Accept Payments With Your Android Device
Android smartphones are quickly becoming as popular as the iPhone and offer many of the same apps (also see: Best iPhone Credit Card Processing Apps). Now your Android phone can help you get paid by offering the same mobile credit card processing options that iPhone users enjoy. The concept of processing credit card transactions with your mobile phone is not a new one, but the technology is continually improving. Additionally, these low-cost apps also make for excellent backup processing options in the event that your main processing option fails.
Find the Best Android Payment App
Below are the best rated Android credit card applications and card readers. Some of these services are ideal for small pop-up locations, while others are best used alongside a traditional merchant account. In order to find the best fit for your business, be sure to check out each provider’s website for a full list of features and fees.
Best Overall Option
Active since early 2014, Fattmerchant is a merchant account provider leading the industry’s move toward flat-rate, subscription-style pricing. In addition to a mobile app and card reader for Android devices, the company’s products and services include EMV-compatible countertop terminals, a virtual terminal, an online payment gateway, an online shopping cart, QuickBooks integration, online invoicing, and recurring billing. Fattmerchant offers a mobile app called NPC Mobile as well as an EMV-compatible card reader and Fattmerchant’s unique pricing structure.
Fattmerchant Reviews
Fattmerchant offers multiple pricing plans with different rates. Merchants can select either a plan that charges a flat fee on all transactions or a plan that charges a fixed monthly fee plus a fixed per-transaction dollar amount above interchange. In other words, merchants can choose whether or not they are charged a percentage markup on each transaction. Fattmerchant currently has an “A” rating on CPO and an “A-” rating with the Better Business Bureau.
For more information, visit the Fattmerchant website, or call (866) 397-9826.
Fattmerchant Highlights
- Subscription-style or flat rate pricing
- Custom tip settings
- Live customer support
Fattmerchant Mobile Overview
Great for E-Commerce
Host Merchant Services is a Newark, Delaware-based merchant account provider that offers a free mobile processing app called “HMSPay” for Android along with a free mobile reader for eligible businesses. Host is more than just a mobile payment processor, however, as it also provides point-of-sale solutions, online marketing tools, an online payment gateway and virtual terminal, gift and loyalty programs, and merchant cash advances. Host Merchant Services specializes in e-commerce businesses but is able to serve mobile merchants just as well.
Host Merchant Services Reviews
Host Merchant Services has received only positive feedback on public forums, with most reviewers singling out the company’s customer service for praise. Like Payline, Host offers interchange-plus pricing with no early termination fees to all of its merchants, meaning that users will enjoy the most transparent pricing model available and can cancel service without penalty. The BBB gives Host an “A+” rating, and CPO also gives the company an “A+.”
For more information, visit the Host Merchant Services website or call (888) 727-4538.
HMSPay Highlights
- Free card reader (eligibility varies)
- Interchange-plus pricing
- Live customer support
Easy Sign-Up
Shopify is primarily known as an e-commerce platform for online merchants, but the company recently launched a point-of-sale software solution for Android devices. The Shopify POS app can accept cards via a headphone jack card swiper or a $89 EMV reader and includes features like inventory syncing with a webstore, emailed receipts, automatic tax calculations, basic email marketing, and in-store refunds. The service can also be paired with a Shopify online store, which comes with numerous customization options. Shopify POS is a great fit for mobile merchants who would like to accept payments on-site using their phones as well as through a webstore. Service-industry merchants should note, however, that Shopify’s POS app does not currently support tipping.
Shopify Reviews
Shopify offers month-to-month pricing plans with variable pricing and product tiers. The company is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, and has been in operation since 2005. The company provides phone, email, and live chat support to all of its merchant tiers and enjoys very few online complaints despite its massive user base. The BBB gives Shopify an “A+” rating at this time, while CardPaymentOptions.com awards the company an “A.”
For more information, see the Shopify website.
Shopify POS Highlights
- $89 card reader
- 2.4% to 2.7% swiped
- 2.4% + $0.30 to 2.9% + $0.30 keyed
- Live customer support