What to Know Before Getting Started
Starting a New Business?
Selecting a credit card processor is often more complicated than most people expect. How much should you be paying in fees? Should you lease or buy equipment? Should you be locked into a service agreement for anything length of time? These considerations and several others are imporant to understand before signing up with any merchant account provider. Mistakes are easily made and can be very costly to your business. Along with seeing our top choices for payment services below, be sure to checkout this post to avoid common traps in the merchant services industry.
Considerations For Current Business Owners
Changing merchant accounts can be an expensive, complicated, and time consuming process. Are you really going to save as much as promised? Do you need to buy to new equipment or sign new lease agreements? Will there be other less accountable costs such as those associated with employee retraining? Before selecting one of our choices below, you may want to consider renegotiating your fees with your current payment processing vendors using the help of a contingency-compensated consultant. It can result in a dramatic decrease in costs without the pains of switching. In some cases business owner have also obtained substantial refunds of prior overcharges along with saving thousands in future processing costs. See this post to learn more about this little-known alternative to changing merchant account provider.
Accept Credit Cards With Your Smartphone
Mobile phone credit card processing has only been widely available for a few years, but it has become increasingly popular over that span thanks to the low setup costs and no-commitment agreements offered by most providers. In fact, many businesses are beginning to rely solely on free mobile processing apps for iPhone and Android as their primary means of accepting credit cards. This can be a very cost-effective way to take card payments for certain business types, like trade show vendors, individual contractors, or single-register locations. However, large businesses and high-volume businesses will be best served by using a mobile payment app as a backup processing option.
We’ve Found the Best Mobile Phone Credit Card Processors
The following list features the top mobile credit card processing apps for iPhone and Android. We have selected these providers for this list due to their consistently strong pricing, customer support, and customer reviews. All of the apps on this list are available for both iPhone and Android users. Some options will be better suited for small one-register locations, while others are useful additions to full-service traditional merchant accounts. Many of these providers also offer integration with third-party services like QuickBooks or online marketplaces. Be sure to visit each provider’s website to get a full list of current features and pricing.
Our unbiased articles are supported in part by helping you find highly reviewed merchant accounts. You can learn more here.
Why These Merchant Account Providers
Fattmerchant
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 iPhone and Android, 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 Mobile Pricing
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
- Available for iOS, Android
Host Merchant Services
Mobile & E-Commerce Specialists
Host Merchant Services is a Newark, Delaware-based merchant account provider that offers a free mobile processing app called “HMSPay” 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 Pricing
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 reader (eligibility varies)
- Interchange-plus pricing
- Live customer support
- Available for iOS, Android
PaymentCloud
Accepts All Business Types
Based in Woodland Hills, California, PaymentCloud is a merchant account provider that specializes in serving mobile businesses of nearly any type. This includes “high-risk” industries such as CBD and Kratom businesses. The company’s products and services include point-of-sale solutions, mobile phone swipers, an online payment gateway and virtual terminal, EMV-compatible terminals, and merchant cash advances. PaymentCloud provides a dedicated account rep to all new merchants for the life of the account.
Custom Pricing Plans
The company has not received any negative complaints on consumer forums, and it customizes its pricing according to each merchant’s business type and processing history. The BBB does not maintain a profile for PaymentCloud at this time, but CPO gives the company an “A.”
For more information, visit the PaymentCloud website or call (888) 506-7859.
Other Merchant Account Options
The providers in this section may not have been researched as thoroughly or may lack a quality that prevented them from being listed above. We have listed them here to provide a broader view of potential merchant account options. Are you a decision maker with your company and believe that you should be listed below? Tell us here.
Shopify
Shopify is primarily known as an e-commerce platform for online merchants, but the company recently launched a point-of-sale software solution for iPad and iPhone. The Shopify POS app can accept cards via a headphone jack card swiper or a $129 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 iPhone users 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 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
- $129 card reader
- 2.2% to 2.7% swiped
- 2.4% + $0.30 to 2.9% + $0.30 keyed
- Live customer support
- Available for iOS
Innerfence
Inner Fence, a joint venture with the processor Merchant Focus, offers the widest platform compatibility among the other providers in this list. Inner Fence can be used with both iPhone and Android devices as well as Windows and Mac computers, making it a versatile virtual terminal that can take payments on nearly any internet-connected device. The service is available to both U.S. and Canadian merchants and offers support via email and telephone.
Unlike most of the other picks in this list, Inner Fence charges a monthly service fee ranging from $39 to $49 based on a merchant’s location and preferred payment schedule. It also charges 2.9% plus $0.30 for all transactions, which may be a drawback for low volume and micro-merchants. Additionally, the service requires an Authorize.net account that will likely result in additional monthly fees. For these reasons, Inner Fence is best suited for larger businesses that can make use of its broad cross-platform compatibility.
Learn more in our Inner Fence Review, or visit the Inner Fence website.
Inner Fence Video Demonstration
Inner Fence Highlights
- Free card reader
- 2.9% + $0.30 swiped
- 2.9% + $0.30 keyed
- Live customer support
- Available for iOS 7.1+, Android 2.2+
Payline Data
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Payline Data is one of the highest-rated providers that we have reviewed. In addition to its wide array of traditional merchant services for businesses of all sizes, the company offers a free mobile credit card reader and app to merchants that process over $5,000 per month. Payline Data’s other products and services include merchant cash advance, an online payment gateway with QuickBooks integration, wireless terminals, EMV and NFC acceptance, and a USB swiper for desktop computers.
Payline Data earns the first spot on this list because it has received widespread praise from merchants for its interchange-plus pricing structure with no cancellation fee and its friendly, helpful live customer support team. It is a solid all-around processor that will be a good fit for large brick-and-mortar locations as well as smaller shops that process at least $5,000 per month. Our review of Payline Data gives the company an “A+” rating, and the Better Business Bureau also gives Payline an “A+.”
Payline Data Highlights
- Free reader
- Interchange-plus pricing
- Live customer support
- Available for iOS, Android
ProPay
ProPay Jak comes in fourth only because of its card reader cost ($39.95) and annual fee ($39.95 to $69.95 depending on account type), which makes it less than ideal for new and low-volume merchants but great for mid-volume users who regularly accept credit card payments. The additional features that ProPay offers over many of the picks in this article make it a great solution for most businesses. Some of these features include the ability to store encrypted payments for later charging if a phone is not getting service at the time of sale, storage of customer information for future billing or refunds, and use of ProPay’s virtual terminal which comes with a variety of its own features including detailed reporting and invoicing. ProPay also has month-to-month service agreements, no processing minimum requirements and lower processing rates than most of its competitors.
You can learn more in our full Propay Review, or visit the ProPay website.
ProPay JAK Overview
ProPay JAK Highlights
- Free card reader
- 2.40% to 2.60% swiped
- 3.20% to 3.40% keyed
- Live customer support
- Available for iPhone 3GS or newer, various Android devices
PayPal Here
Although PayPal was one of the first digital payment methods to gain widespread popularity on the Internet, its mobile processing app is relatively new to the market. In fact, PayPal has restructured its account types to incorporate mobile technology and is leveraging its existing user base in an attempt to become the dominant mobile credit card processing player. Users of the system must first sign up for a PayPal account and then install the PayPal Here application on their smartphones. From there, PayPal will send the user a free card reader which can be used immediately. PayPal Here works in conjunction with a user’s normal PayPal account, so all the transactions are tracked and stored in the same place. Additionally, PayPal offers a variety of customer support options including phone support and email support. The only drawbacks that have been reported so far appear to be issues with the app itself, so it looks as if PayPal may still have a few bugs to work out. With three different account types, PayPal can serve businesses of most processing volumes.
Learn more in our PayPal Here Review, or visit PayPal.com.
PayPal Here Highlights
- Free card reader
- 2.7% swiped
- 3.5% + $0.15 keyed
- Live customer support
- Available for iOS 5.0+, Android 2.3.3+
If we are missing any great mobile payment processing apps that should be included on this list, please let us know in the comment section below.
About Phillip Parker
Thank you for reading my review. I hope that it has helped you with your research.
Why I'm Qualified to Write About Credit Card Processing and Merchant Account Services
I'm a former credit card processing sales director who left the industry because I didn't like how it takes advantage of small business owners. It feeds like a leech on businesses and thrives by imposing fees that are nearly impossible to comprehend. Seeing a need for change, I left and built this website help business owners better understand the industry, research merchant services providers, and get refunds of excessive merchant account fees. My experience of working "behind the curtain" in the industry, and using that knowledge for good, has resulted in millions of dollars returned to hard-working small business owners as well as enterprise-level companies.
From the time that I starting working in the merchant services industry to when I left to create this website, I've been on the pulse of payments for nearly 15 years. It didn't seem fair to keep this "insider" knowledge to myself. To lift the fog, I've reviewed hundreds of companies, read thousands of user reviews, and learned the pricing tricks of every provider. If you have questions about credit card processing, you can find the answers on this website.
Phillip Parker