GoCardless Referral Code: Get £100 FREE (August 2026)

The GoCardless referral link on this page gets you and me both £100 when you sign up and collect £500 in payments within your first three months.

Claim your £100 GoCardless bonus now

No referral code to type. Click the link above, create your account, collect £500 in payments within 3 months, and £100 lands in your GoCardless balance around 30 days later.

I've used GoCardless for agency retainers and the difference is immediate: payments arrive on the day I set them, with no chasing, no failed card transactions, and no awkward follow-up emails.

What Is GoCardless?

GoCardless is a UK-based payment platform that lets businesses collect payments directly from customers' bank accounts via Direct Debit. Once a customer authorises a payment mandate, money comes in automatically on whatever schedule you set.

Over 80,000 businesses across the UK and beyond use GoCardless to get paid.

Key features:

• Direct Debit payments, automated, reliable, and hands-off
• Recurring payment collection, perfect for subscriptions, retainers, and instalments
• 3 months completely fee-free, no transaction fees when you first sign up
• 350+ integrations, connects to Xero, QuickBooks, Salesforce, FreeAgent and more
• Global payments, collect in multiple currencies across different countries
• Smart retry technology, automatically retries failed payments to reduce missed income
• Simple dashboard, easy to see what's been collected, what's pending, what's failed
• Instant bank payments, collect one-off payments instantly as well as recurring ones

Who Is GoCardless For?

• Freelancers and consultants on monthly retainers who are sick of chasing invoices
• Subscription businesses, gyms, membership clubs, software companies
• Accountants and bookkeepers collecting regular fees from clients
• Landlords and letting agents collecting rent automatically
• Coaches and tutors taking recurring session fees
• Small business owners who want cash flow they can predict

If you currently send invoices manually and wait for bank transfers, GoCardless will change your life. Payments come in on the day you set, without you having to do a thing.

GoCardless pairs well with a dedicated business account. If you're still using a personal account for your business, see my guide to the best UK business bank accounts for options that integrate directly with GoCardless. The Tide business account is one I'd also recommend for UK sole traders and limited companies taking regular payments.

How to Claim Your £100 Bonus

1. Click my referral link: manage.gocardless.com/refer
2. Create your GoCardless account, it's free and takes a few minutes
3. Set up your first payment, add a customer and collect your first payment
4. Collect £500 in payments within your first three months
5. Receive £100 credited to your account (and I get £100 too)

The £100 bonus typically arrives around 30 days after you hit the £500 payment threshold.

My Honest Experience Using GoCardless

I started using GoCardless because I was spending too much time chasing late payments from clients. Once I switched to Direct Debit, that problem essentially disappeared overnight.

What I love:

• Payments just arrive on the date I set, no chasing, no awkward emails
• The dashboard is clean and easy to understand
• Failed payments are retried automatically, which has saved me money
• It connects directly to my accounting software so bookkeeping is much faster
• The setup process is genuinely straightforward

What could be better:

• There's a small learning curve if you've never used Direct Debit before
• Customers need to complete an authorisation step before the first payment, but this is a one-time thing

Overall, GoCardless has become one of the tools I'd genuinely recommend to any UK business owner who takes regular payments from clients. The time it saves alone is worth it.

GoCardless vs Other Payment Tools

GoCardless vs Stripe. Stripe is great for card payments and one-off transactions, but it doesn't offer Direct Debit. If you need automated recurring payments pulled directly from bank accounts, GoCardless wins. Stripe also has no fee-free introductory period and no sign-up bonus.

GoCardless vs PayPal. PayPal offers limited recurring payment options, but it's primarily a card and wallet-based system. There's no Direct Debit, no automatic failed payment retries, and no free trial period. GoCardless is purpose-built for collecting payments on a schedule, PayPal isn't.

GoCardless vs Square. Square is designed for in-person and point-of-sale payments. Its recurring payment features are limited, it has no Direct Debit support, and UK bank integrations are weaker than GoCardless. If your business collects payments remotely on a regular basis, GoCardless is the better fit.

Where GoCardless stands out: Direct Debit, 3 months completely fee-free, automatic failed payment retries, 350+ accounting integrations, and a £100 sign-up bonus through my referral link. No other payment tool offers that combination.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the GoCardless referral work?

Sign up using my referral link, then collect at least £500 in payments through GoCardless within your first three months. Once you hit that threshold, we both receive £100.

Is there a GoCardless referral code to enter?

GoCardless uses referral links rather than codes. When you click my link, the referral is tracked automatically, there's nothing extra to enter.

When do I receive my £100 bonus?

GoCardless typically pays the bonus around 30 days after you've collected £500 in payments. It's credited directly to your account.

How many people can I refer to GoCardless?

There's no limit. Once you're a GoCardless customer, you get your own referral link from your dashboard. Every successful referral earns you £100, with no cap.

Is GoCardless free to use?

GoCardless is completely free for your first three months, no transaction fees at all. After that, standard pricing applies based on how many payments you collect. Check gocardless.com for current pricing.

Does GoCardless work for sole traders?

Yes. GoCardless is available to sole traders, limited companies, partnerships, and charities. You don't need to be a limited company to sign up.

What's the difference between GoCardless and a normal bank transfer?

With a normal bank transfer, you send an invoice and hope the client pays on time. With GoCardless, you set the payment date and amount, and the money is collected automatically from the customer's account. No chasing, no delays.

Is GoCardless safe?

Yes. GoCardless is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Services Regulations 2017 (FRN 597190). Customer funds are safeguarded under FCA rules and all Direct Debit payments are covered by the UK Direct Debit Guarantee, which lets payers dispute any incorrect collection.

Can I use GoCardless for one-off payments?

Yes. GoCardless supports both recurring Direct Debit collections and one-off instant bank payments. Most businesses use the recurring feature for retainers and subscriptions, but you can request a single payment without setting up an ongoing mandate.

Ready to Get Your £100?

Use my referral link to sign up for GoCardless free. Collect £500 in payments within 3 months and we both earn £100.

Sign up to GoCardless and claim your £100

Looking for more ways to save and earn as a business owner? Check out my other referral guides:

• Capital on Tap, get £75 free with the best UK business credit card
• Tide Business Account, get £100 free when you open a Tide account
• Monzo Business, get up to £50 free with the UK's best digital bank
• Wise, save on international transfers with real exchange rates

Mike McDonnell, Founder of Glide Marketing