Battle of the Card Readers: PayPal Here vs. Square vs. Intuit GoPayment

Paypal

PayPal’s mobile payment processor, PayPal Here, lets you get paid in many ways and offers great POS solutions for all types of businesses, big or small. You can track your sales and inventory all from one place.

Some of the key features of PayPal Here (PPH) is that it accepts both credit and debit cards, tracks and records cash and check payments, and easily integrates with PayPal elements whether on the go, online, or in-stores. PPH seamlessly connects with your online Paypal account and debit card so users will be able to get instant access to funds and even same day fund processing. Using the PayPal debit card also allows customers to receive 1% cash back on certain eligible items.

A cool feature of PPH is that it uses GPS to attract buyers locally who can search for businesses in the area who also use PayPal. PPH also lets you send invoices to customers right there. Another feature that most people don’t know about is that PPH has an option that lets you capture a customer’s card info using the device’s camera. If you have a business with several employees, you can set them up as multiple users on your account and manage their user privileges.

PayPal will send you a card reader free of charge or if you are on a time crunch, you can purchase one at a local participating U.S. retailer here and PayPal will reimburse you for the cost. In comparison with Square’s mobile card reader, PPH’s reader is in a triangular shape that is more sturdy and less bulky.

To be able to use the PayPal Here mobile app, you will need to have either a PayPal Business or Premier account. If you are worried about outrageous fees, PPH has got you covered. There is only a 2.7% U.S. transaction fee per swipe but other than that there are no hidden fees so you do not have to worry about rate increases, monthly or annual fees, or even a statement fee.

A benefit of using PPH that sets it apart from the other mobile card reader apps is that since it is basically a part of PayPal, you will receive access to PayPal’s main support system via phone and e-mail.

Square

Square has been ahead of the curve for some time, cementing its status as one of the most popular card readers out there. Square is simple and an easy way to process card transactions on mobile devices.

You do not even need to be a merchant to use Square. Square is a great tool for marketing for merchants as it sends invoices directly to customers’ inboxes and encourages customer experience feedback. Square also connects with accounting software platforms such as Xero and Quickbooks to help you keep track of your sales history and reports.

There are no hidden fees but there is a 2.75% card transaction fee. Square will send you its reader gadget for free once you make an account. Its card reader is compact and square, but sometimes moves around during card swiping.

Unlike the other card readers, Square has various payment services that can be used for both business and personal means such as Square Cash, Square Market, Square Register, and Square Capital. Square Cash is linked to your debit card and allows the free transfer of funds between friends. Square Market lets merchants create online profiles and be listed on the online store directory where they can increase their marketing visibility to customers. The Square Register is a POS system that has features not included in the mobile app such as sales reports and inventory management. Square Capital allows merchants to receive cash upfront and pay back that amount in credit card sales. Click here to learn more about each.

Although it is on the forefront of this technology, Square is lacking in mobile customer support.

Intuit GoPayment

GoPayment (GP) is another mobile credit card processor that records and card, cash and check payments. GP allows you to customize your receipts. GP seamlessly integrates with Intuit’s software such as Quickbooks Online to transfer all your sales activity and manage your inventory. However, on our end when trying out GoPayment we were unable to link up our items to Quickbooks. Other than that fact, it was fairly easy to setup and use.

Also, users have complained of GoPayment’s steep hidden charges and $295 termination fee. GP has high rates and complicated bundled pricing plans. Click here to get a run down on these prices. One negative aspect that we’ve noticed is that GP only accepts qualified cards such as Visa and Mastercard. If you have cards that do not qualify (foreign cards and corporate cards), then you will be subject to $0.15 per transaction.  Its card reader is gray and in the shape of a cylinder, constituting to its bulky design. Intuit has then recently come out with a new card reader gadget that is more compact.

Since GoPayment is technically part of the Quickbooks kin, its customer support service is superb.

Click here to read more about the newest Intuit GoPayment updates for iOS and Apple watch.

To learn more about any of these mobile card reader options, please feel free to contact us at admin@socotax.com.