Direct debt is an increasingly used payment method for the settlement of regular expenses such as water, electricity, telecommunications, insurance and even taxes. The great advantage of this modality is convenience, allowing payments to be made automatically, without the consumer having to worry about remembering due dates. However, there may be situations where it is necessary or desirable to cancel this form of payment and choose another solution.
Whether by bank account change, dissatisfaction with the service provided or simply for financial control, you may want to stop paying your invoices by direct debit. In such cases, it is essential to understand the appropriate procedures to avoid problems, such as defaults or unexpected charges. Once the direct debt is canceled, you will have to ensure that your invoices are paid in timely, using other means, such as bank transfers or face -to -face payments.
Inactivation and Cancellation: What is the difference?
It is important to clarify that inactivating a direct debt is not the same as canceling it. Inactivation is a process done directly in the bank, which prevents future creditor charges from being debited from your account. However, this does not mean that the debt disappears. If an invoice is issued and the payment is not made, it may enter non -compliance, with possible penalties or interruption of the service.
For example, imagine that you have an internet and television contract and decide to inactivate the direct debit in the bank. The following month, when the operator tries to charge the invoice, the charge will be refused. However, the payment obligation remains, and it will be necessary to settle the debt in another way to avoid penalties.
How to correctly cancel a direct debt?
To completely cease a direct debt, it is not enough just to inactivate it in the bank. It must also contact the creditor entity and formally cancel the debit authorization. Only then ensures that there are no new attempts to charge and that their invoices are not pending.
According to this, this process can be done through the customer support service of the company in question, by phone, email or even in person, depending on the policies of the entity. Upon cancellation, you will normally receive the invoices for manual payment, either by multibanco reference, bank transfer or other method provided by the creditor.
Where can a direct debt inactivate?
If you choose to inactivate a direct debt, you can do so through various channels:
• At the bank counter-you can move in person to the agency where you have the account and request the inactivation of direct debt.
• By homebanking – Many banks allow inactivation to be done through the bank’s application or website.
• In the ATM – You can cancel the debit authorization through the ATM box network, following the appropriate options in the menu.
What happens after canceling the direct debt?
Cancel a direct debt does not imply the cancellation of the contract with the creditor entity. If the service remains active, you must ensure that payments are made otherwise. Otherwise, it may be penalized with default interest and even suffer the service of the service, depending on the contractual conditions.
Another point to take into account is that some companies offer discounts to customers who use direct debit. If you cancel this payment modality, you may lose this benefit and pay a higher amount.
What if they charge me a value after cancellation?
According to Banco de Portugal, if a direct debt is improperly processed after cancellation, the customer has eight weeks to request the reimbursement with the bank. In addition, if the charge has not been authorized or an error has occurred, it may claim up to 13 months after the debt date for the situation to be rectified.
If you find that there was an error in the collection, the most advisable is to immediately contact the bank and the creditor to solve the situation quickly.
What to do if you change your bank account?
If you change your bank account and want to keep your active direct debts, you need to transfer debit authorization to the new IBAN. Banco de Portugal states that the creditor may accept a document signed by the debtor to request this change, but recommends a safer process: signing a new debit authorization into account with new data.
This procedure avoids future problems and ensures that payments continue to be processed without interruption. If you do not inform the creditor entity of the change of account, the invoices may be returned and eventual collection of default interest.
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