to avoid processing fees and don’t mind that it requires their customers to do a few extra steps
How it Works: Customers get a secure link that contains your bank account number (a secure pass-through account is used for your safety). They must then open their bank’s website or app, and manually initiate the ACH or wire payment. This transaction happens outside Relay. It allows you to avoid fees, while still centralizing and tracking all your payments in one place
Cost to Relay business: $0
Cost to paying customer: Determined by sender’s bank
Estimated settlement time: Determined by sender’s bank
What’s next: Invoicing in Relay
Payment Requests are just the beginning. Soon, you’ll be able to create, track, and schedule invoices directly from your Relay account—whether for one-time payments or recurring services.
By integrating Payment Requests and Invoicing, Relay will give you a complete, end-to-end solution for managing receivables—reducing manual work and ensuring payments land in your account faster.
