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How to accept credit card payments as a small business

To accept card payments you need a payment processor, which approves each card payment and moves the money to your bank, plus a way to take the card: a card reader or POS system in person, a phone app on the go, or a virtual terminal for payments taken over the phone. Choose the processor first, then the hardware that works with it. Compare processing fees as carefully as any monthly fee.

By Bill Belcamino · Page updated September 23, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team

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Bottom line up frontby Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare

Editorial assessment

Bottom line up front: Which card fees will a small business really pay, and how do I compare them?

Your average sale decides which fee structure is cheaper: Stripe lists 2.9% + 30¢, PayPal 3.49% + 49¢ on PayPal Checkout, and Square Free 2.6% + 15¢ in person at $0/mo.

Clover's in-person rate is 2.5% + 10¢, but it adds a $29.95/mo Essentials plan and a one-time $199 Go reader. Here's the mechanism most people miss. On small tickets the fixed cents take the bigger bite, while on large invoices the percentage does the damage, so a coffee cart and a contractor can reach opposite answers from the same table. Keyed-in phone payments carry more dispute risk than cards tapped or inserted in person, because nothing proves the card was present, so keep order confirmations and delivery proof for larger phone orders. Pick the processor before any hardware, then run one test payment and one refund before you go live.

My read of the verified data on this page, checked against vendor sources on September 23, 2026. Disagree or spot an error? Tell Bill

How to take card payments, step by step

List every place customers will pay: at a counter, on site, over the phone, online or from an invoice.
Pick a payment processor that covers all of those and read its fee page for each payment type.
Complete the processor's business verification with your business and bank details ready.
If you take cards in person, get a card reader or POS system that works with that processor.
Run a small test payment and a refund before you take real payments.
Connect payouts to your accounting software so deposits match your sales records.

Why it matters

Fed SBCS: 'roughly four of every five small firms face challenges related to these payments', with fees the top hurdle at the point of sale. Source

The software this job takes

Which categories a job needs is Editorial assessment; the tools, prices and dates are Verified data.

Prices are each vendor’s published entry plan, recorded from its own pricing page and dated. The example column prices a team of 10: only per-user prices are multiplied; flat and per-account prices are shown as published. Change the team size in the finder.

You need this

Online Payment Processing

A payment processor lets customers pay by card or online and moves the money to your bank.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
Stripe	2.9% + 30¢	Per transaction	Per transactionNo monthly fee on this plan; the vendor charges per transaction	No monthly fee	Jul 29, 2026Vendor pricing
PayPal	3.49% + 49¢ (PayPal Checkout)	Per transaction	Per transactionNo monthly fee on this plan; the vendor charges per transaction	No monthly fee	Jul 29, 2026Vendor pricing
Square	Square Free $0/mo (2.6% + 15¢ in person); Plus $49/location/mo	Per location per month (Square Plus, $49); Square Free is $0 per location	Per transactionNo monthly fee on this plan; the vendor charges per transaction	YesYes — Square Free, $0/mo; you pay processing fees	Sep 19, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all Payment Processing pricing →Head to head:Square vs Stripe Square vs PayPal Stripe vs PayPal6 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

You need this

POS Systems

A POS system runs in-person checkout: card reader, receipts, sales and inventory in one place.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
Square	Square Free $0/mo (2.6% + 15¢ in person); Plus $49/location/mo	Per location per month (Square Plus, $49); Square Free is $0 per location	Per transactionNo monthly fee on this plan; the vendor charges per transaction	YesYes — Square Free, $0/mo; you pay processing fees	Sep 19, 2026Vendor pricing
Clover	Clover Go reader $199; Essentials $29.95/mo (2.5% + 10¢ in person)	Per Go bundle per month ($29.95, Essentials), plus a one-time $199 Go reader	$29.95/moFlat per Go bundle per month ($29.95, Essentials), plus a one-time $199 Go reader; plus a fee on each card payment	NoNo free plan; Starter lists no monthly fee (reader $199)	Sep 19, 2026Vendor pricing
Shopify POS	In-person selling included with Shopify from $29/mo (annual); POS Pro $89/location/mo	Per store per month, billed yearly ($39 monthly), plus $89 per POS Pro location	$29/moFlat per store per month, billed yearly ($39 monthly), plus $89 per POS Pro location	NoNo free plan; 3-day trial, then $1/mo for 3 months	Sep 19, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all POS Systems pricing →Head to head:Square vs Shopify POS Square vs Clover Clover vs Shopify POS6 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

What to look for

Editorial assessment

Every way you take cards Check that one processor covers in-person, phone, online and invoice payments if you need them, so your sales are not split across accounts.
Fees for your payment mix Read the pricing page for the payment types you will actually take. In-person, keyed-in and online payments can be priced differently.
Hardware that works with it Check which card readers or POS systems the processor supports before you buy any hardware.
Contactless and mobile wallets If customers want to tap a card, phone or watch, confirm both the reader and the processor accept contactless payments.
When the day's takings arrive Check when each day's card sales reach your bank and whether a faster payout option costs extra. That timing decides when the takings can pay your suppliers.
Refunds and disputes See how refunds and chargebacks are handled and what reports you get to match payouts to individual sales.

Common mistakes to avoid

Comparing only the headline rate The fee that matters is the one on the payments you actually take. Work through your own mix of in-person, phone and online sales.
Buying hardware first A card reader may only work with certain processors. Choose the processor, then the hardware.
Handling card numbers carelessly Taking cards over the phone means handling card details. Ask your processor how to do it securely, and never write card numbers down or keep them in email.
Leaving payouts out of your books Payouts arrive as lump sums with fees taken out. Without a link to your accounting software, matching them to sales becomes a monthly chore.

What to settle before you buy

Where and how will customers pay: in person, by phone, online, or all three?
How many staff need to take payments, and on which devices?
Do you need a full POS system for items and stock, or only a way to charge cards?
Who is allowed to take card details over the phone, and how will they do it securely?
Do you take payments away from your premises, and is there a reliable signal where you do?

Ready to take it to whoever signs off?Turn your shortlist into a one-page decision brief with verified prices, or price the whole job for your team size.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I take card payments over the phone?

Use your processor's virtual terminal or app to key in the card details the customer reads out. Ask the processor how keyed-in payments are priced and secured, and never store card numbers in notes or email.

How do I take card payments on my phone?

Look for a processor with a mobile app. Some pair with a small card reader and some can take tap payments on the phone itself, so check which devices it supports before you buy anything.

How do I choose a credit card processor for a small business?

Start from how your customers pay, then compare processors on fees for that mix, payout timing, hardware and how well they connect to your accounting software. The table above shows each tool's verified entry price and billing unit. To narrow it to your setup, try the finder for this job.

How do I accept mobile wallets like Apple Pay?

You accept mobile wallets through your payment processor. In person you need a reader that takes contactless payments, and online your checkout has to support wallets. Check both with your processor before you promise it to customers.

How we built this page

We start from the job, not the product. The phrasings people search for this job (for example “how to accept credit card payments small business”) come from our research into how small and mid-size teams describe it. Which software categories the job takes is our editorial judgment. Every tool, entry price, billing unit and date comes from HelpCompare’s open dataset, recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page; nothing is estimated, and where a vendor publishes no price we say so. We take no affiliate commissions and publish no scores of our own. See our methodology or download the data from Open Data.

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Source links on this site are checked every month; last check October 4, 2026. How sources are checked.

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How to accept credit card payments as a small business

Bottom line up front: Which card fees will a small business really pay, and how do I compare them?

How to take card payments, step by step

The software this job takes

Online Payment Processing

POS Systems

What to look for

Common mistakes to avoid

What to settle before you buy

Frequently asked questions

How do I take card payments over the phone?

How do I take card payments on my phone?

How do I choose a credit card processor for a small business?

How do I accept mobile wallets like Apple Pay?

How we built this page

More jobs in Money

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Bill Belcamino