ACH and eCheck give peptide merchants a reliable backup when card approvals fluctuate. To run ACH safely, you need identity verification, clear authorization language, return-rate controls, and a refund workflow that customers can easily understand. This guide covers when to offer ACH, how to set it up, and the risk rules that keep return rates low.
Why ACH Matters for Peptide Payment Processing
Card processing is the primary payment method for most peptide businesses, but relying entirely on cards creates concentration risk. When card approval rates drop — due to issuer declines, processor reviews, or chargeback ratio concerns — your revenue drops with them.
ACH provides a complementary payment rail that:
- Reduces card dependence — not all revenue flows through one channel
- Lowers per-transaction costs — ACH fees are typically lower than credit card interchange
- Reduces certain dispute exposures — ACH disputes follow different rules than card chargebacks
- Improves conversions — some customers prefer bank payments, especially for repeat purchases or larger orders
ACH is not a replacement for card processing. It is an additional channel that strengthens your overall payment infrastructure. Learn about the full range of ACH payment processing options available through Unison.
ACH Risk Basics: Returns vs Chargebacks
ACH failures work differently than credit card chargebacks. Understanding the difference is important for managing risk:
Common ACH return reasons
- Insufficient funds (R01) — the customer's account did not have enough money
- Account closed (R02) — the bank account is no longer active
- Unauthorized (R10) — the customer claims they did not authorize the debit
- No account found (R03) — the routing or account number is invalid
How returns differ from chargebacks
- ACH returns are generally less damaging to your merchant profile than card chargebacks
- Return timeframes are different (typically 2-3 business days for most return codes, up to 60 days for unauthorized claims)
- ACH does not have the formal "representment" process that cards have — prevention is more important than fighting returns after the fact
The goal: keep return rates low
High ACH return rates trigger the same kind of account instability as high card chargeback ratios — reserves, holds, and potential termination. Prevention through verification and clear authorization is the primary strategy.
ACH Setup Checklist for Peptide Merchants
Use this checklist to set up ACH processing safely:
- Require full customer information — name, address, phone, email for every ACH order
- Use identity verification for first-time ACH orders — bank account verification or micro-deposit confirmation reduces unauthorized returns
- Require explicit authorization — a checkbox with clear language: "I authorize [Business Name] to debit my bank account for the amount shown"
- Log all authorization records — store the IP address, timestamp, and authorization text for every ACH transaction
- Delay fulfillment for first ACH orders — wait for the payment to clear before shipping (especially for new customers)
- Set order limits for new customers — cap the maximum ACH order amount for first-time buyers until they have a successful payment history
- Store authorization records — you need these if an "unauthorized" return is filed
When to Offer ACH (Strategic Use Cases)
ACH works best in specific scenarios. Offering it strategically — rather than to every customer — maximizes the benefit while controlling risk:
As a fallback when card payment fails
If a customer's card is declined, offering ACH as a backup captures the sale instead of losing it. Add a message at checkout: "Card declined? You can also pay via bank transfer."
For repeat customers
Customers who have successfully completed previous orders are lower-risk for ACH. Offering ACH to repeat buyers with a clean history is one of the safest applications.
For larger orders
Higher-ticket orders benefit from ACH because:
- Transaction fees are lower (flat fee vs percentage-based card fees)
- Verification can be stronger for individual orders
- Repeat customers with larger orders are often more committed buyers
For B2B customers
If you sell to research labs, universities, or other businesses, ACH is often their preferred payment method. B2B customers are accustomed to bank transfers, purchase orders, and invoicing. ACH fits naturally into their procurement workflow.
For more on B2B payment scenarios, see our payment processing solutions.
ACH Fraud Prevention (Specific to Peptide Merchants)
ACH fraud looks different from card fraud, and your prevention approach should account for that:
Pre-transaction verification
- Bank account verification — confirm the account exists and belongs to the customer before debiting
- Micro-deposit verification — send two small deposits to the account and ask the customer to confirm the amounts
- Identity matching — confirm the name on the bank account matches the customer's order information
Transaction monitoring
- Velocity limits — restrict how many ACH orders a single customer or bank account can place in a given time period
- Amount limits — set maximum order values for ACH, especially for first-time customers
- Pattern monitoring — watch for multiple ACH attempts from different accounts using the same email or shipping address
Authorization documentation
- Store explicit consent records for every ACH transaction
- Include clear language in your authorization: business name, amount, date, and a statement that the customer authorizes the debit
- Keep these records accessible — you will need them if an "unauthorized" return is filed
How ACH Fits Into Your Peptide Payment Strategy
ACH is most effective as one component of a multi-channel payment approach:
- Card processing (Visa, Mastercard, Discover) for primary transactions through a peptide-friendly merchant account
- ACH/eCheck for repeat customers, larger orders, and card-decline fallback
- Clear policies — your refund policy and shipping policy should cover ACH transactions
- **Fraud prevention** tools configured for both card and ACH patterns
- **Billing descriptors** — ACH transactions also appear on bank statements, so clarity matters here too
Diversifying across payment methods makes your business more resilient to disruptions on any single channel.
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Next Steps
If you are currently relying entirely on card processing, adding ACH is one of the most practical upgrades you can make. It reduces risk concentration, captures sales that would otherwise be lost to card declines, and gives customers more flexibility.
Learn more about Unison's full payment processing capabilities for peptide businesses: Peptide Payment Processing.
Get started with a peptide-friendly merchant account: How to Get Approved.