Paying your suppliers is a non-negotiable part of running any business. When it comes to maintaining a healthy cash flow, it’s just as important as getting paid. The visibility of what’s going out helps to complete an accurate financial picture for your business.

Yet we know small businesses, accountants and bookkeepers face friction when it comes to paying bills, in fact over half of small businesses are spending more than four hours each month managing accounts payable. And if you have international suppliers, paying your bills is even more complex.

That’s why, in 2023, we partnered with Crezco, a payment institution that’s authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to provide open banking payment services in the UK to launch an embedded bill payments solution.

This means our UK small business customers are now able to manage bills, process payments, and reconcile everything all in one place.  This saves time, reduces errors, and gives a clear view of your cash flow.  It also allows you  to pay multiple bills at once with just a few clicks.

Since launching online bill payments we’ve made it easy for UK small businesses to schedule payments, and consolidate bills to a single supplier without having to leave the Xero platform.

Now, we’ve launched another highly-requested feature that you’ve been asking for – the ability to make international payments.

Pay your international bills with ease

After beta testing with many of our customers and partners, international bill payments are now available to all customers.  We think it’s a game-changer for small businesses that pay bills in other currencies as it simplifies the complexities and exchange rates of working with overseas  suppliers. You can now:

• Pay bills in 25+ currencies  
• Send money to 180+ countries
• Get competitive rates and avoid hidden fees

Better still, international bills can be paid directly from your UK bank account without e-wallets, VIBANs, or foreign currency accounts; and your suppliers will receive prompt payments in their preferred currency.

“At Azotic Technologies Ltd, we embrace innovation, not only in science but also in the way we work. By streamlining supplier payments through Xero, we’ve improved accuracy, saved hours each week, and reduced FX fees, saving thousands in the process.” Kerry Whattam, Azotic Technologies Ltd

How to get set up

If you are on a Xero business edition plan that supports multi-currency, then getting started is simple.

Allow data sharing permissions with our trusted payments partner Crezco to enable open banking services and connect your bank account. This shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes!

Then submit your business details for verification by Crezco to enable international payments and you’re good to start paying your FX bills!

Remember, there’s no recurring subscription fee or fees for additional users, and you only pay per transaction when you use online bill payments in Xero.

To learn more about online bill payments, click here.