B2B payment instruments
A corporate buyer does not pay the way a consumer does: the money moves through a bank rather than a card, and the seller has to wait. Invoicebox offers five instruments that solve the same problem in different ways — shorten that wait without breaking the routine a corporate accounting department is used to.
The instrument is chosen in the contract and in the merchant settings, not per request: creating an order looks the same for all five.
How they differ
| Instrument | What the buyer does | When the seller sees confirmation | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic invoice payment | Receives an invoice, pays from their bank | Hours or days, as the payment clears | Long-cycle supply, the default option |
| Accelerated invoice payment | Picks their bank and confirms a prepared payment order in the internet bank | Minutes | Regular buyers who need a one-step settlement |
| Promised payment | Confirms by card, then pays by transfer within 5 days | About a minute | Time-sensitive goods: tickets, bookings, checkout orders |
| Guarantee fund | The company tops up a balance, the employee confirms the purchase with a code | Seconds | Recurring purchases: taxi, catering, supplies |
| Guarantee fund with overdraft | Same, but the balance may go negative within a limit | Seconds | Trusted corporate customers with high turnover |
Promised payment
The instrument for cases where goods cannot be held: a seat on a plane, a hotel room, an order at the petrol station till.
- The buyer confirms the order by card — Invoicebox blocks the invoice amount and the bank fee. Confirmation takes about a minute, so the seller hands over the goods or service straight away.
- The buyer then has 5 days to pay the invoice by an ordinary bank transfer, so the expense lands in their accounting correctly.
- If the transfer does not arrive, the blocked amount is charged to the card in full.
For the seller it looks like an ordinary payment: a status change notification arrives and the order counts as paid.
Guarantee fund
The company tops up a balance with Invoicebox in advance, and employees spend it within their authority, confirming each purchase with a code. The seller gets confirmation within seconds: the money already sits on the company's balance, so there is no bank transfer to wait for.
The overdraft adds an allowed negative balance: a purchase will not stop because the balance ran out at the wrong moment. The limit is set individually.
The confirmation mechanics are described by the payment confirmation methods: code check, charge, cancellation.
Note
Do not confuse the guarantee fund with holding funds: the fund is a prepaid company balance, while holding reserves money on the buyer's card for an order whose amount is still floating.
What is configured and what comes in the request
| What | Where it is decided |
|---|---|
| Set of available instruments | The contract and merchant settings in the office |
| Timings and limits | The contract; standard values are on the terms page |
| Order contents and amount | Creating an order |
| Payer type | The customer.type field: legal for companies and sole traders |
| Payment method | Chosen by the buyer on the payment page |
What next
- Scheme with legal entities — which documents are produced and when.
- Settlement terms and timing — when the money reaches the seller's account.
- Use cases by industry — how these instruments look in real life.