What is the difference between a Direct Debit and a subscription/recurring payment?

Published on: 2024-10-22 14:56:53 +0100

Direct Debit

A Direct Debit is an instruction you give a merchant to take money from your account on a fixed date by using your sort code and account number. This is a great way to pay for things like a gym membership or household bills. In order to set up a Direct Debit you’ll have to do this directly with the merchant. 

The merchant will notify you in advance how much will be billed, and if any changes need to be made they’ll let you know at least 10 working days in advance.

You can cancel a Direct Debit by contacting the merchant or cancelling this from your online Pockit account. Click here to learn how.

Subscriptions & recurring payments

A subscription or recurring payment is a payment method where you provide the merchant with your Pockit card (Mastercard®) details such as 16 digit card number, expiry date and CVC2 number and this allows the merchant to charge your card directly, depending on the service you have signed up for. This is typically used to pay for services such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, or a Spotify subscription.

To cancel a subscription / recurring payment you will need to contact the merchant directly, as this cannot be cancelled directly from your online Pockit account.