Direct Debit is an automated payment method that allows merchants to pull payment directly from their customers' bank accounts.

The system has two key features, from which almost everything else follows:

1. Direct Debit is pull based - once given a mandate by their customer, it is the merchant who initiates Direct Debit payments. The customer doesn't need to lift a finger.

2. Direct Debit payments are bank-to-bank - there are no card networks involved in the Direct Debit scheme. All communications happen directly between the banks.