I was able to schedule the delivery date before completing Step 7, but the confirmation emailed mentioned:
"Keep in mind - you must complete the online purchase process in order to take delivery."
So you can complete Step 8 whenever it unlocks, but all Steps must be completed to actually take...
I just used it for a down payment (and financed through Rivian), so I can't speak as to how external financing would affect the speed. But for me, all I had to do was log into my bank, select the account, click submit, and BAM. Step 7 instantly completed. No muss, no fuss
Yeah, he's kidding. It's a similar service to Square or any of those "easy transaction" systems that a lot of websites use these days. You log into your bank through the service, and they initiate the ACH for you. I chose it because it was easier (and I've used them in the past) but apparently...
My 8-Steps unlocked exactly one week after I received and signed my PBA. But for other people it took anywhere between one day, and like 12 days. So it seems to be sorta......random?
(I'm sure there is a method to the madness but from an external POV, it seems quite arbitrary who gets what when)
The 8-Step thing seems pretty buggy. I had everything but Step 8 completed, but just logged back in to see if that had unlocked, and it now says I need to complete Step 6 again. Weiiiiird