What is a payout?

There are many reasons why a business might need to disburse funds to a customer, or why a customer might need to transfer funds out of a Visa card account.

  • If your business pays reimbursements, disbursements, or loyalty cashback.
  • If you issue checks to employees, contractors, partners, or suppliers.
  • If you have partners or suppliers who expect fast payments or fund transfers.
  • If your customers need to fund new accounts, add money to prepaid cards, or fund a P2P transaction. 


By using customers’ existing cards, no sensitive bank information is necessary, keeping the transaction safe. Plus, Cybersource Payouts leverages our powerful security, risk controls, and capabilities.

Cybersource Payouts also enables a faster reconciliation process than waiting for customers or partners to deposit paper checks—helping you keep your books current.

Payouts can help move money for2:

  • Contract staffing
  • Government payouts
  • Acquiring cryptocurrency
  • Insurance claim disbursement
  • Lottery payments
  • P2P money transfers
  • Funding digital wallets

Less complication, more happy customers

  • Allows direct payments using the Visa Direct and Mastercard Send®3 integrations built into Cybersource. 
  • Supports real-time confirmation when financial institutions receive payments. 
  • Works with Cybersource Token Management Service to offer card-on-file functionality for returning customers. 
  • Enables payouts in as little as 30 minutes from transaction approval,1 compared with days for paper checks. 
  • Allows regular payouts to be scheduled 24/7, 365 days a year.

Funds transfer using Cybersource Payouts2

Cybersource Payouts: Simple for you, appreciated by customers

With Cybersource Payouts, you can send money directly to a customer’s Visa or Mastercard debit account, prepaid card account, or credit account. And you can pull funds from any eligible debit card and send them to a specific receiving account, such as another Visa or non-merchant account.

Fast

Instead of a paper check that can take days to clear, with Cybersource Payouts your customers often have their money in 30 minutes of approving the transaction.1

Convenient

Most people have a bankcard with them and know how to make online payments. It’s a simpler process than finding details for an ACH bank transfer.

Secure

Account Funding Transactions (AFTs) are powered by VisaNet, a sophisticated global network that facilitates global commerce for consumers, merchants, financial institutions, partners, and governments.

Done with slow money transfers? So are your customers

90%

would choose a debit card deposit over other methods.5

70%

consider their debit card number more convenient to use than their bank account and routing numbers.5

80%

would be more likely to work with a company that offers deposits to debit cards.6

84%

say being able to receive virtual rebates, as opposed to cash, improved their opinion of a brand.6

87%

say real-time funding is an important feature when opening a new account.6

83%

of surveyed payment managers are interested, planning to use, or already using real-time funds disbursements.7

74%

would consider switching to a bank or brokerage that offers real-time transfers.6

1 Actual fund availability for Visa and Mastercard depends on the receiving financial institution and region. Visa requires Payouts-enabled issuers to make funds available to their recipient cardholders within a maximum of 30 minutes of transaction approval.
2 Examples are for illustrative purposes only. Program providers are responsible for their programs and compliance with any applicable laws and regulations.
3 Support for Mastercard Send is currently available in the United States.
4 All brand names, logos and/or trademarks are the property of their respective owners, and do not necessarily imply product endorsement.
5 Visa Digital Disbursements Consumer Preference Study, November 2017. N=2000, Q37: Given the option, how likely would you be to choose to receive funds through your debit card?
6 Aite Group Research on North American trends commissioned by Visa, 2018.
7 PYMNTS.com Disbursement tracker, January 2021.

Interested? Let’s talk.

We can work together to get funds to your customers quickly and securely..