Xero Ireland offers online invoice payments through two services you connect: Stripe for cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and GoCardless for direct debit and bank payments. Beyond those, apps that sync with Xero add other ways to pay and chase, including Adfin, a certified Xero app that takes SEPA direct debit, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and bank transfer. Which one suits you depends on how your customers pay and whether you also want reminders handled from the same tool.
In this article
The short version
- Xero Ireland takes invoice payments through Stripe and GoCardless.
- Xero can send automatic reminders before or after the due date.
- Adfin is a certified Xero app that takes direct debit and cards.
- Paidnice works with Xero and applies late fees and interest automatically.
- Check whether payments are marked paid in Xero without manual matching.
The payment options built into Xero Ireland
Xero lets you connect payment services so your customers can pay an invoice online, and in Ireland it names two. Stripe handles cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, while GoCardless handles direct debit and bank payments. According to Xero, a transaction fee is charged only when a customer pays online, and each service charges under its own terms.
Stripe's published Irish card prices are 1.5% + €0.25 for a standard European Economic Area card, 2.5% + €0.25 for a UK card and 3.15% + €0.25 for an international card. GoCardless doesn't take card payments, and its fees come out of each payout before the money reaches your bank.
Xero also sends automatic payment reminders, before or after the due date and at a frequency you choose, so you can set up a reminder schedule without any app.
Apps that add other ways to pay or chase
The Xero App Store lists apps that read your invoices from Xero and add something on top, and you'll come across two kinds.
Payment and credit control apps take the payment and follow up the invoice. Adfin is one of them, a certified Xero app with two-way sync. Your customers can pay by SEPA direct debit, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or bank transfer from a link sent by email, SMS or WhatsApp, and each payment is marked paid in Xero automatically. Pricing is 20c + 1% per successful payment, with the 1% part capped at €2 on SEPA direct debit and bank transfer, so either of those costs at most €2.20 for a payment up to €2,000, while cards have no cap. Reminders by email, SMS and WhatsApp come free with the Essential credit control level.
Credit control apps concentrate on chasing the invoices. Paidnice is listed on Xero's Irish app store, works with Xero, QuickBooks Online and Stripe, and applies late fees and interest automatically. It costs €59 a month for up to 150 invoices, or from €85 on Pro.
What working with Xero can mean
"Works with Xero" covers a range of things, and two tools that both carry the label can leave you with quite different amounts of work. These are the questions that separate them.
- Can a customer pay from the invoice Xero sends, or only from a separate link or portal?
- When a payment arrives, is the invoice marked paid in Xero, or does a bank line wait for you to match it?
- Does information flow both ways, so a credit note or edited invoice in Xero updates the app too?
- If the app sends reminders, does it stop as soon as an invoice is paid, whichever way the money came in?
- Are fees shown separately, or netted off what's paid to you?
You'll get the clearest answers by asking each provider during a trial, with a test invoice you pay yourself. The answers show how much matching and chasing would still be left to you once real customers are using it.
Options by how your customers pay
| If your customers mainly pay | In Xero | Through an app |
|---|---|---|
| By card | Connect Stripe | An app that takes cards alongside other methods |
| By direct debit, every month | Connect GoCardless | An app that collects SEPA direct debit and can also take cards |
| By bank transfer | Match each transfer to its invoice in Xero | An app that marks transfers paid against the invoice |
| A mix of all three | Connect Stripe and GoCardless, each with its own account | One app that takes all three from a single link |
If you're not sure which row you're in, look back over the last few months of invoices. You'll see which methods your customers actually used, which invoices waited longest and whether the late ones were card, direct debit or transfer customers. It's a useful starting point, because it tells you whether you need card payments, direct debit, firmer chasing or a combination before you compare apps.
If you also want overdue invoices chased in a firmer way than a reminder schedule, think about where the chasing should live. Xero's reminders may be enough for customers who pay after a nudge. For business customers who pay late by habit, statutory late payment interest under S.I. 580 of 2012 is 10.4% a year from 1 July 2026, reset each 1 January and 1 July, and Enhanced credit control in Adfin adds it to overdue business invoices automatically, for 0.3% per paid invoice and only when used. Statutory interest doesn't apply to consumers.
Common questions
Which payment providers does Xero offer in Ireland? Xero Ireland offers online invoice payments through Stripe, for cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and GoCardless, for direct debit and bank payments. You connect each service to your Xero account.
Can I collect SEPA direct debit through Xero in Ireland? Xero offers direct debit through a connected GoCardless account, and apps that sync with Xero can also collect SEPA direct debit. Each customer signs a mandate once.
Does Xero send automatic payment reminders? Xero can send automatic payment reminders before or after the due date, at a frequency you choose. You set them up in your Xero account.
Is Adfin a certified Xero app? Adfin is a certified Xero app with two-way sync, and payments taken through it are marked paid in Xero automatically. It's also a certified QuickBooks app.
Can one app take cards and direct debit for Xero invoices? Some apps take card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer and SEPA direct debit from one link and sync with Xero. GoCardless takes direct debit but not cards.
Do I pay Xero a fee when customers pay online? Xero's Irish payments page says the transaction fee applies only when a customer pays online. The fee depends on the payment service you've connected.
Sources
- Xero - Accept online payments, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.xero.com/ie/accounting-software/accept-payments/
- Xero - Send invoices, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.xero.com/ie/accounting-software/send-invoices/
- Xero App Store - Paidnice, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://apps.xero.com/ie/app/paidnice
- Stripe - Pricing, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://stripe.com/ie/pricing
- GoCardless - Pricing, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://gocardless.com/en-ie/pricing
- Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment - Late Payment Interest Rate (accurate as of November 2026) https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/what-we-do/supports-for-smes/late-payments/late-payment-interest-rate-
