The two mainstream options: Stripe and Square
Stripe and Square are the default choices for small business card acceptance. Both are pay-as-you-go — no monthly fee, no long-term contract, no leased hardware unless you want it.
Stripe is developer-friendlier and integrates with more invoicing apps out of the box. Square is retailer-friendlier with better in-person hardware. For invoice-based businesses, either works and Glo Invoice supports both.
- Stripe: 2.9% + 30¢ online, 2.7% + 5¢ card-present
- Square: 2.6% + 15¢ card-present, 2.9% + 30¢ online
- ACH via Stripe: 0.8% capped at $5 (huge savings for large invoices)
In-person vs online: which do you need?
If you invoice customers and they pay from home, you need online card acceptance — the pay button on the invoice. This is the most common setup for service businesses.
If you take payment at the job site or at a counter, you also want in-person acceptance. Tap to Pay on iPhone or a small Bluetooth reader is enough for most trades. Full countertop terminals are only necessary for retail.
The setup process (about 15 minutes)
Connecting Stripe or Square to your invoicing app is a one-time OAuth flow. You'll need your business EIN or SSN, a bank account for deposits, and your business address. The processor verifies your business, links to your invoicing app, and every invoice from that point has a pay button.
Deposits typically hit your bank account 1–2 business days after payment. Same-day payouts are available on both processors for a small fee.
Handling fees: eat them or pass them?
Two approaches, both common. Some businesses build the fee into their prices (a $500 job is priced as $515 so the ~2.9% fee still leaves $500 net). Others add a surcharge line to the invoice for card payments.
Surcharges are legal in most states but restricted in some (New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts have specific rules). Check your state before adding a card surcharge. A cleaner path: offer a small discount for ACH or check.
Chargebacks and how to prevent them
A chargeback is when a customer disputes a card charge with their bank. It's the biggest risk of accepting cards — you can lose the money and pay a $15 dispute fee.
Prevention: send a receipt after every payment, keep signed estimates and delivery confirmations, respond to disputes within 7 days with documentation. Glo Invoice keeps every signed estimate, invoice, and payment record — everything you need to win a dispute.