How to Accept Online Payments: Small Business Guide (2026)

Last updated: November 1, 2026

Quick answer: To accept online payments, sign up with a payment processor such as Stripe, Square or PayPal, connect it to the way you sell (your invoices, a payment link or your website's checkout), and choose which methods to offer: cards, bank payments (ACH), digital wallets or PayPal. You don't need a merchant account of your own, because these processors let you accept cards under theirs. If you bill clients by invoice, the simplest setup is invoicing software that puts a pay button on each invoice.

This guide covers the main ways to get paid online, what they cost, how to set them up and how to keep payments secure, with a focus on service businesses and freelancers who send invoices.

The 6 main ways to accept payments online

You can combine methods, for example card payments on invoices and bank transfer for larger amounts. Whatever you choose, list every option on each invoice.

What it costs to accept online payments

Processors charge per transaction, usually a percentage plus a fixed fee. As a reference point, here are Stripe's base processing rates from its standard US pricing, checked on November 1, 2026. Invoicing, billing, platform or other product charges may apply on top, depending on the setup you choose.

Here is what those processing rates mean for one payment of each size (processing fees only, not an all-in cost):

Because of the cap, the gap grows with the invoice: on $10,000, the card fee is $290.30 and the ACH fee is $5.00. PayPal, Square and other processors publish their own rates, which differ by payment type, so compare them on their pricing pages.

Can you accept online payments for free? Card payments generally carry processing fees even when the software has no monthly charge. Compare the fees for the payment method and plan you intend to use. A bank transfer the client sends directly to your account may have no processing fee, depending on your bank, but you have to match it to the invoice yourself.

Can you pass the fee on to the client? Sometimes. Card networks and some states regulate surcharges. Visa, for example, requires merchants to notify their acquirer 30 days before they begin surcharging (Visa rules and fees). Check the card network rules and your state's law before you add a fee, and if surcharging is out, include processing costs in your prices.

Do you need a merchant account?

No, not to start. Processors such as Stripe, Square and PayPal act as payment facilitators: you accept cards under their account instead of applying to a bank for your own. A dedicated merchant account can make sense at high volumes, where you may negotiate lower rates, but it involves an application, underwriting and often monthly fees.

Which payment options should you offer?

How to set up online payments, step by step

1. Decide how customers will pay you

• You send invoices (services, B2B, projects): add a pay button to your invoices.
• You sell products or bookings online: use your store or booking platform's checkout.
• You get paid occasionally or in person: use payment links or a card reader.

2. Choose a payment processor

Compare:

• Fees for your typical payment size and type (card, ACH, international)
• Payout speed: how many days until the money reaches your bank
• Payment methods your customers want (cards, ACH, PayPal, wallets)
• Integrations with your invoicing, website or accounting tools
• Dispute handling and support

3. Sign up and verify your business

You'll need your legal name, business type, address, tax ID (an EIN, or for many sole proprietors a Social Security number), a bank account for payouts, and sometimes identity verification.

4. Connect it to where you get paid

• Invoicing software: connect your processor once, and your invoices get a pay button.
• Website: install the processor's plugin or use your platform's built-in payments.
• Payment links: create a link in the processor's dashboard and share it.

5. Tell customers how to pay

Put the payment options on every invoice and in your terms, for example: "Pay online by card using the link in this email, or by bank transfer to [details]." Give clients at least two ways to pay. See how to send an invoice that's taken seriously.

6. Match each payment to its invoice

When your processor is connected to your invoicing tool, card payments are usually matched to invoices automatically. Bank transfers and checks usually have to be recorded by hand. Until they are, paid invoices still look unpaid, and reminders may keep going out.

How to accept credit card payments online without a card reader

You don't need any hardware to take card payments online:

1. Create an account with a processor.
2. Send the customer an invoice with a pay button, or a payment link.
3. The customer enters their card on the processor's payment page, with bank verification such as 3-D Secure where required.
4. The money, minus fees, is paid out to your bank account on the processor's schedule.

Getting invoices paid online

For service businesses, invoices with built-in payment are the most practical setup. The client receives the invoice by email with a pay button and can pay by card from a phone or computer. When the invoicing tool is connected to the processor, the invoice is marked paid and reminders stop. For repeat clients on a schedule, autopay lets them save a card once so later invoices are charged automatically. More in how invoice apps speed up payment collection.

Some practical defaults:

• Offer card for small and medium invoices and bank payment for large ones.
• Set a due date and turn on reminders that include the pay link.

Payments from international clients

• Cards work across borders, but Stripe adds 1.5% for international cards and 1% when currency conversion is needed (see the table above).
• Invoicing in the client's currency spares the client a conversion, but if your processor converts the payment to your payout currency, you may pay the conversion fee instead.
• PayPal and international transfer services are common with overseas clients.
• Bank fees on international transfers: state on the invoice who pays them.

Keeping online payments secure

Using a processor's hosted payment page means the card number is entered on the processor's page and does not pass through your systems. That reduces your obligations under the card industry's security standard, PCI DSS, but does not remove them: Stripe, for example, describes PCI compliance as a shared responsibility and asks businesses to attest to it each year (Stripe integration security guide). Turn on the processor's fraud tools and 3-D Secure verification.

The rest is about the customer information you keep yourself. The FTC's guide for businesses (Protecting Personal Information) builds a data-security plan on five principles:

1. Take stock: know what personal information you have and where it is stored.
2. Scale down: keep only what you need. Don't keep card numbers unless you have a business need for them.
3. Lock it: protect the information you keep.
4. Pitch it: dispose of what you no longer need properly.
5. Plan ahead: have a plan for responding to a security incident.

Two habits apply directly to payments. Never ask clients to email card numbers. Keep invoices, proof of delivery and messages with the client, because they are your evidence if a payment is disputed.

Accepting online payments with InvoiceQuick

InvoiceQuick puts payment options on your invoices. If you connect your own Stripe account, clients can pay the full balance by card on the online invoice. Card payments are recorded on the invoice automatically, and the client receives a receipt by email.

On invoices from a recurring schedule, the client can choose to save the card so later invoices on that schedule are charged automatically. If an automatic charge fails, InvoiceQuick notifies you, but the client isn't emailed about the failure. The invoice stays unpaid, and the client already has it, so follow up and ask them to pay it from the invoice link.

Other methods are recorded by you. A PayPal button sends the client to PayPal, and you confirm the payment in InvoiceQuick when it arrives. Your bank transfer details can be printed on the invoice. You can also add a link to another payment page you already use. When a client pays all or part of an invoice by transfer or check, you record that payment yourself.

Each client can get a private client dashboard, opened with a link and PIN, to see their invoices.

InvoiceQuick doesn't offer ACH bank debits, Apple Pay or Google Pay, or partial card payments chosen by the client.

General information, not legal or tax advice.

Other questions

How long do online payments take to reach my bank?

It depends on the processor, your account and the payment method. Check your processor's payout schedule before you rely on a payment for a specific date.

Can I accept payments online without a website?

Yes. Send invoices with a pay button, or share payment links by email or text.

Sources and further reading

• Stripe: Pricing: US card, ACH Direct Debit and dispute fees (checked November 1, 2026).
• Stripe: Integration security guide: PCI compliance as a shared responsibility; low-risk integrations reduce PCI obligations.
• PCI Security Standards Council: the PCI Data Security Standard.
• Visa: Rules and fees for businesses: notice to the acquirer before surcharging.
• FTC: Protecting Personal Information, A Guide for Business: the five data-security principles.
• IRS: Get an employer identification number.