Merchants may sell goods and take card payments practically anywhere using a smartphone or tablet thanks to mobile credit card processing. The ideal mobile credit card processor must be dependable, have reasonable transaction costs, provide free company management software, and work without an internet connection.
The top mobile credit card processors, in our opinion, are:
Square: The best overall smartphone app for processing credit cards
Go Clover: best for companies with a merchant account already
Sum-up: best suited for low-volume, small mobile enterprises
Shopify: Best for online stores that want to grow into brick-and-mortar stores
Zettle by PayPal: Best for PayPal users and sporadic buyers
Deposit Depot: Most affordable for established, modest enterprises
What Features Do You Need?
You should anticipate the service to have fundamental capabilities that enable you to take payments, whether you decide to work with a payment facilitator, an ISO/MSP, or a direct processor for your mobile processing. It must carry out the following:
- Permit you to accept Discover and American Express in addition to all other popular credit cards.
- Make a free credit card payment app available.
- Sell inexpensive mobile EMV card readers
- Provide telephone or email customer help.
Credit Card Payment Apps
Make sure a mobile payment facilitator’s free app works with your smartphone or tablet before choosing one. Some payment facilitators only support one platform, even if the better ones offer apps for both iOS and Android smartphones. The majority of processors offer a list of compatible devices on their websites, or you may request an email with the list.
Even though an app is accessible for both platforms, the functionality may vary and one version may have more features. Similar to how certain apps for iPad and tablets offer greater functions than those for phones.
Every mobile credit card payment app includes POS software that you can use to ring up sales, often known as register software. With it, you ought to should be able to accomplish the following:
Maintain a product database to make it simple to locate and add items to a ticket.
- Encourage clients to leave tips
- Accept consumer autographs via the display of a phone or tablet.
- Text, email, or print receipts
- producing sales reports
- Connect to a printer, barcode scanner, and cash drawer.
Mobile Credit Card Processing Fees
The finest mobile credit card processors don’t impose any ongoing fees, and they often have lower fees than full-service ones. Therefore, there are no monthly minimum payments, monthly fees for payment gateways, or costs for PCI compliance or noncompliance. There are no startup costs, setup fees for payment gateways, or early termination penalties.
The only additional expense you typically encounter is a chargeback fee if a client challenges a charge. Although they could happen if a consumer is displeased with a transaction or doesn’t recognize your business name on their credit card statement, they are often more frequent with online purchases than in-person sales.
However, you may anticipate paying all the same costs for retail processing if you arrange your mobile credit card processing service with a full-service payment processor. Working with a full-service processor may provide in more financial savings if you handle a large number of sales each month because rates are cheaper. On the other hand, if you only process a little amount of purchases each month, choosing a merchant aggregator that simply levies processing fees and not account-based fees would save you money.
Mobile Credit Card Processing Rates
The majority of mobile credit card processing businesses provide flat rates. You typically pay a percentage of each sale, and regardless of the kind of cards your consumers use, the swipe rate is the same. You pay the same rate whether the card is debit or credit, ordinary or rewards, consumer or corporate. Rates are higher for transactions you manually enter or accept online.
Because the rates are higher than the beginning rates that many processors offer, flat-rate pricing first seems to be more expensive than alternative pricing structures. Although the top mobile credit card processors don’t charge any costs at all, flat-rate pricing is characterized by the fact that you pay fewer fees than you would with a full-service payment processor. This makes these mobile processors highly alluring alternatives, particularly if you handle a modest amount of credit card transactions, such as if you’re a new company or the majority of your receivables are cash or checks.
There are two types of flat rates:
- Only a percentage of sales, generally between 2.25 and 3.5%.
- A per-transaction charge (often between 10 and 30 cents) plus a percentage of the sale.
In comparison to plans that just charge a percentage rate, the percentage with this kind of plan is often smaller.
Even with the addition of the per-transaction fee, pricing at a lower percentage rate will undoubtedly be more cost-effective if you offer expensive things. Choose a payment processor that doesn’t impose a per-transaction fee if you sell low-ticket products because this can quickly eat into your earnings. Even while a 25-cent per transaction charge seems insignificant, if your typical transaction only costs $5, you will still be paying an additional 5% of your total transaction.
Here are some potential flat-rate pricing variations:
- For American Express and foreign cards, some processors charge a slightly higher cost.
- If you also accept payments over the phone or online, you should seek processors who charge the same fee regardless of how the transaction is handled.
- If your consumers prefer to pay with debit cards, you can save money if your processor offers separate rates for debit and credit cards.
Mobile prices are often the same as retail (in-person) charges and employ the same interchange-plus or tiered pricing model if you want to use a full-service payment processor. For an understanding of various pricing strategies, see our analysis of credit card processing services.
Our Methodology
We started by asking small company owners which businesses they use and what they appreciate about them in our quest for the top mobile credit card processors. We then looked through the company, industry, and review websites to find more possibilities. With the addition of mobile processors that contacted us asking to be reviewed as well as those we were previously acquainted with, we consolidated this information into a list of more than 100 businesses.
Then, we conducted further research on each company’s website, looking at its knowledge bases, how-to manuals, articles, blogs, and, if available, video tutorials as support materials.
We ultimately reduced our selection to 12 candidates. Because we are aware that cost is a major consideration when choosing a mobile payment processor, we searched for businesses with low fees and competitive pricing to come up with our top choices. Because you should be able to switch processors without paying penalties if you find a better price or service elsewhere, we searched for businesses that offer month-to-month or pay-as-you-go service.
We also took into account how quickly and easily businesses create accounts, the prerequisites for applications, and initial costs, including equipment. Although the majority of traditional credit card processors provide mobile processing as a standalone service, we concentrated on payment facilitators and businesses that provide clear, flat-rate pricing and minimal fees.
Also Read: How to Calculate & Process Retro Pay (+ Free Calculator)
Conclusion
The performance of your company in 2023 and beyond might be greatly impacted by your choice of mobile credit card processor. With so many choices accessible, don’t forget to evaluate your unique requirements, contrast features, and take processing costs and rates into account. Adopt technology that simplifies your business processes while giving your clients a smooth payment experience.
