Customer action
Some flows are customer-initiated, while others require the customer to authorise an agreement before a business requests payment.
Australian payment category
Real-time payments for Australian businesses
Real-time payments allow eligible bank-account payments and status updates to move through Australia’s modern payments infrastructure, often quickly and outside traditional batch windows. ShaBaas Pay helps businesses evaluate PayID, PayTo, Pay by Bank, payment links, hosted checkout and APIs for supported workflows. The customer, bank, method and exception path determine the actual experience.
The Australian context
What are real-time payments in Australia?
Real-time payments use modern account-to-account infrastructure, including the New Payments Platform (NPP), to support faster payment processing and status information. “Real-time” describes the supported processing and notification experience; it does not promise unrestricted final funds instantly for every payer, bank, account or exception.
Status visibility
Payment confirmation, references and webhooks can support communication and reconciliation where configured.
Operational fit
Coverage, bank review, pending states, failures and fallback methods remain part of the payment design.
Method selection
Which payment methods use real-time infrastructure?
| Method | Who initiates? | Typical fit | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| PayID | Customer | One-off invoices, deposits and ad hoc payments | Participating payer bank and customer action are required |
| PayTo | Customer authorises agreement; business requests eligible payment | Approved one-off, ad hoc or repeat collections | Agreement, account and bank support vary |
| Pay by Bank | Customer through a bank-payment journey | Online payment requests and checkout | Available methods and timing depend on flow |
| Osko | Customer or business bank flow | Supported fast account-to-account transfer | Not every transfer or account has the same experience |
How ShaBaas Pay fits
How do real-time payments work?
Request or agreement
A business presents a payment request, link, checkout or supported agreement.
Authorisation
The customer uses online banking or the configured payment experience to approve the action.
Processing
The bank and provider process the payment under the supported flow and applicable checks.
Status and records
Confirmation, references, reporting and exception handling connect the payment to the business workflow.
How ShaBaas Pay provides access
PayID can support customer-initiated bank payments; PayTo can support authorised agreements; payment links and hosted checkout can present available methods; and payment APIs can connect an approved workflow to software and platforms.
Business selection
When might real-time payments fit?
Invoices and deposits
Offer bank-payment choices for invoices, retainers, deposits and final balances.
Repeat collections
Assess PayTo for memberships, approved repeat payments and eligible instalment workflows.
Online checkout
Use hosted checkout or payment links to present bank payments with other configured methods.
Software workflows
Use APIs, webhooks and reporting where an approved platform integration needs status in its own ledger.
What does this mean for an Australian business?
Choose the payment method from the customer journey, payment pattern, bank reach, reconciliation process and exception response. Keep alternatives where practical, confirm current pricing and test pending, held, failed and returned outcomes before relying on real-time status.
Neutral decision criteria
Real-time payments compared with cards and BECS
Customer choice
Compare bank-payment, card and wallet preferences for the target customer.
Authorisation and returns
Compare customer action, disputes, returns, dishonours and failure handling.
Reconciliation and cost
Compare fees, fund timing, references, reports, support and operating effort.
See the neutral PayTo vs direct debit comparison and review the current pricing section before choosing a method.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about real-time payments
What is a real-time payment in Australia?
It is an eligible bank-account payment processed through modern Australian payment infrastructure with payment or status information available quickly, subject to the bank, account, method and exception path.
Are all bank transfers real-time?
No. Different transfer methods and banks can use different processing, batch and notification arrangements. Do not treat every bank transfer as the same real-time experience.
What is the difference between PayID and PayTo?
PayID generally supports a customer-initiated payment using an account identifier. PayTo uses a customer-authorised agreement for eligible one-off, ad hoc or repeat payments.
Do real-time payments always settle instantly?
No. Timing, confirmation and fund availability can vary when a bank or provider applies security, compliance or operational checks.
Can real-time payments be used for recurring payments?
PayTo may support approved recurring or regular arrangements where the customer, bank and configured provider flow support them.
What happens when a payment is held or fails?
Use the configured pending, held, failed or rejected status process, communicate with the customer and keep a practical alternative where the workflow allows it.
Can a business offer bank payments and cards together?
Yes, where the business configuration and payment experience support the relevant bank, card and wallet methods.
How should a business reconcile real-time payments?
Match payment references, status, payer information, receipts and reporting to the invoice or ledger record, with an exception queue for unresolved outcomes.
Continue exploring
Choose a payment workflow
Evaluate real-time payments against the real workflow
Bring the customer journey, payment pattern and reconciliation requirements to a fit discussion.