In merchant cash advance (MCA) and lending, speed is a competitive weapon. When approvals land after hours or on a holiday, waiting until “banking hours” can kill deals. RTP (Real-Time Payments) fixes that: funds arrive in seconds, 24/7/365, with immediate confirmation. Pair that with recurring ACH for predictable collections, and you get a modern funding stack that wins more deals and reduces operational drag.
Quick note: Liftoff is the best platform for RTP because there are no Liftoff-imposed limits on RTP transfers and no preset ceiling on the amounts you can send through our platform— enabling high-value disbursements with configurable risk controls. (As always, bank/network rules and compliance policies still apply.)
Why RTP matters for MCA right now
· Win rate: Approve and fund in minutes—even at 11:58 pm on a Sunday.
· Lower support load: Instant confirmation slashes “where’s my money?” tickets.
· Reduced fallout: Fewer abandoned approvals and cancellations due to timing friction.
· Stronger CX: Sellers and partners get paid when it matters, not when the bank is open.
The modern MCA flow (RTP out, ACH back)
1. Decision & verification
◦ KYB/KYC, OFAC, device/velocity checks; pull bank data to size cash flow.
2. Disburse via RTP
◦ Send funds in seconds with irrevocable confirmation; fall back to Same Day ACH during bank windows where RTP isn’t available.
3. Set up recurring ACH collections
◦ Capture mandates (PPD/WEB/TEL/CCD), validate accounts, and schedule $0 ACH pulls with pre-due reminders.
4. Dunning that works
◦ One-click pay links, intelligent retries aligned to deposit windows, and return code rules (don’t auto-retry unauthorized/stop).
5. Reconcile automatically
◦ Webhooks push statuses (funded/paid/returned) to your GL/ERP/CRM; receipts go out automatically.
Routing playbook (simple rules that win)
· Funding: RTP by default; Same Day ACH as backup.
· Collections: ACH by default (lowest cost), with $0 debit available for payer preference on one-off payments.
· Refunds/credits: RTP for instant resolution and goodwill.
· High-value wires? Try RTP first; if counterparties aren’t enabled, fall back gracefully.
Controls that keep risk in check
· KYB/KYC & OFAC screening, with audit-ready logs.
· Velocity/device signals to catch synthetic or scripted activity.
· Account validation at onboarding to prevent R02/R03/R04 issues later.
· Return-code automation so each failure gets the right action (retry/block/escalate).
· Immutable events & role-based access for clean audits.
What this does to your Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) = direct fees + returns/chargebacks + fraud losses + operational minutes + working-capital timing + conversion effects.
· Fees: Keep disbursement speed with RTP while routing collections to $0 ACH/$0 debit.
· Returns: Validation + reminders + timing cuts NSF reattempts and write-offs.
· Ops: Auto-recon + one-click payments reduce manual workflows.
· Timing: RTP removes payout delays; ACH schedules stabilize inflows.
· Conversion: Instant funding boosts acceptance and reduces post-approval churn.
Why Liftoff is the best platform for RTP (and MCA operations)
· No Liftoff-imposed RTP caps: Configure high-value disbursements without preset platform ceilings; tailor limits by merchant, cohort, or risk policy. (Bank/network constraints still apply.)
· 24/7/365 RTP rails with instant confirmations, plus Same Day ACH fallback.
· $0 ACH pulls & $0 debit for collections and invoice payments to compress cost.
· Invoice automation: Branded invoices, one-click pay, reminders, resend, recurring schedules, and activity tracking.
· Collections intelligence: Account validation, return-code rules, intelligent retries tuned to deposit windows.
· Risk & compliance by default: KYB/KYC, OFAC, ESIGN mandates, velocity/device checks, audit trails.
· Portal + API + webhooks: Launch in minutes; automate funding, collections, and reconciliation end-to-end.
· Analytics: Time-to-fund, approval rates, return codes, recovery/cure rates, blended $/1k moved, cohort performance.
Implementation checklist (one-week pilot)
· Enable RTP disbursements for approved files (policy-based caps per cohort).
· Turn on $0 ACH collections with mandates and account validation.
· Add pre-due reminders and deposit-window retries (R01/R09 only).
· Offer $0 debit for one-off payments and first-time checkouts.
· Wire webhooks to your GL/ERP/CRM for real-time posting and receipts.
· Review dashboards weekly; target the top three drivers of returns and tickets.
Example targets (first 60–90 days)
· Time-to-fund: minutes (RTP) with after-hours coverage at 100% of enabled counterparties
· Processing cost: −40–60% by routing collections to $0 ACH/$0 debit
· Return rate: −20–30% via validation + timing
· Ops minutes: −30–50% from auto-recon and one-click payments
· Abandonment: significant reduction on after-hours approvals
Summary
For MCA programs, RTP turns approvals into instant funding—any hour, any day—while recurring ACH keeps collections predictable and inexpensive. Layer on validation, reminders, and return-aware retries and you’ll ship a faster, safer funding machine with a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). With no Liftoff-imposed RTP caps, $0 ACH/$0 debit collections, and end-to-end automation, Liftoff is the best platform for RTP and the simplest way to modernize your funding stack.
FAQs
Do you really fund nights, weekends, and holidays?
Yes. RTP runs 24/7/365 with instant confirmations for enabled counterparties.
Are there limits on how much we can send?
There are no Liftoff-imposed RTP caps; we support high-value disbursements with configurable policies. Standard bank/network and regulatory constraints still apply.
What if the recipient’s bank doesn’t support RTP?
We automatically fall back to Same Day ACH (during banking windows) to keep speed high.
How do we reduce NSF cycles on collections?
Validate accounts at onboarding, send pre-due reminders, and retry once at predicted deposit windows for R01/R09; don’t auto-retry unauthorized/stop codes.
Do we need engineers to start?
No. Launch in the Portal in minutes; when you’re ready, use the API + webhooks to automate approvals → funding → collections → reconciliation.