Payment Processing Services for Business
Updated July 30, 2018
When it comes to running a business, you need to get paid to Get It Made. There are many online services to choose from for both payment processing and sending clients invoices. We've created a table using Airtable to help summarize your options by in-person card swipe (or dip), online payment, or manually keyed in payment.
Disclosure: We receive a referral credit from some of our favorite services including Airtable, Due invoicing, Square, and Shopify, so when you sign up with our referral links we get credit of some kind. If those are the right options for you, spread the love!
A few options include both a scheduling function and a way to collect payment at time of booking. That sort of function is ideal for service businesses like spas or photographers. Calendly has a free scheduling plan, and if you pay $12 per user per month, you can integrate your scheduling with Stripe. Square also has the scheduling and payment processing capabilities, but plans start at $30 per month. Square is the right choice if you need retail payment processing, loyalty programs, and a full suite of services.
In this table we created estimated monthly costs based on 10 transactions totaling $1000 in sales, 100 transactions totaling $10,000, and 1000 transactions at $100,000.
Credit Card Processing Options
For eCommerce stores, a platform with built in apps including a payment gateway is vital. Shopify and Squarespace are among the best options. Both of these online store providers use Stripe for their credit card payment services. In Squarespace, you must be using an online store account (starting around $26 per month) to avoid an additional 2% transaction fee from Squarespace. We're members of Squarespace Circle and can save you money on products and services, contact us to chat about that.
For client services, it may make sense to choose an invoicing platform that also has the ability to accept online payments for the invoiced amount. For those already using Quickbooks, that may be your best option. Otherwise, Due and Wave are two of our favorites. Another option is to hire your own bookkeeper. While it seems like a great expense, services like Paro make managing finances for small (and large) businesses efficient and affordable.
Business Invoicing Options