Request to Pay

Request to Pay operates as a messaging layer on top of existing instant payment rails. The payee (a biller, merchant, or individual) initiates an RtP message through their bank or payment provider, specifying the amount, due date, reference information, and payee account details. The message is transmitted through a secure messaging network, in the UK, Pay.UK's Request to Pay service; in the EU, the SEPA Request-to-Pay (SRTP) scheme run by the European Payments Council provides similar functionality, to the payer's bank, which presents it in the payer's banking app as an actionable notification.

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The payer responds within their banking app. If they choose "Pay in full," their bank executes an instant credit transfer over Faster Payments or SEPA Instant. If they choose "Pay in part," a partial payment is initiated and the remaining balance can be settled subsequently. "Defer" sends a message back to the payee. "Decline" closes the request without payment. All interactions happen within the payer's banking environment; the payer never needs to visit the payee's website or provide payment credentials to a third party.

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From a data perspective, RtP messages carry structured information about the underlying obligation: invoice number, description, due date, and line items. This data travels with the resulting payment when it is made, enabling automated reconciliation at the payee's end without manual matching.

Request to Pay addresses three specific pain points in business-to-consumer and business-to-business billing. First, it reduces failed payment rates: payers who lack funds at a billing date can defer or partially pay rather than having a direct debit fail and triggering retry cycles and penalty fees. Second, it reduces dispute rates: the structured, transparent payment request, with clear invoice data, gives payers full context before paying, reducing "I didn't recognise this charge" disputes. Third, it improves reconciliation: structured remittance data in the RtP message and the resulting payment enables automated matching.

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For high-value irregular payments, invoices, legal fees, property transactions, RtP provides a secure, bank-authenticated channel for presenting and approving large payments without card limits or the operational overhead of wire transfers.

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RtP also provides an audit trail: both the payment request and the payer's response are retained as structured records, supporting dispute resolution and compliance documentation.