If you're just setting up your business, you will need to think about a lot of things related to the finance aspect, and among them is the type of PDQ card machine or merchant account you will pick. It can be difficult to choose something like that because there are so many options on the market and there are several factors you need to take into consideration: the type of business, the volume of transactions, the value, etc.
As you can see, that's a lot to think about and it's important to pick the right card machine, so here are the top ones for this year, so you can do a little comparison and see which one fits your business and purpose the best.
Make Sure You Make A Smart Comparison
- Only pay for what you need. Be aware of your non-negotiable, necessary services and leave out the extra ones.
- Know what kind of payments you will be accepting. How will you process them? Do you take both debit and credit cards?
- Be aware of what category your business is in. If you are a high-risk business, for example, you might be saddled with higher fees.
- Make sure you take every precaution to prevent data breaches. They are very expensive headaches to fix, and you should have a reliable system for data. That may even lower your rate.
- You need to know more or less how many card transactions you make and what their value is. The more, the better, because it will lower the fee/ x transaction.
The Top PDQ Card Machines And Merchant Accounts
1. iZettle
iZettle is one of the most popular PDQ card machines, as it uses state of the art technology and has no monthly fee. Transaction fees are also relatively small, and payments can be made in person, online, or even by phone. No contract necessary!
Monthly fee: £0
Credit card transaction fee: 1.75%
Debit card transaction fee: 1.75%
Accepts payments in person: Yes
Accepts payments online: Yes
Accepts payments by phone: Optional (with additional fees)
Requires contract: No
2. Shopify
Shopify is one of the options that charges a monthly fee, in addition to transaction fees that are on the higher end of the spectrum. Payments are made online, but not on the phone.
Monthly fee: from £9
Credit card transaction fee: 2.4% + 20p
Debit card transaction fee: 2.2% + 20p
Accepts payments in person: Optional (with additional fees)
Accepts payments online: Yes
Accepts payments by phone: No
Requires contract: No
3. NetPay Merchant Account
NetPay offers payments online, by phone, and of course, in person. There is a monthly fee to be aware of, however, even if the transaction fees are smaller than others.
Monthly fee: from £15
Credit card transaction fee: from 0.65% + 2p
Debit card transaction fee: from 0.39%+ 2p
Accepts payments in person: Yes
Accepts payments online: Yes
Accepts payments by phone: Yes
Requires contract: Yes
4. PayPal
Everyone knows and trusts PayPal, so it's not at all a hard sell to get businesses to use their PDQ card machines. In addition, they don't require a contract and there is no monthly fee to worry about.
Monthly fee: £0
Credit card transaction fee: 3.4% + 20p
Debit card transaction fee: 3.4% + 20p
Accepts payments in person: Optional (£69.95 charge per card reader)
Accepts payments online: Yes
Accepts payments by phone: Optional (must apply separately)
Requires contract: No
5. Stripe
Stripe works with payments that are made exclusively online. It requires no contract, and there is no monthly fee, so that's an advantage, but the downside is the lack of possibility for in person payments and the transaction fees that are not the cheapest.
Monthly fee: £0
Credit card transaction fee: 1.4% + 20p
Debit card transaction fee: 1.4% + 20p
Accepts payments in person: No
Accepts payments online: Yes
Accepts payments by phone: No
Requires contract: No
All in all, there are several types of PDQ card machines or merchant accounts that you can rely on for your business. They each have their specific features and advantages, but the one you choose to use for your enterprise depends on several factors. Of course, fees and charges are also incredibly important with card machines, because they can make the difference between a good deal and an expensive service.