- You need to collect recurring payments from customers on a set schedule.
- You want to initiate one-time debits or credits to customer bank accounts.
- You want to transfer large sums of money via the EFT network.
What is EFT?
EFT allows you to initiate debit or credit transactions against a customer’s bank account. Each transaction is backed by a Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) agreement completed by the customer during the payment flow.- Debit (PAD): Withdraw funds from a customer’s account into your account. Supports one-time and recurring schedules.
- Credit: Send funds from your account to a customer’s account. One-time, same-day only.
Key Features
Payment Directions
| Direction | Use Case | Scheduling |
|---|---|---|
| DEBIT | Collect payments from customers | One-time or recurring (Weekly, Biweekly, Monthly) |
| CREDIT | Send funds to customers | One-time, same-day only |
Recurring Schedules
For debit transactions, you can set up recurring payment schedules with the following frequencies:- OneTime — A single debit on a specified future date
- Weekly — Every week starting from the start date
- Biweekly — Every two weeks starting from the start date
- Monthly — Every month starting from the start date
PAD Requirement
Before a debit can be processed, Flinks must have a valid Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) agreement completed by the customer. During onboarding, you work with Flinks to customize the PAD agreement terms presented to your customers.EFT Processing Windows
Flinks follows Payments Canada EFT processing windows:| Window | Cutoff Time | Submission Time | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Window 1 | 2:30am EDT | 9:30am EDT | Mon–Fri |
| Window 2 | 1:30pm EDT | 4:30pm EDT | Mon–Fri |
| Window 3 | 6:00pm EDT | 9:00pm EDT | Mon–Fri |
EFT Status Lifecycle
Each EFT transaction progresses through the following statuses:| Status | Description |
|---|---|
Received | Transaction request received by Flinks |
Created | Transaction created and queued for processing |
Submitted | Submitted to Payments Canada |
Reconciled | Confirmation received from the payment network |
Settled | Funds have settled |
Cancelled | Transaction was cancelled before submission |
Rejected | Transaction was rejected by the payment network |
Integration Flow
A typical EFT integration follows these steps:- Authenticate — Obtain an API key from Flinks during onboarding.
- Create a transaction — Call
POST /api/v1/transactionswith payment details and schedule. - Monitor status — Poll
GET /api/v1/paymentrequests/{requestId}for status updates, or use webhooks. - Manage schedules — Cancel upcoming payments with the schedule or payment request cancellation endpoints.
Getting Started
To implement EFT in your application:- Setup Guide — Complete setup and implementation walkthrough
- API Documentation — Technical API reference and endpoints
Requirements
Before starting your EFT integration:- Onboarding — Complete the standard Flinks onboarding and verification process
- PAD Agreement — Review and customize your Pre-Authorized Debit agreement with Flinks
- Sandbox Access — Use the sandbox environment (
payments-uat.flinksapp.com) for testing - API Credentials — Flinks provisions your API key (
x-client-id) during onboarding