Pay-By-Bank, Not What You Think It Is!

EPISODE SUMMARY 

Sarah Stapp, Chief Commercial Officer at Aeropay, joins Joseph Casali to discuss the evolving payments landscape, focusing on Pay by Bank. Sarah shares her unique journey into fintech, from Craigslist job ads to leading global expansion at Braintree, and dives into ACH rails and real-time payments. 

Why Pay by Bank Matters: It offers fast, secure payment options directly from bank accounts, bypassing card networks. Sarah highlights how RTP and FedNow are shaping user expectations around speed and control across industries like gaming and insurance. 

Key Topics: 

• Evolution of payment orchestration
• Understanding “guaranteed ACH”
• Signals of Pay by Bank's growth in the U.S.
• Consumer-driven adoption over regulation

GUEST-AT-A-GLANCE

Sarah Stapp Chief Commercial Officer, Aeropay LinkedIn

Noteworthy: Spent 12 years at Braintree, leading global expansion.


KEY INSIGHTS

Pay by Bank Is Here: Sarah explains how direct bank-to-bank payments using ACH rails and mobile authentication are gaining traction, especially in gaming. She emphasizes the importance of education for both merchants and consumers.

Instant Payouts: RTP and FedNow are changing consumer expectations for receiving money. Sarah discusses the impact on gaming, insurance claims, contractor payments, and rent reimbursements.

Guaranteed ACH: Sarah introduces “guaranteed ACH” to mitigate risks associated with traditional ACH, offering merchants fewer chargebacks and better cash flow.

Payment Orchestration: Sarah unpacks payment orchestration, highlighting its role in optimizing transactions, centralizing customer data, reducing costs, and enhancing user experience.
 
 

Transcript

Wrestling Payments - Pay By Bank, Not What You Think It Is!
Sarah Stapp, Aeropay
season 3 episode 5

Full Shownotes and Highlights

As a personal note, Sarah and I had a great discussion and a lot of fun, one payment nerd to another.

Pay-By-Bank, Not What You Think It Is

Episode Summary

Sarah Stapp, Chief Commercial Officer at Aeropay, joins Joseph Casali to break down the shifting landscape of payments—especially the rise of Pay by Bank. Sarah shares her unconventional journey into fintech, from Craigslist job ads to leading global expansion at Braintree, before diving deep into ACH rails and real-time payments.

She explains why Pay by Bank is more than just a buzzword. It’s about giving consumers fast, secure options to pay straight from their bank accounts—without the overhead of card networks. From gaming to insurance, Sarah highlights how RTP and FedNow are shaping user expectations around speed and control.

They also explore how payment orchestration is evolving, what “guaranteed ACH” really means, and the signals to watch as Pay by Bank gains traction in the U.S. With consumer behavior driving adoption more than regulation, Sarah makes the case for why merchants—and financial institutions—should be paying close attention.

Guest-at-a-Glance

💡 Name: Sarah Stapp 

💡What they do: Chief Commercial Officer

💡Company: Aeropay

💡Noteworthy: Spent 12 years at Braintree, helping lead global expansion.

💡 Where to find them: LinkedIn  

Key Insights

Pay by Bank Isn’t the Future—It’s Already Here

Pay by Bank is more than a payment trend—it’s a working solution already delivering value across industries. Sarah explains how it enables direct bank-to-bank payments using ACH rails and mobile authentication. While still evolving in the U.S., Pay by Bank is gaining traction, especially in verticals like gaming, where payout speed is a top priority. Sarah argues that consumers are driving the shift more than regulation, and merchants are following suit to reduce costs, minimize chargebacks, and improve user experience. Unlike in Europe, where open banking is standardized, the U.S. model is more fragmented, but innovation is happening through providers like Aeropay. Sarah emphasizes the importance of education to help both merchants and consumers embrace it.

Instant Payouts Are Becoming a Competitive Advantage

Real-time payments (RTP) and FedNow are reshaping how consumers expect to receive money. Sarah points to online gaming and digital wallets as early adopters, where users choose platforms based on how quickly they can cash out. For many, the promise of instant access to winnings or wallet balances—even at a small fee—is enough to shift behavior. But the implications go far beyond gaming. Insurance claims, contractor payments, and even rent reimbursements are ripe for disruption. The old model of waiting days for a paper check or a delayed ACH transfer no longer fits the expectations of today’s users. As Sarah puts it, the market—not regulators—will determine how and where instant payments take hold.

Guaranteed ACH Reduces Risk for Merchants

ACH has traditionally come with uncertainty—no instant confirmation, no real-time authorization, and the risk of insufficient funds. Sarah introduces “guaranteed ACH” as a way to mitigate these risks. With guaranteed ACH, providers like Aeropay cover the potential losses from failed transactions. Merchants benefit from fewer chargebacks, better cash flow, and predictable payment outcomes. Sarah compares it to the comfort of card authorization codes but in the ACH world. While instant pay-ins aren’t yet universally available, guaranteed ACH fills the gap for businesses that want speed and security without the cost of card networks. This insight highlights how payment providers are layering in tools that remove friction and protect both sides of the transaction.
 
 Payment Orchestration Is More Than Smart Routing

Sarah unpacks the often-misunderstood concept of payment orchestration. It’s not just routing transactions based on volume or provider—it’s a data-driven layer that optimizes every payment. Orchestration includes smart routing, yes, but also centralizes customer data, reduces cost, and enhances user experience. Sarah points out that orchestration opens new possibilities in marketing, customer support, and business intelligence by leveraging rich payment data. The goal is not just to move money efficiently, but to connect systems in a way that unlocks new value across the organization. This elevated view of orchestration reflects how payments strategy has become a core part of business strategy.

Episode Highlights

From Rock Star Dreams to Payment Leader

Timestamp: [00:01:00]

Sarah Stapp shares her unconventional path into the payments industry, starting with dreams of being a musician before landing a job at Braintree via a Craigslist ad. Her candid backstory highlights how many professionals "fall into" payments without a traditional finance or tech background. She reflects on how this accidental entry turned into a deep passion and lifelong career in the space. Sarah also details her time scaling Braintree globally and what she learned leading payment expansion across 37 countries.

"I think like most people that are in payments, nobody plans to fall into the world of payments. Somebody taps you and says, ‘Hey, I got this project for you.’ Or you apply to a job posting and then you’re sucked in and you can’t get out. I actually say the payments industry is like Hotel California. You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave."
 
 

Defining Pay by Bank in the U.S. Context

Timestamp: [00:08:30]

Sarah offers a clear, real-world definition of what Pay by Bank actually means—especially in the fragmented U.S. environment. She contrasts the structured open banking systems in Europe with the U.S., where there’s no standard yet and the term still causes confusion. The core idea, however, is simple: enabling consumers to pay directly from their bank accounts, typically via ACH. Sarah emphasizes the customer experience, pointing out that successful adoption hinges on a familiar, frictionless checkout process on mobile.

"Pay by Bank" is understood, I think, by most people in a layman's sense, right? Of 'I'm paying with my bank.' That’s pretty simple... But it’s really the technology and the data that make Pay by Bank the future. It’s already here in certain verticals, but we’ll see it expand into new use cases."
 
 

The Role of Consumer Behavior in Payment Innovation

Timestamp: [00:21:00]

Sarah and Joe dig into how consumer preferences—not regulation—are the true drivers of payment innovation. She argues that unless a new payment method makes things easier, faster, or more rewarding for users, it won’t take off. The conversation covers the parallels between consumer adoption of PayPal in its early days and the emerging traction of real-time payouts. Sarah reinforces that the success of Pay by Bank depends on offering real value, especially to younger generations who want convenience without debt.

"You can do all you want, but it’s the cardholders who decide what happens. You have to make it easier, faster, or give them something for their trouble. If it doesn’t do at least two of those three things, nobody’s going to change their behavior."
 
 

Why Younger Generations Are Skipping the Credit Card

Timestamp: [00:30:00]

The episode wraps with a discussion about changing generational attitudes toward money. Sarah explains how younger consumers—especially millennials and Gen Z—are skeptical of debt and more likely to skip traditional credit products. Instead, they gravitate toward direct bank payments that align with their financial goals and digital lifestyles. Sarah sees this as a natural driver for Pay by Bank adoption, especially as usage data shows rising ACH volumes and falling credit card use.

"I think a lot of younger folks, millennials and Gen Z, they’re like, ‘I don’t want to be in a bunch of debt. I don’t want a $500,000 house. I want to live simply and within my means.’ But they also want this simple way to pay—no one wants to carry cash or a checkbook anymore."

Top Quotes

1. [00:02:00] Sarah Stapp: "Nobody plans to fall into the world of payments. Somebody taps you and says, ‘Hey, I got this project for you,’ or you apply for a job posting, and then you’re sucked in and can’t get out."
2. [00:08:30] Sarah Stapp: "Pay by Bank is understood, I think, by most people in a layman's sense—‘I'm paying with my bank.’ But it’s really the technology and the data that make Pay by Bank the future of payments in the U.S."
3. [00:21:30] Sarah Stapp: "You can do all you want, but it’s the cardholders who decide what happens. You have to make it easier, faster, or give them something for their trouble. If it doesn’t do at least two of those three things, nobody’s going to change their behavior."
4. [00:24:30] Sarah Stapp: "If somebody would’ve said, 'Hey, pay two bucks and get your $7,000 insurance payout instantly,’ I would’ve done it. And I’m a cheapskate. But that speed and convenience would’ve made all the difference."
5. [00:30:15] Sarah Stapp: "Credit card usage is going down, debit card usage is going up, and pay by bank is growing. A lot of younger people either can’t qualify for a credit card or don’t want one—they just want a simple, mobile-friendly way to pay."
6. [00:33:00] Sarah Stapp: "Anywhere people need instant access to funds—gaming, digital wallets, rent payments—RFP can change the game. It helps give true instant pull payments where they just don’t really exist today."

Short - Form Social Media Posts

1. “Nobody plans to fall into the world of payments”—but once you’re in, you’re hooked. On Wrestling Payments, Sarah Stapp shares her unexpected journey from aspiring musician to Chief Commercial Officer at Aeropay. Give the episode a listen—you’ll walk away knowing more than you expected.
2. On Wrestling Payments, Sarah Stapp highlights how younger generations are reshaping expectations—many don’t want credit cards, just a straightforward, mobile-first way to pay. It’s one of many signals that change is already happening. Tune in to the episode for more on how payment preferences are evolving.
3. On Wrestling Payments, Sarah Stapp shares how a Craigslist ad led to a 15-year career in payments—including early days at Braintree and global expansion work with PayPal and Venmo. As she puts it, “You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.” Listen in for her full story.
4. On Wrestling Payments, Sarah Stapp breaks down why instant access to funds matters—whether it's a $7,000 insurance payout or a digital wallet balance. She also dives into the role of guaranteed ACH and why the push for real-time pay-ins is gaining traction. Catch the episode for more industry insight.

Long - Form Social Media Posts

Post 1:

Ever wondered how people end up in the payments industry? In our latest Wrestling Payments episode, Sarah Stapp, Chief Commercial Officer at Aeropay, shares her unexpected journey:

• Started with a Craigslist ad and no payments experience
 • Became employee #20 at Braintree and helped scale globally
 • Worked through major milestones, including the Venmo and PayPal acquisitions

Sarah compares the industry to Hotel California: “You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.” Her story is a great reminder that some of the best careers start by accident. Don’t miss this episode of Wrestling Payments—hear how Sarah became a lifelong payments pro.

Post 2:
 
 Ever wondered how instant payments are reshaping expectations? In our latest Wrestling Payments podcast episode, Sarah Stapp, Chief Commercial Officer at Aeropay, shares her take on why real-time access to funds matters:

• Consumers will pay for the convenience of instant payouts
 • Guaranteed ACH is filling the gap until true instant pay-ins arrive
 • Digital wallets and gaming are leading use cases for faster money movement

Sarah reflects: “I’m a cheapskate… but I would’ve paid two bucks to get that $7,000 check instantly.” From payouts to pay-ins, the demand for speed is clear. Don’t miss the full conversation—listen to the Wrestling Payments podcast for more.