About Money Movement

Highnote's money movement framework provides a single API for moving funds across multiple payment rails. Instead of integrating separate providers for each transfer type, you use one programmable interface that supports cards, accounts, and emerging rails — domestic and international, inbound and outbound.

Payment rails

Highnote supports multiple payment rails through a unified API. Transactions are routed based on cost, speed, and destination — either configured by you or intelligently routed by the platform.

Supported and planned rails include:

• Instant Payments — Near real-time transfers to and from eligible external debit and prepaid cards via Mastercard Move and Visa Direct.
• ACH — Standard and same-day ACH transfers for account-to-account movement.
• Wire Transfers — Domestic wire transfers for high-value, time-sensitive payments.
• Real Time Payments (RTP) — Near real-time account-to-bank transfers.
• FedNow — Real-time payment network for instant settlement (coming soon).

Orchestration

Highnote's orchestration layer routes transactions based on real-time variables including ticket size, card type, network eligibility, and merchant category. The platform balances speed, cost-efficiency, and success rates so you can fine-tune routing rules or let the system optimize automatically.

Because money movement is built into the same platform as issuing, acquiring, credit, and the general ledger, there is no middleware layer between funding, disbursement, and reconciliation. Funds flow through a single system from first dollar in to last dollar out.

On-us transfers

When disbursing funds to a Highnote-issued card, the transfer executes as an internal ledger move rather than a network transaction. These on-us transfers:

• Settle instantly (milliseconds, not minutes or days)
• Incur no network fees (no Visa Direct or Mastercard Move costs)
• Remain within the Highnote ledger for simplified reconciliation

This applies when both the source account and destination card are on the Highnote platform. For payouts to external cards or bank accounts, standard network rails apply.

Use cases

Instant Payments and the broader money movement framework support a range of disbursement scenarios:

• Gig worker and contractor payouts
• Employee tips and earned wage access
• Insurance claim reimbursements
• Merchant settlements
• Customer refunds

See Money Movement Use Cases.

Next steps

• Set up Instant Payments using Mastercard Move or Visa Direct.
• Use Real Time Payments for instant account-to-bank transfers.
• Configure ACH transfers for account-to-account movement.