How To Integrate Third-Party Merchant Accounts With Quickbooks
Intuit’s QuickBooks accounting software is by far the most popular do-it-yourself bookkeeping program available for small business owners. Launched in 1994, the service has since become a household name with a market share above 80% and an entire suite of specialized business solutions. If you use QuickBooks and also accept credit cards through QuickBooks Payments, you might have discovered that your processing fees are very high. In fact, QuickBooks seems to believe that the should charge business customers a premium for the ease of use of having accounting and payments under the same roof. In fact, the QuickBooks Payments statements we’ve seen through our Merchant Account Cost Optimization Service have some of the highest fees in the industry. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
QuickBooks resisted allowing third-party payment integration for a long time. After enough pushback by customers and the threat of more open competing account software providers, QuickBooks finally opened up its platform to outside credit card processing. Not all merchant accounts support direct QuickBooks integration, and among those that do, there aren’t many competitively priced options.
Find Our Top QuickBooks Integration Payment Providers Below
We’ve compiled a list below of highly rated credit card processors and that also offer QuickBooks integration. The following merchant services providers offer either direct integration or indirect integration. Providers with direct integration offer solutions like payment gateways, plugins, or APIs that seamlessly transfer your transaction details and payment history from your merchant account to QuickBooks. Providers with indirect integration can still be used with QuickBooks, but they may require you to take extra steps such as manually uploading reports or signing up with a third-party service. Each description below will provide further insight.
Top Merchant Accounts for QuickBooks
Various Integration Options With Expert Help
PaymentCloud takes the top position for QuickBooks payment integration as one of the best choices for seamless integration. This provider can assist businesses with various integration options such as determining the appropriate payment gateway for third-party paid and free software plug-ins as well and assist in custom software integrations via APIs and developer tools.
Services Most Payment Acceptance Needs
Not only does PaymentCloud make is easy to integrate with QuickBooks, but the company serves most industries and provides a broad array of services to meet the needs of almost any business. The company has very highly rated 247/7 costumer support and has maintained a high rating according to our research for several years. Business owners looking to move away from QuickBooks Payments are well-advised to consider PaymentCloud.
Additional Integration Options
E-Commerce Made Easy
Shopify is a great solution for e-commerce merchants who may or may not maintain physical storefronts. In addition to an endlessly customizable online store experience, Shopify offers chargeback recovery, email marketing, rewards programs, and an iPad-based point-of-sale application that merchants can use to accept payments in-person. Shopify offers month-to-month pricing plans with variable pricing and product tiers.
Shopify + QuickBooks
Integrating with QuickBooks through Shopify can only be accomplished via a third-party plugin. As a result, your experience with using QuickBooks through Shopify will vary depending on which plugin you select. Fortunately, the Shopify App Store has an entire section devoted specifically to different QuickBooks integration solutions, complete with reviews and descriptions of each plugin. Merchants can select which one is most appealing in terms of features, pricing, and user feedback, and some even include free trial periods.
Shopify Reviews
Shopify 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.
Niche Specialists
Durango Merchant Services is another traditional merchant account provider that specializes in hard-to-place or high risk business types. Although the company can provide processing for most standard retail, MOTO, or e-commerce businesses, it is also able to serve businesses that have poor credit or that require offshore merchant accounts, such as travel, collections, supplements, dating websites, MLM ventures, or magazine sales.
Durango + QuickBooks
Durango’s PCI-compliant payment gateway includes a QuickBooks SyncPay plugin that enables merchants to process transactions directly from within their QuickBooks software. The service is compatible with QuickBooks Premier, QuickBooks Pro, and QuickBooks Enterprise. It includes features like invoicing, sales receipts, batch processing, and batch reporting. Merchants should be aware that QuickBooks SyncPay is not compatible with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Accountant, or QuickBooks POS.
Durango Merchant Services Reviews
Founded in 1999, Durango Merchant Services maintains its headquarters in Durango, Colorado, and offers phone and email support to both U.S. and international merchants. The company currently has an “A+” rating with the BBB and an “A+” rating with CardPaymentOptions.com.
For more information, see the Durango Merchant Services website or call (888) 316-1897.
Payline Data deserves a spot on this list because it has consistently ranked as one of the most transparent, affordable merchant account providers on CardPaymentOptions.com ever since our first review of the company. Payline Data offers interchange-plus pricing to all of its merchants with month-to-month contracts, no early termination fees, and fixed, low monthly fees. Additionally, the company has received a dozen or so positive testimonials online and only a handful of public complaints in its entire history.
Payline offers QuickBooks integration through its Payline Gateway, an online application that enables merchants to accept transactions online or in person via a virtual terminal. The exact method and extent of integration depends on what the merchant specifically requires, but the company’s integration portal lists a number of different options for novices and tech-savvy merchants alike (inquire directly for more information). Payline does not specifically charge extra for QuickBooks integration, but merchants should be sure to inquire about any potential costs that are associated with adding a payment gateway or integrating other necessary features.
Founded in 2009, Payline Data is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company offers phone and email support as well as an online help forum and knowledge base for all of its merchants. Payline Data currently has an “A” rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and an “A+” rating with CardPaymentOptions.com.
Dharma Merchant Services is one of the most highly rated providers on CPO. Founded in 2007, the company is based in San Francisco and reflects the city’s famous culture of openness and acceptance. Dharma scores highly in our review due to its exceptionally rated customer service, ethical marketing practices, competitive rates, and fair service agreements. The BBB currently provides a rating of “A+” for Dharma Merchant Services, while CardPaymentOptions.com also gives the company an “A+.”
Dharma services most business types in the standard risk category but specializes in those that process in excess of $10,000 per month in credit card transactions. Those that process less than $10K per month (on average) may want to contact another provider in this list.
This provider can integrate in to Quickbooks’ accounting software in two ways: First, Dharma utilizes Authorize.net’s QB sync for QuickBooks. This is a popular method and used by the majority of providers in the industry, and merchants seem to have few issues with it. The second and less popular options is integration through Fi-Soft. This method allows for direct integration but can be more costly and complicated, and should be reserved for specific cases in which direct integration is a requirement.
For more information, see the Dharma Merchant Services website or call (888) 404-1237.
