An automated payment instruction is any instruction that tells a bank or payment provider to make payments repeatedly or at a future date without the payer acting each time. The main types differ in who controls them. A standing order is set up by the payer, who tells their own bank to send a fixed amount on a schedule. A direct debit is a mandate under which the payee collects variable amounts from the payer's account. Card subscriptions rely on a stored card and a recurring billing agreement, and corporate payers use scheduled or rule-based payments in online banking or treasury systems, for instance a payroll file released every month. In US law, consumer recurring debits from accounts are covered by the Electronic Fund Transfer Act as preauthorised electronic fund transfers. Also see automatic bill payment.