Paying by DirectDebit

Open the invoice in your Hostworld account, pick the Direct Debit option that appears on it, complete the mandate or bank details, and submit the payment. The invoice will show Payment Pending and will be marked Paid only after the debit clears.

Before you start

• Log in at portal.hostworld.uk and open the invoice you want to pay.
• Stripe SEPA Direct Debit only appears on EUR invoices. If your invoice is not in EUR, look for GoCardless or Direct Debit instead.
• Direct Debit is not instant. GoCardless takes a few days and SEPA can take up to 14 business days. If your service is at risk today, use another method offered on the invoice or open a support ticket.

Step 1: Open your invoice and choose a Direct Debit method on it

In the Client Area go to Billing, then My Invoices, and click the invoice. Use the Pay Method selector on the invoice to choose the option labelled GoCardless, SEPA Direct Debit, Bank Transfer (SEPA module may be named this), or Direct Debit. Names vary by gateway. To pay this invoice now, choose the method on this invoice page. Changing your default Pay Method in Billing, Payment Methods does not update existing unpaid invoices.

Step 2: Complete the Direct Debit flow

GoCardless

• Click the invoice payment button. You will be redirected to GoCardless to set up a Direct Debit mandate and enter bank details. WHMCS does not store your bank information locally.
• On first use the invoice will move to Payment Pending for a few days while the mandate and payment clear. It becomes Paid after it clears. Later renewals can be charged automatically if GoCardless is your default Pay Method.

Stripe SEPA Direct Debit (EUR invoices)

• Enter your bank details in the on‑site form and submit. WHMCS does not store your bank information locally.
• SEPA is asynchronous. The invoice will remain Payment Pending until the debit clears, which can take up to 14 business days. It becomes Paid after it clears.

Direct Debit (offline/manual)

• Enter the requested bank details on the invoice and submit the form.
• This method does not charge automatically. We process these details outside WHMCS and record the payment after funds are received. The invoice will not auto‑clear and is only marked Paid after an admin records it.

Step 3: Set or remove Direct Debit for future renewals

• To have future renewals collected against a mandate, go to Billing, then Payment Methods, and set the GoCardless or SEPA Pay Method as your default. This affects future automated charges only.
• Undo: to stop future automatic collections, change your default to another method. If you remove the GoCardless Pay Method, its mandates are cancelled and no further automatic collections will occur. Only delete it if you intend to cancel Direct Debit entirely.
• Changing the default does not alter existing unpaid invoices. To switch those, open each invoice and pay it manually with the method you want.

If it does not work

• You cannot see Stripe SEPA: check the invoice currency. SEPA only appears for EUR invoices. Use GoCardless or Direct Debit if offered, or open a support ticket.
• It still says Payment Pending: that is normal. GoCardless takes a few days and SEPA up to 14 business days. If the due date is close and you are worried about suspension, open a support ticket so we can advise.
• You changed the default Pay Method but the invoice did not switch: defaults do not update existing unpaid invoices. Open the invoice and choose the Direct Debit method on that invoice, then pay.

What next

For a deeper explanation of Direct Debit options, timelines and how Pay Methods affect renewals, see our guides. If your bill was for a VPS, once payment clears you can manage starts, stops and rebuilds in Virtualizor using our VPS guides. If anything on your invoice looks wrong, please open a support ticket.