With so many apps and programs available to run your business online and in-person, how do you choose the best way to process customer payments? Without question, you’ll want to choose the app that meets your needs the best.
At Virtual Heights Accounting we have experience with three of the most common payment processing options. Read on to learn more about these options and why we like them.
Payment Processing Options
For the most part, gone are the days where clients pay you by mailing a cheque. This is a good thing. Speeding up payments means more money to you in a shorter time frame. But if clients aren’t paying with cheques, how are they paying you? They’re using their cards (debit or credit), which means you need a way to accept these forms of payment.
The method you choose needs to be secure, easy to set up and use, and cost efficient. Here are three options we like.
Plooto
Plooto is a great way to manage your business payments. Not only does the app allow you to receive payments from customers, but it allows you to pay your bills too. If you’re tired of writing cheques and dropping them in the mail then waiting for them to be cashed, try Plooto.
A Plooto and Xero integration allows you to create clear payment records and easily reconcile payments coming in or going out of your business accounts. Once your bills are imported into Plooto, the app will email whomever in your organization is in charge of approving payments. Once payments are approved online, Plooto makes the payment for you. All this is documented and reconciled in Xero.
Square
This app is sometimes referred to as SquareUp. The nice thing about Square is it’s a great solution for businesses that operate online and in-person. You can use Square to accept online payments. Plus, they have various card readers you can use to swipe customers’ credit cards in-person.
Square is also a point-of-sale system that integrates with Xero. If you are already a Xero user, you can create an account with Square and sync it to your Xero account. Data received in Square will automatically feed into Xero. With Square, the point-of-sale can be anywhere you are when you use your smartphone as a card reader.
Stripe
Stripe allows you to process payments online and in-person for subscriptions, products, and services. Payments are secure and deposited directly into your bank account. To integrate Stripe with Xero, set up a Stripe account through Xero and add Stripe as a payment service to your Xero invoices.
Once your customers pay their invoices, Xero will mark your invoice as paid and create a spend money transaction for the Stripe fee. If you already have a Stripe account, you’ll be able to connect Xero to your existing Stripe account.
All three of these payment processing options integrate with Xero, the accounting app we use and recommend our clients use. We’re here for you if you’d like to discuss which option is best for your business. Contact us using this form or schedule a free consultation if you need help setting up the integration, or you want to know how to get started with Xero.
