Grocer Ahold Delhaize Links With Fiserv to Offer Pay-By-Bank

Pay-by-bank received a substantial endorsement early Tuesday with the news that the grocery giant Ahold Delhaize USA has gone deeper into a partnership with the payments processor Fiserv Inc. to offer the payment alternative on Ahold’s proprietary platform. The company is a unit of the Netherlands-based grocer of the same name and operates more than 2,000 U.S. stores, mainly on the East Coast.

With the support from Fiserv, Ahold Delhaize USA stores are allowing customers to pay for online grocery orders directly from their bank accounts, an option often seen as more convenient for customers and less costly for merchants than credit or debit cards. Ahold Delhaize’s U.S. brands participating in the pay-by-bank option are The Giant Co., Giant Food, and Stop & Shop, which are offering the service through their Web sites and mobile apps.

The company’s other U.S. brands include Food Lion and Hannaford, though it could not be immediately determined whether these chains will also offer the service. Together, the U.S. stores attract 26 million omnichannel shoppers each week, the company says.

Customers can enroll in the service through a secure authentication platform through which they can link their bank-account details, Ahold Delhaize says. So far, “tens of thousands” have adopted the program since it launched late last year, the company adds. “Expanding digital payment choice is an example of how we continue to enhance our omnichannel platform, which in turn enables Ahold Delhaize USA brands to better serve their customers,” said Ahold Delhaize USA chief commercial officer Keith Nicks, in a statement.

Estimates vary regarding total U.S. payments volume on pay-by-bank services, though some sources estimate the volume in 2025 fell between $100 billion and $150 billion. Such services, seen by many merchants as lower-cost alternatives to the card networks, typically rely on the automated clearing house or on real-time systems from The Clearing House or the Federal Reserve, as these systems offer existing connections to users’ bank accounts to verify and move funds.