allpay

Allpay: A Practical Overview For Merchants

If you are evaluating UK-focused collection and disbursement options, allpay offers a tightly integrated mix of Direct Debit, card and cash acceptance, plus payout tools and reporting. This overview summarizes what allpay provides, how the products fit together, and where they are most useful for merchants and public-sector billers.

What Is Allpay?

Allpay is a UK payments company focused on simplifying the collection of bills and the distribution of funds. Its platform brings together multiple ways to accept payment from customers and tenants, along with tools to disburse money through prepaid cards and cash vouchers. The company highlights broad use across the public sector, including local authorities and housing associations, and reports multi-billion-pound annual processing with millions of end customers.

Allpay’s Core Capabilities

Direct Debit

Allpay provides Bacs-based Direct Debit services in two main modes:

• Bureau service for Service Users: Designed for organisations that already hold a Bacs Service User Number (SUN). Allpay submits AUDDIS, Direct Debit and Direct Credit files on your behalf, manages exception reporting, and supports reconciliation via a secure web portal.

• Facilities Managed service: For organisations that need a managed setup, allpay can operate collections under a Service User Number issued for your use. This is positioned to simplify onboarding and ongoing administration.

Key Direct Debit features include paperless mandate setup (via a cloud portal or secure APIs), automated correspondence, SMS notifications, re-presentment of failed collections, visibility of past and future schedules, and several add-ons:

• Payment Holidays to pause collections temporarily (single or bulk) with clear in-portal banners and automated notifications.

• Reduced Advance Notice options to shorten customer notice periods for changes.

• Representment to automatically retry failed collections over a defined window.

• Online Presentment to let customers set up Direct Debits securely through your own site.

Allpay references the Direct Debit Guarantee for payer protections. Onboarding timelines for individual enhancements are published (for example, Payment Holidays in roughly a week; Facilities Managed and Bureau services typically around five weeks, and Online Presentment usually six to eight weeks).

Credit And Debit Card Acceptance

Allpay’s card acceptance suite is built for bill payment and arrears reduction rather than general retail checkout. It includes:

• Branded Gateway for Internet Payments: A hosted online payment page that can be branded to your organisation and used for one-off or repeat bill payments.

• Pay by Link: Staff can send a unique, secure URL via SMS or email that takes customers directly to a branded payment page. Links can include the customer reference to streamline reconciliation.

• Call Centre (Callpay) / Virtual Terminal: Agents can accept payments over the phone within a controlled, auditable environment tied to your customer references. Callpay supports card payments and can also be configured for cash and cheque handling and barcoded invoices.

• Mobile Payment App: A consumer mobile app (iOS and Android) that lets end users pay bills on the go using their bank cards and 19-digit payment reference number.

• Real-Time Notifications (RTNs): Immediate alerts for successful or declined card payments, refunds, and certain cash payments, supporting faster balance updates in high-urgency scenarios (for example, arrears or deposits).

Operationally, allpay emphasises next-day payment information files to simplify reconciliation, and centralised access to payment data through the Payments Hub and File Manager (see Data & Analytics).

Cash Payments Over The Counter

Allpay connects to the UK’s major over-the-counter networks so customers can pay bills in person:

• Post Office branches

• Payzone retail locations

• PayPoint retail locations

Allpay cites coverage across 60,000+ outlets, late opening hours at many stores, and printed receipts. A separate page outlines each network’s purpose and scale (for example, Post Office branches versus Payzone and PayPoint convenience locations).

Disbursements

Prepaid Cards

Allpay issues branded prepaid cards under Mastercard licence and states it is FCA-regulated for e-money issuance (FRN 900539). The prepaid platform is used by public-sector bodies and charities for controlled disbursements and expense management, with features such as:

• Three-year card lifespan options

• Secondary cards on Banking Lite plans

• Spend controls and instant blocking

• A cardholder portal and an organisational portal

• Exportable reporting and clear audit trails

Onboarding timelines are published (for example, many prepaid card programmes go live in about 8–9 weeks, subject to scope).

Cash Payout (Voucher-Based)

For incentives, emergency payments or refunds, Cash Payout provides voucher-based disbursement via an allpay web portal, with:

• Daily management information (MI) summaries and weekly finance reports

• Streamlined setup support and reconciliation

• A premium Payout NOW! option for immediate cash distribution

• Voucher cancellation in bulk or individually

Data And Analytics

Allpay’s Payments Hub provides single sign-on access to:

• Customer Account Manager: Create and manage customer accounts and order payment cards or references when needed.

• File Manager: Download payment files and information files, retrieve historical data, or automate downloads via TotalConnect integration.

• Reporting Tools: Access usage metrics and benchmarking data, including sector-specific insights (allpay highlights extensive data across UK housing associations), to support operational analysis and continuous improvement.

Security, Compliance And Accreditations

• PCI DSS Level 1 for card data security.

• ISO certifications: ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environmental), ISO 27001 (information security), ISO 45001 (health and safety), and ISO 50001 (energy).

• Bacs approvals: Bacs Approved Bureau and Accredited Facilities Management Provider for Direct Debits.

• Mastercard accreditations across card issuance and personalisation.

• Service Status website for live operational transparency.

These controls support regulated bill payment use cases where assurance and auditability are mandatory.

Implementation And Support

• Published onboarding windows for several Direct Debit features (for example, Payment Holidays in about a week; Bureau and Facilities Managed services in around five weeks) and Online Presentment (typically six to eight weeks).

• Prepaid card programmes commonly go live in roughly eight to nine weeks.

• Help Centre content covers the Payments Hub, FAQs and user-management videos.

• Status page lists incidents and uptime for operational visibility.

Typical Sectors And Use Cases

Allpay’s footprint is strongest where recurring bill collection and managed disbursement are central:

• Housing and property management: rent, service charges, arrears workflows

• Local and central government: council tax, fines, fees, licenses

• Healthcare and social support: controlled disbursement to eligible recipients

• Credit unions and debt collection: scheduled collections, arrears reduction

• Education and clubs: membership payments with references

Published case studies reference UK local authorities, housing groups and national health bodies using various combinations of Direct Debit, Pay by Link, cash acceptance and prepaid cards.

Reconciliation, Files And Notifications

Merchants can rely on:

• Next-day payment information files for card transactions

• Real-time notifications for certain card and cash events

• File Manager with single sign-on to retrieve or automate files

• TotalConnect to orchestrate scheduled downloads into back-office systems

This combination supports faster ledger updates and a tighter arrears process.

Developer And Operational Touchpoints

• Secure APIs for paperless Direct Debit initiation and management are referenced in the product materials.

• Hosted branded pages reduce PCI scope for card acceptance, paired with Pay by Link and call-centre tools.

• Customer Account Manager and Payments Hub centralise user, account and file access for administrators.

• Training and guides are available via the Help Centre, including Payments Hub user guides and videos.

When Allpay Is A Good Fit

Choose allpay when you need a unified platform to:

• Offer multiple ways to pay bills that match customer preferences: Direct Debit, card online or by phone, SMS links, retail cash outlets, and a mobile app.

• Combine collection and disbursement in one stack, for example rent collection paired with controlled prepaid card payouts.

• Operate in regulated or public-sector contexts where PCI DSS, ISO frameworks and Bacs approvals are expected, and where auditability, reporting and MI are essential.

• Accelerate operations with real-time notifications, next-day files and centralised file management.

Conclusion

Allpay’s proposition centres on reliable bill collection and controlled disbursement for UK organisations. The platform’s breadth across Direct Debit, card and cash channels, paired with prepaid and voucher-based payouts, is supported by a service layer of reporting, file delivery and real-time notifications. Strong compliance signalling and Bacs approvals align with public-sector needs. If your use case is rent, council tax, fines, memberships or similar UK bill payment flows, allpay is a focused option worth shortlisting.