Hey folks, I'm a small-time landscaper with about three years of experience, and I'm just starting to make some real progress in my business. I'm curious about whether it's considered "bad" or "unprofessional" to accept various payment methods like PayPal, Zelle, Apple Pay, and Cash App. Since I use QuickBooks for accounting, I believe I'm covered on the tax front. However, I've noticed that some payment processors like Stripe and QuickBooks charge fees, so I'm wondering why I should bother with them when I can use free options instead.
3 Answers
I've tried accepting payments from a bunch of different methods, and it got pretty tricky to keep track of who paid and who didn't. So, earlier this year, I switched to Stripe and told my customers I'd only be taking payments through my invoicing software from that point on. I framed it as a way to better serve them, and honestly, I didn't lose a single customer! Plus, it made my life a lot easier when it came to tracking payments. I’m actually transitioning to Square now, which works similarly, so I don't foresee any issues with that.
I'd recommend sticking to one centralized payment processor that can offer your clients multiple payment options. It just makes things smoother and easier to manage from both ends. It helps in keeping your records cleaner!
From a customer’s perspective, the more payment options you offer, the better! It makes it convenient for us to pay without any hassle. If I was running a business, I'd want to cater to customers by providing multiple ways to pay.