Searching for Aeropay alternatives usually means you’re weighing how customers should pay at your dispensary, online and at the counter. This guide explains what Aeropay is, based on its own website, where a pay-by-bank model tends to fit, the other approaches worth comparing, including Sprout’s, and the questions to put to any provider.
This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners; Sprout isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by Aeropay.
What Aeropay is
Aeropay’s website describes the company as a pay-by-bank network. Instead of paying with a card, a customer connects their bank account, and the payment moves directly from that account. Aeropay presents several products: bank connectivity for onboarding users, a payments product, payouts, and a risk product. It lists use cases across gaming, specialized retail, e-commerce, marketplaces and subscriptions, and publishes developer documentation for integrations.
Pay by bank runs on the ACH system, the same network behind direct deposit and many bill payments. For a dispensary, it typically appears as a “pay with your bank” option at online checkout or in store, often through a partner integration with the store’s point-of-sale or menu software.
Who pay by bank tends to suit
A pay-by-bank option can work well when:
- a large share of your orders are placed online for pickup or delivery;
- you have many repeat customers who will link a bank account once and reuse it;
- your point-of-sale or e-commerce platform already supports it.
It can be a harder sell for walk-in shoppers and visitors who don’t want to connect a bank account at the counter. Those customers usually reach for the debit card in their wallet, or for cash. That’s why many dispensaries offer pay by bank alongside card and cash options rather than instead of them.
Online orders versus the counter
It helps to think about your two checkouts separately. Online, customers are already typing, so linking a bank account once is a small step, and pay by bank can suit pickup and delivery orders. At the counter, speed matters more: the line moves fastest when customers can use the card they already carry, or cash from an ATM a few steps away. Many stores end up with one approach for online orders and another for the register.
Approaches to compare
| Approach | What the customer does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Pay by bank (ACH) | Links a bank account, pays from it | Online orders, repeat customers |
| Mobile debit app | Signs up in an app, pays from a linked account | Loyal customers who like rewards |
| PIN debit at a terminal | Inserts or taps a debit card, enters PIN | Walk-ins, visitors, delivery drivers |
| Credit acceptance through a cannabis program | Pays by credit card under a specific program | Customers who ask for credit |
| In-store ATM | Withdraws cash with a debit card | Cash-preferring shoppers |
You’ll see other names while you research: mobile debit apps such as CanPay, point-of-sale platforms with their own payments such as POSaBIT, and card processors such as Paybotic. Each page in this series explains one approach neutrally.
How Sprout approaches it
Sprout focuses on cards and cash, so customers can pay with what they already carry:
- Dispensary debit card processing: countertop, curbside and on delivery, with transaction reporting.
- Dispensary credit card processing. Before you sign, we explain in writing how transactions are processed, the statement descriptor, every fee, and the network and state rules that apply.
- Cannabis online payment processing: online, phone and in-person payments on one account, added to your existing website.
- Dispensary ATMs at no cost to the dispensary, with the customer’s convenience fee shown on screen before they confirm.
A store that likes pay by bank for online orders might still want card acceptance at the counter and an ATM in the lobby. Mixing approaches is common.
Questions to ask any provider
- How is the transaction processed, and what does the customer see on their statement?
- What does the customer have to set up first? Every extra step at the counter slows the line.
- Which fees apply, to the store and to the customer, and how are changes communicated?
- What integrations exist with your point-of-sale, menu and delivery software?
- How are refunds, returns and disputes handled? Ask for the process in writing.
- When do funds settle into your business account?
- How would a program change be handled? Ask what notice you’d get and what the fallback is.
- Can you run other payment methods alongside it?
For a deeper checklist, see our guide to choosing a cannabis payment processor. If you’re also looking for a bank or wondering why card processing works differently for cannabis, read our explainer on high-risk merchant accounts for dispensaries.
Next step
To see how debit, credit acceptance, online payments and a no-cost ATM could work together at your store, start an application or request a demo. Every rate and fee is in writing before you sign, and we reply within one business day.
Aeropay is a trademark of its owner. Other names mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners. Descriptions are based on each company’s public website as of September 2026; check their sites for current details.
Questions people also ask
What is Aeropay?
Aeropay describes itself as a pay-by-bank network. Customers connect a bank account and pay directly from it, rather than with a card. Its website lists products for bank connectivity, payments, payouts and risk, and use cases including specialized retail, e-commerce, marketplaces and subscriptions. Check Aeropay’s site for current details.
What is the difference between pay by bank and PIN debit?
With pay by bank, the customer links a bank account (usually through an app or online checkout) and the payment moves from that account electronically. With PIN debit, the customer inserts or taps the debit card they already carry and enters a PIN at a terminal. Both draw on the customer’s bank account; the difference is how the customer starts the payment and what they have to set up first.