AP That Pays for Itself? Let’s Do the Math

Most AP automation platforms make the case that they’ll save you time and money. And they probably will—assuming your team actually uses them, and you’ve got a decent volume of invoices to justify the cost.

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Centime takes that a step further: we help you earn money back while automating your AP.

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That’s not a metaphor. That’s cash, sitting in a Centime high-yield business checking account linked to your AP workflows, earning 3.0% APY^††—and in many cases, offsetting or even exceeding the cost of the automation software itself.

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Let’s break that down.

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What Makes Centime Different

Most AP automation tools focus on efficiency and rebate programs. Rebates can help, but they’re often tied to virtual card usage, vendor enrollment, or minimum spend thresholds—and they take time to ramp up. Worse, the float sitting in your AP account during payment cycles? It’s usually earning you nothing.

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With Centime, that float is put to work.

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By holding AP funds in a Centime Checking Plus* account, many clients see their automation costs significantly reduced—sometimes even fully covered—by the interest alone.

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There’s no delay in vendor payments, no workflow changes, and no rebate hoops. Just a fully liquid, interest-bearing account that generates predictable value during your regular payment cycle.

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A Realistic Example: What You Could Earn

Let’s say your company processes about 1,200 invoices per year, averaging $3,000 per invoice. That’s $3.6 million in annual AP spend.

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Assuming a consistent monthly float of $250,000 in your AP account (not unrealistic for a mid-sized business managing timing between approvals, payment terms, and execution), you’d earn approximately:

$7,500 annually at 3.0% APY^††
That’s $625 per month in passive income from money that would otherwise sit idle.

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Now let’s say your Centime AP subscription runs around $5,500 per year^¶.
That means you’ve more than covered the cost of automation—and pocketed nearly $2,000 beyond that.

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^¶Actual subscription pricing depends on invoice volume and business size. This number is for illustrative purposes only.

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When Does It Actually Become “Free”?

That’s the right question—and the honest answer is: it depends.

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The amount of interest you earn comes down to two main factors:

How much cash you typically have in your AP checking account
What your Centime subscription costs, which is based on your invoice volume

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We’ve seen businesses across a wide range of sizes use earned interest to offset a meaningful portion—or even the full amount—of their AP automation cost. But it’s not one-size-fits-all. A company processing 400 invoices per year with smaller balances will see a different outcome than one with higher payment volumes and more cash on hand.

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If you’re curious how it would shake out for you, we can model it using your actual numbers. No vague ROI promise—just math.

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💡 Note: To earn interest, AP funds must be held in a Centime high-yield business checking account that’s fully integrated with your AP workflows. There's no batching delay, and no separate vendor enrollment—just interest that accumulates during your normal payment cycle.

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How It Feels in Practice

Here’s what we hear from finance leaders who’ve made the switch:

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“It was the first time I’d ever presented an AP automation tool to my CFO and been able to show that it could literally pay for itself.”

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This flips the typical procurement conversation. Instead of justifying another software expense, you’re showing how the solution funds itself—and strengthens your working capital position at the same time.

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No Rebate Games. Just Guaranteed Yield.

Virtual card rebates are nice—when they work. But they depend on vendor acceptance, unpredictable timing, and administrative setup. Centime’s approach is simpler: deposit your AP funds into a purpose-built account, earn a predictable 3.0% APY^††, and automate your back office with a net-positive impact on your budget.

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It’s AP automation with a built-in return.

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Curious Where You’d Land?

You don’t need to guess. We’re happy to walk you through the numbers using your actual invoice volume and cash cycle.

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👉 Book a demo and let us show you what free AP automation looks like—for real.

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**Deposit placement through ICS is subject to the terms, conditions, and disclosures in the applicable agreements. Although deposits are placed in increments that do not exceed the FDIC standard maximum deposit insurance amount (“SMDIA”) at any one destination bank, a depositor’s balances at the institution that places deposits may exceed the SMDIA (e.g., before settlement for deposits or after settlement for withdrawals) or be uninsured (if the placing institution is not an insured bank). The depositor must make any necessary arrangements to protect such balances consistent with applicable law and must determine whether placement through ICS satisfies any restrictions on its deposits. A list identifying IntraFi network banks appears at https://www.intrafi.com/network-banks. The depositor may exclude banks from eligibility to receive its funds. IntraFi and ICS are registered service marks, and IntraFi Cash Service is a service mark, of IntraFi Network LLC.

^††3.0% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) as of 01/07/25. Deposit rate may adjust to current market rate and may change daily. Fees may reduce earnings.

*Centime is not a bank and is not authorized by any federal or state agency to engage directly in core banking activities.
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*All banking products and services available through Centime are provided by FNBO and are governed by the applicable agreements and related disclosures provided to you by FNBO. Member FDIC.
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‍*While Centime facilitates traditional banking activities (such as the acceptance of deposits or extensions of credit), these services are actually provided by our banking partner, FNBO.
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*Centime may provide support services to FNBO, as permitted by applicable law, to facilitate the delivery of its bank products and services.

**Deposit placement through ICS is subject to the terms, conditions, and disclosures in the applicable agreements. Although deposits are placed in increments that do not exceed the FDIC standard maximum deposit insurance amount (“SMDIA”) at any one destination bank, a depositor’s balances at the institution that places deposits may exceed the SMDIA (e.g., before settlement for deposits or after settlement for withdrawals) or be uninsured (if the placing institution is not an insured bank). The depositor must make any necessary arrangements to protect such balances consistent with applicable law and must determine whether placement through ICS satisfies any restrictions on its deposits. A list identifying IntraFi network bank

AP That Pays for Itself? Let’s Do the Math.

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