Real-time payments (RTP) allow you to receive money in seconds 24/7, including weekends and holidays. Currently, you can only receive real-time payments on Mercury — outbound transfers and requests for payment (RFPs) not supported. This article explains how real-time payments work on Mercury, who can send you these payments, and how to make sure you’re set up to receive them.
Overview of real-time payments
RTP can occur via two payment networks operated by The Clearing House and the Federal Reserve that let participating banks and providers send funds instantly within the U.S. If someone sends you a payment via RTP, it can show up in your Mercury account in just a few seconds (though some may take up to 30 minutes, depending on the sender). Once completed, RTP transactions settle immediately and are generally irrevocable.
Eligibility and supported senders
The ability to receive RTP transfers depends on the sending institution’s participation in the applicable payment network. Receipt of RTP funds may be delayed or unavailable due to network interruptions, transaction limitations, risk or fraud screening, or other circumstances outside of Mercury’s control. RTP availability is not guaranteed for all transactions.
Currently, receiving RTPs is only available for Mercury accounts on our partner bank, Column N.A. You can receive real-time payments from participating providers, including:
- Banks that support the ability to send RTP (many major banks do)
- Payment processors like Stripe, Bill, Square, PayPal, Amazon Express Payout, and Venmo
Your sender’s bank or provider must support one of the RTP networks in order to be eligible to send RTP to your account. While Mercury does not charge you for receiving RTP, your sender’s bank/provider may charge fees for sending real-time payments — unfortunately, these are set by them and we can’t control or refund those charges.
How to receive RTP payments
As long as your Mercury account is on Column N.A., you don’t need to enable anything in your account in order to receive RTP. If a sender is eligible to send real-time payments and uses your Mercury wire details, the funds should arrive instantly.
To receive a real-time payment:
- Log in to your Mercury account on web or mobile
- Locate your wire/payment details
- Share your account details with trusted senders and/or your payment processor
Most processors will automatically detect that your account can accept RTP. If they request verification, you can confirm that your account is with Column N.A., which supports RTP.
Note: If you already have a Mercury account on Column N.A. and would like to open additional accounts to receive RTP, you’ll first need to make sure that your preferred partner bank is set to Column N.A. (your preferred partner bank is usually set to whichever partner bank you most recently opened an account with).
If you need to confirm your preferred partner bank or switch it to Column N.A., just reach out to us below and we can update it for you. Then head to your Accounts tab and click the “Add Account” drop-down to open a new account on Column N.A. with its own account number.
Common processor setup guides
If you're using RTP with an e-commerce or payment platform, check our setup tips here:
- Stripe - Link your Mercury account and initiate Instant Payouts manually from the Stripe Dashboard or using the Stripe API
- Bill - Enable and manage instant payments from your Bill settings menu
- Square - Link your Mercury account and initiate transfers directly from Square
- PayPal - When initiating a transfer, select the “in minutes” option
- Amazon Express Payout - Log in to your Amazon Pay account and opt into Express Payout
- Venmo - When initiating a transfer, select Instant as the transfer method
Note: We recommend reviewing any eligibility and setup instructions directly from the provider’s website, as details may change.
FAQs
What if the sender’s payment doesn’t process as an RTP?
If RTP isn’t available or fails, most providers will automatically send the payment as an ACH or wire transfer instead.
Why is the amount sometimes lower than expected?
Many providers deduct a processing fee (typically 1–2%) in order to send RTP as payments or payouts. Check with the sender or platform for fee details.
How can I recognize instant payout scams?
Be cautious if you're asked to verify your account or share wire details unexpectedly. If you didn’t initiate a payout or don’t recognize a sender, don’t respond or provide sensitive account information.
How is RTP different from services like Zelle or Venmo?
Services like Zelle aren’t actually sending payments between banks, so they aren’t using the RTP network. They are performing what is called a book transfer, where funds are exchanged between banks and credit unions within their ecosystem, which allows money movement to be instant. On the other hand, the RTP network actually moves money between banks in real time.
For more information, see section 10.7 in the Column N.A. account agreement. To confirm whether your account is eligible to receive RTP payments, please contact Mercury support at help@mercury.com.
Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC.