Payments work differently from one country to the next. The bank payment systems, the recurring-payment methods, and the card schemes a customer expects all depend on where they are. This section explains the concepts behind each method Hello Clever supports, so you can choose the right one for your customers and understand what happens behind the scenes. The section is organised in two layers. First come the fundamentals that apply everywhere, the ideas you can carry from one market to the next. After that, each market (Australia, Japan, and the United States) has its own pages covering local bank payments, recurring payments, and card schemes. A short comparative reference covers a few other regions, and a final group explains multi-currency and cross-border payments that span markets.
These pages explain the concepts. When you are ready to build, head to the API Reference and the integration guides, which show you how to put each concept into practice with Hello Clever.

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Start with the fundamentals

Real-time A2A payments in depth

How account-to-account payments move money directly between banks in seconds.

Real-time payments vs. card payments

How bank payments and card payments differ in speed, cost, and disputes.

Push vs. pull payments

The difference between a customer sending money and a business collecting it.

How card payments work

The steps a card payment goes through: authorization, capture, and settlement.

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Explore by market

Australia

Real-time payments on the NPP, PayID and PayTo, and Australian card schemes.

Japan

Zengin bank transfers, the More Time System, account transfer, and JCB.

United States

FedNow and RTP instant payments, ACH transfers, and US card schemes.

Other regions

A comparative look at UPI in India and real-time payment systems across Southeast Asia.

Multi-currency and cross-border

Handling AUD, JPY, and USD payins and payouts, and how FX and settlement work.