If you work as a contractor or a freelancer, you’ve probably had trouble finding a reliable way to get paid. It can be a pain to keep a track of the money you owe to others. Also, if your income doesn’t come in regularly, you may be more likely to find a solution where you don’t have to pay any subscription charges for the merchant account you use.
Moreover, it is also important to know the fees or charges various merchant accounts for contractors charge to ensure you don’t end up paying more.
Best Merchant Accounts for Contractors
We’ve put together this list of the best merchant account providers for contractors to make the process easier for you. The companies on this list offer contractors helpful tools like online and mobile payment methods, revenue tracking, client management, electronic invoicing, and repeated billing.
More relevantly, though, they offer low per-transaction rates and contracts with little or no commitment, so you can keep more of the money and offer competitive rates. Compare different providers to find the best one for you. Then, get in touch with the ones that look the best.
Square Payments
Square Payments is a free payment processing and point-of-sale (POS) system that lets anyone sign up and get the same rates for processing payments. Even though Square’s transaction processing rates aren’t the lowest, they are competitive, especially considering that its users can access free POS and eCommerce tools. Square is often chosen as the best overall merchant service because it has low start-up costs, competitive processing rates, a sleek interface, and advanced POS features.
It is the only company that protects against chargebacks for up to $250 a month, as well as a set of POS features, hardware alternatives, and business management tools that are good for new businesses. But Square didn’t get a higher score because it didn’t have enough customer service, and there were reports of problems with account stability.
CDG Commerce
CDG Commerce, in Chesapeake, Virginia, is an excellent choice for contractors who need to get paid differently. Since 1998, CDG has been privately owned. It offers a specialized payment gateway, a digital terminal, QuickBooks assimilation, mobile phone processing, revenue reporting, protection against security breaches, and vulnerability scanning.
Businesses that need a simple, low-cost, embedded mobile or internet processing solution should use CDG Commerce. CDG Commerce only costs a low, resolved fee per transaction and has competitive contract terms, such as no annual fees, monthly minimum standards, or termination fees.
Payment Cloud
PaymentCloud is a merchant account provider based in Woodland Hills, California. Its primary focus is on serving both low-risk and high-risk business types. The company offers POS solutions, cell phone swipers, a digital payment gateway and digital terminal, terminals that work with EMV cards, and merchant cash advances.
With these features, contractors can use mobile payment devices and a virtual terminal to accept payments on-site. PaymentCloud is a good choice for contractors because it lets them take payments in person or on the job site.
PaymentCloud gives all new merchants a dedicated account rep for as long as they have an account. The company hasn’t gotten any bad reviews on consumer forums, and it adjusts its prices based on the type of business and the processing history of each merchant.
PayPal
PayPal Business makes it easy and cheap for individuals and small businesses to process payments. It has an elegant mobile POS app that lets PayPal users pay in ways only they can use. With PayPal’s One Touch technology, customers can check out faster, increasing the number of people who buy from your online store. Its costs and peer-to-peer payment techniques are perfect for people who only sell once in a while.
Still, PayPal has low fees for mobile and online transactions and a free mobile POS app and software for making invoices. It also has online payments that work with almost all websites and programs. But you have to pay a monthly fee for the virtual terminal as well as recurring payments, there is a $20 chargeback payment, and customer support is only available during certain hours.
Host Merchant Services
Host Merchant Services is a merchant account company in Newark, Delaware, that works well for most general businesses and some high-risk businesses. The company’s services and products include point-of-sale solutions (with packages for the restaurant, salon, excellent services, and contractor industries), online tools, a digital payment gateway, and digital terminal, portable card processing, loyalty as well as gift programs, many cash advances, as well as offshore merchant accounts.
Host Merchant Services is an e-commerce company that gives new providers a free site as well as email addresses if they need them. This variety of payment methods benefits contractors who get money from many clients at different times.
Host Merchant has only gotten good reviews on public forums, and most of those reviews have praised the company’s customer service. Host merchants get interchange-plus pricing, and there are no early termination fees. This means that users get the most straightforward pricing model and can withdraw service without being charged.
Stripe
Stripe is often matched to Square and PayPal because it offers simple and customizable internet checkouts that can be set up immediately and don’t require an application. It can also keep track of subscriptions, regular fees, and card information, and there are many ways to customize it.
Stripe is a good choice for eCommerce businesses and business-to-business (B2B) sellers because it has many online features, doesn’t charge any startup or monthly fees, and has competitive processing rates.
Chase Payment Solutions
Chase Payment Solutions is a big name in the financial sector. It has also bought key subsidiaries to become one of the market’s most versatile merchant service providers. Chase gives users faster access to their money by letting them get cash the same day or the next day.
It also has a strong banking system that enables in-person, online, and mobile sales. It is one of the best options for business owners who want a traditional merchant account.
Conclusion
All seven providers in this article are good options for high-risk credit card processing for merchants. Which is best for your business will depend on several things, such as your credit history, processing history, and whether or not you are in a high-risk business category.
Keep the following best practices in mind as you narrow your search for the most suitable provider for your business. They should assist you in making an educated choice and avoiding mistakes that could cost you a lot of money.
