Paying vendors in Melio is straightforward. You can pay using a bank account or card, choose how your vendor receives payment, and schedule when funds are delivered. This guide walks you through how to create and schedule a payment in Melio.
How to make a payment
Here you can find step-by-step instructions on how to create and schedule a payment.
Creating your payment
1- In your Pay dashboard, select +New Payment.
2- In the Bill details page, add the Vendor business name by typing in the search field and selecting from the dropdown, or select +Add new vendor to add a new one.
3- Fill in the Bill amount, Invoice number, Invoice date, Due date, and a Note to self.
Note:
If your vendor is set up for international payments, the currency dropdown next to the bill will reflect the vendor's preferred currency.
When a foreign currency is selected, you'll see the payment amount in the selected currency alongside the equivalent amount in USD, as well as the estimated conversion rate. Both the USD amount deducted from your account and the amount your vendor receives in the foreign currency are clearly displayed.
To learn more, see our international payments guide.
4- Under the Bill details, select the payment frequency. You can choose between a one-time payment or a recurring payment.
5- (Optional) Add line items to your bill.
6- (Optional) To attach an invoice, click Select or drop file to upload an invoice image or file from your device. Review the automatically scanned details and make any necessary edits.
Melio accepts PDF, JPEG, JPG, and PNG files up to 10MB. Upload one invoice per file. The system will scan your invoice and autofill payment details, but always review for accuracy. Use Replace to upload a different file or Cancel to remove it entirely.
7- Select Continue to pay to proceed to payment.
To save the bill for later instead, select Save and close.
Selecting payment and delivery methods
8- Choose how you want to pay. Select Bank account or Card, then use the dropdown to select your preferred payment method. You can add a new bank account by selecting Add bank account, or a new card by selecting Add card.
If you haven't added a payment method yet, select Add bank account or Add card to get started. Your payment method will be saved for this and future payments.
9- Under What your vendor receives, select how your vendor will receive payment. Use the dropdown to choose from saved delivery methods, or select Manage delivery methods to add a new one or edit an existing one.
If you don't have your vendor's delivery details or don't know how they would like to receive their payment, select Manage delivery methods. In the Delivery methods window, select +Add another.
Under More delivery options, select Ask vendor to send a payment details request. The delivery timeline is now dependent on how they choose to receive payment.
If you send your vendor a request asking how they'd like to receive payment, you can still complete the payment immediately — no need to wait for their reply. However, scheduled payments will be automatically canceled if the vendor doesn't respond within 7 business days. You can cancel the delivery method request anytime by editing the vendor details and selecting Cancel request.
Can I request payment info for vendors I’ve paid before?
You can still send them a request to update their preferred delivery method. Their response will be saved for all future payments and updated automatically once they submit their details.
Scheduling and finalizing your payment
10- Choose when funds will be delivered to your vendor. You can select from preset delivery dates. After selecting a date, you'll see when funds will be debited, the delivery timeline, and when your vendor will receive payment.
- To choose a custom date, select the Custom date option, then select the calendar icon to choose your preferred delivery date. Select Apply when done.
- Federal holidays are blocked in the calendar and will display as a Federal Bank Holiday when selected.
- The calendar shows both the Debit on date (when funds leave your account) and the Deliver by date (when your vendor receives payment), so you can see exactly when each will happen.
For certain payments, you may see a Defer debit toggle when selecting a custom date.
Turning this on delays the debit from your account until closer to the delivery date, while using a faster delivery method to ensure your vendor is paid on time. This gives you more control over your cash flow — your money stays in your account longer. An additional fee applies when defer debit is enabled. Select Apply to confirm your selection.
To learn more, see our guides on:
The delivery speed depends on multiple factors: selected payment method, amount, delivery method, day, and time when you make the payment.
If you send your vendor a request asking how they'd like to receive payment, the delivery speed is dependent on when they respond to the request and how they choose to receive the payment.
11- Add a memo to your payment (optional). This memo will appear on printed checks and in the email notification your vendor receives. This will help the vendor understand the purpose of the payment. When delivered via ACH bank transfer, it will show if your vendor's bank enables memos.
12- Review all payment details carefully to ensure accuracy.
13- Select Confirm and pay to schedule your payment.
If this is your first payment or we need more details, we'll ask you to provide some legal information. We do this to ensure compliance and security, as we cannot process your payment without it.
14- Your payment is now successfully scheduled! From the success screen, you can download or print your payment summary, or select Go to dashboard to return to your main account view.
That's it! You've successfully created and scheduled a payment. Your payment details are saved, and funds will be delivered according to your selected timeline and method. You can find and track your payment from the Payments tab.