CPA loan meaning. If you use a debit or credit card for a subscription or other recurring service, you probably have given the company permission to take money from your account automatically. This is called a continuous payment authority (CPA). We will explain the important things you should know about it.
What does "continuous payment authority" mean?
A CPA or recurring payment allows a company to take money from your debit or credit card regularly.
After it’s set up, they can take money whenever they believe you need to pay, instead of on a specific date. Most companies that behave properly will typically stick to the same amount and time frame, but unknown organizations could be a problem.
If you’re making a payment and the business asks for your long credit or debit card number, instead of your bank account number and sort code, then it might be a CPA.
They’re commonly used for things like loan repayment, gym memberships, streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, magazines, and insurance policies.
CPAs are not the same as standing orders or direct debits.
There are two more ways to pay regularly – direct debits and standing orders. These give you more control over which payments come out of your account and when they do. Here’s what each one means:
Direct Debit
This is an agreement with a company to take money out of your account on a regular basis. It’s usually on a specific day and for a fixed amount, but it can change.
For example, you could set it up to pay your credit card £100 on the 25th of each month, or to pay off your full balance. This is often used for bills like energy, council tax, and broadband.
If there’s a mistake with the payment, you can cancel it using your online banking or by contacting your bank. You’re protected by the “Direct Debit Guarantee,” which means your bank will refund you the full amount if something goes wrong.
Standing Order
This is payments that you set up with your bank. You can choose to change or cancel them whenever you want.
These payments are usually used to move money from your account to another account, like paying rent to your landlord or putting money into a savings account.
They are not usually used to pay companies for a service, but sometimes they can be used for things like paying extra money on a mortgage or paying for services like cleaning or maintenance.
If you want to cancel the payments, you should check with the company first, as canceling the payments with your bank might not cancel any agreement you have with the company.
This could mean you still need to pay or might get charged extra fees.
The lender will be allowed to take money from your bank account.
Payday lenders may ask you to pay using something called a “continuous payment authority” or CPA (also known as a recurring payment).
This is where you give the 16-digit number on the front of your card to the lender.
They then have the right to automatically take payment, but they can only try twice and it must be on the due date. They can’t take partial payments, only the full amount. However, this can be risky if you have other important bills to pay.