In Ramp Bill Pay, should Ramp steer vendor payments toward card for interchange revenue or optimize for ACH adoption?

Introduction

Ramp Bill Pay lets customers pay vendor invoices by ACH, check, international wire, or card. From a customer's point of view, ACH is usually the default: free, familiar, and accepted by almost every vendor. From Ramp's point of view, a bill paid by card earns interchange revenue, while a bill paid by ACH earns little or nothing directly. That creates a real tension for a Bill Pay PM. Should Ramp actively steer bill payments toward card (more revenue per bill, but potential friction with vendors who dislike paying card fees) or optimize for frictionless ACH adoption (more customers using Bill Pay, but lower revenue per bill)?

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Context: What share of Bill Pay volume is paid by card today, and how does that compare to ACH? I'll assume card is roughly 10% of bill dollars and ACH about 75%, with checks and wires making up the rest.

• Business Context: Is Bill Pay's role to be a profit center on its own, or a product that makes Ramp the system of record for all spend? I'll assume both matter, but leadership sees Bill Pay as a strategic wedge for AP automation and Treasury.

• User Impact: How do vendors react today when asked to accept card? I'll assume some accept readily (software, marketing), others decline or add surcharges (suppliers, contractors).

• Technical: Can Ramp offer vendors a way to accept card without changing their setup, such as single-use virtual cards sent by email? I'll assume yes.

• Resource: Is the team deciding where to invest the next two quarters of roadmap? I'll assume so.