Pay by Bank for Pet Care: Faster Payments for Vet Practices

Vet practices collect payments in more ways than most people realise. There is the straightforward checkout after a routine appointment, the deposit taken before a surgery, and the invoice chased after a client leaves without paying in full. Each of these moments has its own friction. And each one is an opportunity for a modern vet practice payment gateway to make things smoother for both the team and the client.

Pay by Bank fits naturally into all three. It is fast, requires no card details, and settles instantly. This makes it a practical fit for a sector where payments happen under time pressure and the bills are rarely small. Here is how it works across each scenario.

1. Paying at checkout after an appointment

This is the most familiar payment moment in any vet practice. The consultation is done, the client is at reception, and payment needs to happen quickly so the next client can come in.

Card terminals handle this well for routine bills. But the checkout can get awkward for larger transactions, a dental procedure, a course of treatment or a complex diagnostic. Clients fumbling with chip and PIN for a £400 bill while the waiting room fills up is not a great experience for anyone.

Pay by Bank through a QR code at reception changes this. The client scans, opens their banking app, and approves with Face ID or a fingerprint. The payment arrives in the practice’s business account instantly, and the transaction is confirmed before they have left the desk. No waiting for the terminal to process, no card declined because a contactless limit has been hit.

Crucially, Atoa’s vet practice payment gateway supports both Pay by Bank and card from the same setup. So clients who prefer to tap their card still can.

2. Collecting deposits before a procedure

According to ezyVet’s guidance on no-show rates, the industry average for missed appointments in veterinary practices sits between 5% and 10%. For surgeries and specialist procedures, a no-show is genuinely costly. This is especially true where clinical time is blocked out and preparation has been done.

Taking a deposit before the appointment significantly reduces this. The challenge is doing it without creating friction. This includes asking clients to call back with card details or come in ahead of time just to pay a deposit adds admin for everyone.

With Atoa, a payment link sent by SMS or email handles this entirely remotely. The client taps the link, pays the deposit from their banking app or by card, and the booking is secured. No phone call needed, no card details taken over the phone, and the practice has confirmation before the appointment date.

3. Remote payments after treatment

Not every bill gets settled before a client leaves. Follow-up invoices, outstanding balances after insurance has been processed, and charges for prescriptions or repeat medications all require the practice to collect payment after the fact.

Chasing these by phone is time-consuming and often unsuccessful. A payment link sent directly to the client’s phone by SMS resolves this far more efficiently. Digital payments in vet contexts have been shown to increase the number of clients who pay promptly, simply because the barrier is so much lower.

Atoa’s payment links for remote payments support both Pay by Bank and card, with instant confirmation for the practice and automatic reconciliation, so front-of-house staff do not have to manually match payments to invoices.

One platform, three payment moments

The most efficient pet care payment solution is one that covers all three of these scenarios. That too, without requiring a different tool for each. Atoa does this: QR codes for checkout, payment links for deposits and remote billing, all feeding into one dashboard with real-time visibility.

For vet practices looking to modernise their payment setup without a complicated migration, it is a straightforward place to start. Book a demo with the Atoa team to see how Pay by Bank fits into your practice.