You can run two payment providers side by side while you switch, as long as each invoice has one route to payment and one system chasing it. Keep direct debits on your old provider until your mandates move, put new invoices and card or link payments on the new one, and make sure both mark invoices paid in Xero or QuickBooks, so nobody is collected from twice or chased for something they've paid.
In this article
The short version
- Give each invoice one route to payment and one system chasing it.
- Keep direct debits on the old provider until mandates move; move card and link payments straight away.
- Switch off Xero reminders for clients the new system is chasing.
- Expect net payouts from one provider and gross payouts from the other during the overlap.
- You can keep GoCardless for direct debit and use Adfin for chasing, with the limits that brings.
Decide which payments go where
Most switches have an overlap of a few weeks, because direct debit mandates take time to move and card or bank payments don't. Before anything goes live, write down which provider handles which payments.
A simple split for the switch period looks like this:
- Existing direct debit clients stay on your old provider until their mandates have moved and are active on the new one.
- Clients who pay by card, bank transfer or payment link move to the new provider from their next invoice, since there's nothing to transfer.
- New clients go straight onto the new provider, including any new direct debit mandates.
- Anything already submitted for collection on the old provider is left to finish there.
If your mandates are moving by bulk change, the new provider will give you a change date. With Adfin, you can keep collecting through your old provider up to one working day before that date, and Adfin starts collecting from three working days after it, once the moved mandates are active. Until the change date, keep raising invoices for those clients as you do now, so they aren't sent a second request from the new provider.
If clients are signing new mandates, run each client on the old mandate until the new one is active, then cancel the old one.
How to avoid double collection and double chasing
Two providers create two ways for the same invoice to be paid. The risks are a client charged twice, a client chased for an invoice they've paid, and a failed payment that neither system picks up.
For collections, the rule is one collection per invoice. Before your switch period starts, list every client whose collection falls in the weeks around the change, and decide which provider takes that payment. If a client does end up paying twice, refund the extra straight away.
For chasing, use one system only. If you've been using Xero's own invoice reminders, or a separate chasing tool, switch them off for any client the new system is chasing. Clients who get two reminders from two senders about the same invoice are more likely to be confused than to pay.
Chasing also depends on payments being recorded. A chasing tool reads paid status from your accounting software, so an invoice collected by your old provider needs to show as paid there before any reminder goes out. In Adfin, a payment recorded in Xero or QuickBooks comes across automatically, the invoice shows as paid externally and reminders stop. If a client is still collected by your old provider, you can also pause reminders for that client alone until their mandate has moved.
Reconciliation in Xero or QuickBooks during the overlap
GoCardless's Xero integration posts each payment against its invoice in a clearing account, then pays out a net sum with its fees deducted, which moves from the clearing account to your current account. Adfin marks each payment paid against its invoice in Xero or QuickBooks automatically, and pays out every weekday at the full amount, with its fees invoiced separately. So during the switch you'll see net payouts from one provider and gross payouts from the other.
A few habits keep this tidy:
- Leave the old provider's integration connected until its final payout has arrived and been reconciled.
- Don't record a payment by hand that either integration will also post, or the same payment ends up recorded twice.
- Switch off the old integration once there's nothing left to post, then close the account.
Can you keep GoCardless for direct debit and use Adfin for chasing?
Some businesses ask whether they can keep GoCardless for direct debits, long term or until a contract ends, and use Adfin only for chasing. You can. Adfin's credit control works on invoices synced from Xero or QuickBooks, and Essential credit control is free, with unlimited reminders by email, SMS and WhatsApp. When GoCardless records a payment in Xero, Adfin picks it up and stops chasing that invoice.
It helps to be clear about what that set-up still leaves you with. When a direct debit fails, GoCardless retries it but doesn't chase the unpaid invoice, and the failure is reported to GoCardless, not to Adfin. The invoice simply stays unpaid in Xero, so Adfin's reminders will start on whatever schedule you've set. GoCardless also charges its fee on failed payments and deducts fees before paying out, so reconciliation stays as it is. Set reminders for direct debit clients to start a few days after the due date, so a collection has time to show as paid before anyone is chased.
Moving direct debits to Adfin as well puts collection and chasing in one place. A failed direct debit is retried free and the client can then be sent a payment link, Adfin's collection agents chase within rules you approve, and every payment is marked paid without a payout to split. With 10 or more mandates, they move by bulk change and clients don't re-sign; with fewer than 10, clients sign a new mandate online.
Whichever you choose, switch the old provider off once no collections are pending on it and its last payout is reconciled.
Related guides
- Switching payment provider: a complete guide
- What it costs to run payments and chasing as two separate systems
- How do I stop Xero sending reminders to clients who pay by direct debit?
- Payment reconciliation: a complete guide
- Do your customers have to re-sign direct debit if you leave GoCardless?
Common questions
Can I use two direct debit providers at the same time? Yes, for different clients. Each client's mandate points at one provider, so make sure every invoice is collected by only one of them.
How do I stop a client being charged twice during a switch? List every collection due around the change date and decide which provider takes each one. Cancel an old mandate only once the new one is active.
Will Adfin chase an invoice that GoCardless has already collected? Not once the payment is recorded in Xero or QuickBooks. Adfin imports it, marks the invoice as paid externally and stops reminders.
Should I keep Xero's reminders on while I switch? Switch them off for any client your new system is chasing, so clients don't get reminders from two places.
When can I close my old payment provider account? Once nothing is left to collect on it, its final payout has arrived and you've exported the payment history you want to keep.
Can I keep GoCardless and use Adfin just for credit control? Yes. Adfin's credit control works on invoices synced from Xero or QuickBooks and stops chasing once a GoCardless collection is recorded in your ledger. Failed direct debits are still reported to GoCardless, not Adfin.
Sources
- Adfin - My customer paid outside Adfin: how do I stop reminders? (accurate as of November 2026) https://support.adfin.com/en/articles/15082098-my-customer-paid-outside-adfin-how-do-i-stop-reminders
- Adfin - Bulk-migrate your direct debit mandates to Adfin (10+ mandates) (accurate as of November 2026) https://support.adfin.com/en/articles/12688044-bulk-migrate-your-direct-debit-mandates-to-adfin-10-mandates
- Adfin - Pricing (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.adfin.com/pricing
- GoCardless - How reconciliation works (accurate as of November 2026) https://support.gocardless.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360001282889-How-reconciliation-works
