On the headline figures, yes: in Adfin's payment data, 72.9% of Apple Pay and 70.0% of Google Pay payments arrive on or before the due date, against 65.1% for card and 57.9% for bank transfer. Compare methods inside one business's own ledger, though, and the gap falls below 1.5%. Wallets are worth offering because some clients prefer them, but they're unlikely to change when your clients pay.
In this article
The short version
- Wallet payments are paid on time more often overall: Apple Pay 72.9%, card 65.1%.
- Inside one business's own ledger, the gap falls below 1.5%.
- Once a payment is late, the method barely changes how late it is.
- Offer wallets because clients like them, and take the typing out with a payment link.
- For clients who are always late, a direct debit mandate does more than a wallet.
What the overall figures show
Across invoices paid through Adfin by card, wallet, pay by bank or bank transfer between mid-2024 and mid-2026, here's how often each method was paid on or before the due date:
| Method | Paid on or before the due date | Typical timing against the due date | Median delay when late |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Pay | 72.9% | 2 days early | 8 days |
| Google Pay | 70.0% | 1 day early | 8 days |
| Card | 65.1% | On the due date | 8 days |
| Pay by bank | 62.0% | On the due date | 8 days |
| Bank transfer | 57.9% | On the due date | 10 days |
Two things to know before you lean on that table. Direct debit isn't in it, because a direct debit is collected on the due date and then takes a few working days to reach the business, so mixing it in would count that settlement time as lateness. And the businesses behind it are mostly small firms and accountancy practices billing modest recurring fees, so your own figures will differ.
Why the gap mostly disappears inside one business
Businesses that switch Apple Pay on aren't the same as the ones taking bank transfers, and their clients aren't the same clients either. A firm with wallets on is usually one that already sends a payment link with a checkout attached. A client paying by wallet is usually someone with your invoice open on their phone, deciding to deal with it there and then.
So the fairer test takes the businesses that offer both methods and compares them within each ledger, where the terms, the invoices and the client list are the same. Pooling those businesses' payments gives one gap; looking business by business gives a much smaller one:
- Apple Pay against card: about 6% apart pooled, under 1% for the typical business, and only a little over half of businesses did better on Apple Pay.
- Pay by bank against card: about 1.5% worse pooled, about 1.4% better inside one ledger.
- Bank transfer against card: about 7% worse pooled, about half a percent worse inside one ledger, with businesses split evenly either way.
The within-business results do lean slightly towards wallets, but the differences are too small to plan around. Most of the headline ranking describes which businesses offer a method and which of their clients reach for it.
Does the payment method change how late a payment is?
The method makes little difference once a payment is late. The median delay is 8 days for card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and pay by bank, and 10 days for bank transfer. Whatever a method does, it acts on whether your client misses the date, not on how long you then wait.
The "2 days early" for Apple Pay is about when people choose to act. A wallet payment tends to get made the moment the invoice arrives, while a bank transfer is an errand saved for later in the week. Wallet payments don't settle any faster than card payments.
What to do with this
The practical lessons are smaller than the headline suggests, and they're mostly about the steps between your invoice and your client's money.
- Offer the methods your clients already use. Some will pay by wallet if they can, and that's reason enough on its own.
- Take the typing out. Paying by bank transfer means opening an app, adding a payee, copying a sort code, account number and reference, and checking them. A payment link with the amount and reference filled in asks for one approval.
- Check your own ledger. Split last year's paid invoices by method and compare on-time rates. A difference of a percent or two either way is normal at small volumes.
- For a client who's late every month, change how you collect. A wallet is unlikely to fix a habit, while a direct debit mandate puts the collection date in your hands.
Adfin's payment links let your clients pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or pay by bank from the same page, and you can collect recurring invoices by direct debit from the same place. If a link goes unpaid, its collection agents follow up over email, SMS or WhatsApp on a schedule you set.
Common questions
Do customers pay faster with Apple Pay? Overall, 72.9% of Apple Pay payments in Adfin's data arrive on or before the due date, against 65.1% for card. Inside one business's own ledger the typical gap is under 1%.
Will adding Apple Pay improve my on-time payment rate? This data can't promise that. It's worth adding because some clients prefer it, while your terms, due dates and client mix do more to set your on-time rate.
Which payment method gets paid on time most often? Apple Pay, then Google Pay, card, pay by bank and bank transfer, from 72.9% down to 57.9%. The order mostly reflects which businesses offer each method.
Why is bank transfer paid on time least often? It asks the most of your client: a new payee, a sort code, an account number and a reference. Inside one business's ledger, though, the gap to card is only about half a percent.
Does a wallet payment clear faster than a card payment? No. Wallet payments arrive earlier against the due date because people tend to pay on receipt, but they settle the same way as card payments.
Once an invoice is late, does the payment method matter? Very little. The median delay is 8 days for card, both wallets and pay by bank, and 10 days for bank transfer.
Sources
- Adfin - Accept payments (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.adfin.com/accept-payments
- Adfin - Pricing (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.adfin.com/pricing
- Bacs - The little Bacs guide to Direct Debit (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.bacs.co.uk/media/ezwlg0dn/little_bacs_guide_to_direct_debit-v2.pdf
