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Transform your business in real-time with instant payments
Instant payments are the future of money movement. Designed for the modern economy, these real-time payments through the RTP network and FedNow Service provide access to immediate funds, automated processing and rich payment and remittance data 24-hours a day. Take control of your money movement and drive transformation in your front-office customer experience and back-office operations by elevating your current tools and capabilities.
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Move your business funds safer, faster and smarter.
Your business moves in real time, and so should your payments. Instant payments enable better business across a wide range of functions through secure payment platforms. Send, receive and request immediate payments with an end-to-end payment solution that streamlines the experience for customers, vendors and employees.
Experience the benefits of instant payments.
Through the RTP network and FedNow Service, you’ll realize tangible benefits that have the power to fuel your payments transformation.
Immediate
Funds are available to the receiving person or business immediately, 24/7, every day of the year.
Irrevocable
Every payment is irrevocable and confirmed within seconds.
Data-rich
Rich payment and remittance data through ISO 20022 reduces manual collection.
High transaction limits
Transaction limits are $1 million on the RTP network and $500,000 for FedNow Service.
Move money in real-time.
With the RTP network and FedNow Service, payment experiences are modernized with near-instant payment confirmations, reduced reconciliation costs and improved cash flow.
Use instant payments to:
- Send money:Disburse near-instant funds with immediate availability to businesses or consumers, even on nights, weekends and holidays.
- Request payment: Initiate a Request for Payment (RfP), which sends a data-rich digital bill through the receiver’s bank that allows an immediate payment back.*
*Available now through the RTP network; expected future addition to the FedNow Service.
Grow your organization with a suite of U.S. Bank-backed payment services.
As one of the first banks to initiate a real-time payment through the RTP network, we've built a highly scalable payments infrastructure from the ground up. To help you build an end-to-end experience, we stay on the leading edge and always put your needs at the center of our solutions.
Connect to your business.*
- Choose to connect through API, file transmission or our SinglePoint® online cash management portal.
- Optimize RTP with comprehensive solutions like U.S. Bank AP Optimizer®, Pay Smart and Payee Choice.
*Instant payments are available for these services through the RTP network; availability through FedNow expected in the future.
Fund your business.
- Free up available credit by making payments up to $10MM with your commercial card program.
- Use Everyday Funding, to manage daily business without delay, within hours of a batch submission, seven days a week.
How can instant payments work for you?
Incorporate instant payments where it makes the most sense for your organization. Common ways to use instant payments include:
End-of-shift payments.
Account-to-account transfers.
Emergency payroll or vendor payments.
Paying vendors on the due date.
Transactions with suppliers and trading partners.
Customer payments including refunds or insurance claims.
Immediate payment of non-payroll expenses, including travel and relocation.
Gain insights into how instant payments transform money movement.
The instant payment ecosystem is evolving quickly.
The RTP network and FedNow Service are transforming money movement with immediate settlement and 24/7 availability.
The expansion of instant payments
Explore 3 ways to apply instant payments.
There are practical ways to benefit from the value of instant payments, including immediate settlement and faster, more efficient money movement.
Discover instant payments benefits
Discover how Request for Payments (RfP) changes the bill pay game.
New technology through the RTP network lets businesses send digital bills and receive payments back immediately, which accelerates billing.
Explore ways RfP changes bill pay
Find answers to your questions about instant payments.
Instant payments are digital payment methods that move money in real-time. Today, there are two primary instant payment rails—the RTP® network and the FedNow® Service. The Clearing House first introduced the RTP® network in 2017, and the FedNow Service was launched by The Federal Reserve in 2023.
The terms “instant” and “real-time” can both be used to describe electronic payment networks that move money electronically between banks, 24/7/365. One such network is the RTP® network, from the Clearing House. While many consider real-time payments and the RTP network to be synonymous, it’s important to note that moving money in real-time can happen across other payment networks as well. Another such network is the FedNow® Service from the Federal Reserve.
At U.S.Bank, we feel “instant payments” more accurately captures the spirit of payment rails such as these, designed to deliver efficient, immediate and data-rich payment capabilities.
Instant payments provide efficient money movement solutions, including immediate access to funds, a streamlined process for fund collection and time-sensitive transaction support.
The RTPnetwork, established by The Clearing House in 2017, currently delivers immediate payments and rich data 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, reaching 65 percent of U.S. DDAs. The RTP network continues to experience rapid growth in transaction and payment volume.
The FedNow Servicewas developed by the U.S. Federal Reserve and waslaunched in July 2023. The FedNow Service will greatly expand the network for instant payments up to $500,000 over the next few years, particularly with smaller regional banks and credit unions.
The RTP network, which is open to all federally insured U.S. depository institutions, currently reaches 65% of DDAs in the United States. Having launched in July 2023, use of the FedNow Service is still smaller but gaining transaction, with more than 100 institutions accepting payments through the FedNow Service.
At U.S.Bank, we believe you don’t have to choose. The RTP network and FedNow Service can both help you move money efficiently, securely and immediately. And, using intelligent routing capabilities, you’ll be able to send and receive payments seamlessly, whether through the RTP network or FedNow Service, based on business rules you set to meet your business needs.
The RTP network, FedNow Service, Zelle® and push-to-card are all forms of immediate, 24/7/365, final settlement payments that operate on different payment rails.
- The RTP and FedNow Service work best when you have or can easily obtain a payee’s account and routing number.
- Zelle® payments work best when you have a payee’s email or mobile phone number and prefer not to obtain their account information
- Using push-to-card, businesses can make payments to a consumer’s account via their existing debit card.
If a payee’s bank participates in the RTP network or FedNow Service, they can receive a payment without any action. Payees need to enroll their email or mobile phone number in the Zelle® Network, or provide debit card information to receive push-to-card payments.
Processing speed and settlement time are the biggest differences between instant payments sent via the RTP network and FedNow Service and those sent via ACH. ACH payments typically take hours or days to settle, while instant payments are processed in real-time, meaning funds are available immediately and settlement is instant.
Talk to an instant payments expert.
Reach out to our team anytime to talk about real time payments and what we can do to help you understand, adopt and benefit from the latest in payment technology.
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Disclosures
Eligibility requirements, other conditions and fees may apply. Services mentioned may be subject to credit approval. Deposit products offered by U.S. Bank National Association. Member FDIC.
Zelle® and the Zelle® related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC and are used herein under license.
RTP® is a registered trademark of The Clearing House Payments Company LLC.
U.S. Bank AP Optimizer® is a registered trademark of U.S. Bank N.A.
U.S. Bank and SinglePoint are registered trademarks of U.S. Bank National Association.
