从借记卡到自动取款机再到电汇，现在人们普遍认为电子转账是一种安全有效的汇款方式，但种类繁多的转账方式让人很难确定哪种方式最适合您的业务。例如，电子资金转账 (EFT) 和自动清算所 (ACH) 支付之间有什么区别？哪种情况下一种方式比另一种更好用？

我们将介绍 EFT 和 ACH 支付之间的差异和重叠之处、每种类型的用途以及您应该了解的有关您企业的电子支付方式的信息。

目录

• 什么是 EFT？
  
• 什么是 ACH 支付？
  
• ACH 与 EFT：有什么区别？
  

What is an EFT?

什么是 EFT？

EFT 是指在不同金融机构、银行账户或个人之间电子移动资金的交易。EFT 通常被称为电子银行转账、电子支票或电子支付。

电子转账的类型：

• ACH 转账
  
• 电汇
  
• ATM 交易（取款、存款和转账）
  
• 借记卡交易
  
• 点对点支付
  

什么是 ACH 支付？

ACH 支付是一种电子转账方式，这种转账使用自动清算所（美国的一个中央金融网络，供银行和信用合作社使用，用于发送和接收电子支付和转账）发送资金。ACH 网络由全国自动清算所协会 (Nacha)运营和管理，这是一个由银行、信用合作社和支付处理公司组成的独立组织。

ACH 支付是一种用途广泛、高度灵活的发送和接收资金方式。2021 年，使用 ACH 网络完成的支付超过 4.26 亿笔，总额达 2 万亿美元，比 2020 年增长了近 18%。

ACH 支付类型：

ACH 直接存款
指的是从政府实体或企业到消费者的任何形式的转账。ACH 直接存款支持雇主将工资资金直接转账到员工的银行账户。根据 Nacha，93% 的美国工人通过 ACH 直接存款获得薪水。

其他类型的直接存款：

• 雇主报销的费用
  
• 政府福利
  
• 退税
  
• 年金支付
  
• 利息
  

ACH 直接支付
直接支付支持消费者和企业直接从其银行账户付款。这些支付可用于从支付账单到购买商品和服务的任何事情。

ACH 与 EFT：有什么区别？

术语“ACH 转账”和“EFT”不可互换，但它们密切相关。ACH 转账是 EFT 的一种，EFT 包括但不限于 ACH 转账。

ACH 支付与其他类型的 EFT 之间还存在其他差异：

• 如何处理它们
  电汇是实时单独处理的，而 ACH 转账是批量结算的。进入 ACH 网络的每个转账请求都会加入一个队列；在工作日内，此队列中的转账会被集中处理几次。

• 转账速度
  一些 EFT，如数字钱包、ATM 交易和借记卡支付，会在几秒钟内获得授权并完成。电汇通常需要几个小时到两个工作日。ACH 支付通常被认为比电汇需要更长的时间，但过去几年由于 Nacha 运营规则的更新，ACH 转账当日可达的概率大幅提升。

• 成本
  EFT 的成本和费用差异很大，具体取决于电子转帐的类型、转账的来源、转账的方向以及涉及的金额。使用点对点应用程序发送的 ATM 交易和付款通常每笔交易的费用仅为几美元，而国际电汇每次转账的费用可能高达 50 美元。有些 ACH 转账是免费的，有些则需要花费几美元。

EFT 的产品和服务范围相当广泛，因而存在各种不同的 EFT 类型。了解可用于转账的各种选项有助于您做出明智、实用的决定，确定哪种类型的 EFT 是满足您支付需求的理想工具。

The differences between types of EFTs speak to the expansive range of products and services that falls under this umbrella term. Understanding the various options available for transferring funds will help you make smart, practical decisions about which type of EFT is the ideal vehicle for your payment needs.

ACH vs EFT: Deciding what’s best for your business

Selecting the right method depends on your business’s specific needs for speed, cost, and security. While all ACH payments are EFTs, not all EFTs are ACH. For certain kinds of payments, an EFT besides ACH might be the best bet.

• High-volume, domestic transfers: If you process a lot of recurring domestic payments like employee payroll or monthly subscriptions, then ACH might be the best choice. Because these are processed in batches, the cost per transaction is significantly lower than other electronic methods.

• Cross-border commerce: If you need to move money across borders, and especially large sums of money, then EFTs like wire transfers are the global standard. While ACH is primarily a domestic network, wire transfers use the SWIFT network to reach international banks quickly and securely.

• Real-time retail payments: If you operate a storefront or ecommerce site where customers expect to leave with a product immediately, then EFTs like debit card transactions are the best choice. Unlike ACH, which can take days to clear, debit transactions provide an instant “approved” or “declined” status at the point of sale.

• Urgent, high-value transactions: If you are closing a real estate deal or making a major vendor payment that must be finalized today, a wire transfer is the preferred EFT. ACH payments can be reversed in some instances and take longer to settle, whereas wire transfers are generally considered cleared funds as soon as they hit the recipient's account.

• Flexible person-to-person payments: If your business model involves quick reimbursements or gig-style payouts to individuals, peer-to-peer (P2P) EFTs are often more convenient than ACH since they typically bypass the need to provide sensitive bank information.

FAQs about ACH payments and EFT transfers

How Stripe Payments can help

Stripe Payments enables businesses to set up and accept 125+ payment methods, including ACH Direct Debit. It provides a unified, global payments solution that helps any business—from scaling startups to global enterprises—accept payments online, in person, and around the world.

Stripe Payments can help you:

• Simplify verification: Instantly verify ACH Direct Debits or send microdeposits to verify customers’ bank account details within 2 business days.

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Learn more about how Stripe Payments can power your online and in-person payments, or get started today.