Intuit Quickbooks GoPayment App vs Square

Gopayment Intuit – Best Mobile Card Reader & App for Small Business

FREE Trial and Card Reader – NO credit card required

Quickbooks GoPayment Intuit is our recommendation for the best mobile credit card merchant processing system with Quickbooks EMV card reader because it automatically syncs with our top recommended accounting software for small businesses – Quickbooks Online. Read full review 

We have tested it in the field against Square, and it has won our testers top ratings. It is simple to set-up, use and gets paid by credit card.

Read the gopayment reviews that we field-tested against Square, and it has won our testers top ratings. It is simple to set-up, use and gets paid by credit card. Our team appreciates the easy registration that took mere moments to get an account and download the app. In under 10 minutes, we were accepting credit cards using our iPhone or iPad with the little green free mobile card reader.

This mobile payment system for your small business accepts credit cards by using your mobile devices – iPhones, IPads, tablets, and androids. Get paid anywhere that you use your phone – trade shows, flea markets and outdoor events. The monies are deposited in the bank account of your choice and recorded in your Quickbooks Online financial records. This system gives small businesses full functionality, multi-platform compatible, adaptability, and mobility at an excellent price.

Gopayment Reviews

What is GoPayment?

GoPayment is a product of Intuit software corporation. It is a method of accepting customer payments by credit card using your mobile devices, such as cell phones and tablets. With a mobile credit card reader and app installed on your device, you get paid by swiping your customer’s credit card.  All transactions will sync with your Quickbooks Online accounting software.

The Gopayment app, which processes the credit card payments, is intuitive and user-friendly. To charge a customer’s credit card just swipe the card through the card reader and in a few sections you get an on-screen completion message. Receipts can be printed or emailed to your customer. Don’t have the app? No problem, transactions can be manually entered (called key-in transactions) for system processing. Information required is full credit card number, the expiration date, and 3 or 4 digit security code plus the billing address zip code.

FREE Trial and Card Reader – NO credit card required

Quickbooks GoPayment Services Included:

1. Free Mobile credit card reader which process credit card payment. Read more below
2. Merchant Account that automatically transfers money from your customer’s credit card account into your bank account.
3. Mobile App for download that is also free and well received by our testers for its clean, simple interface and ease of use.
4. Quickbooks Online integration of all transactions automatically added to your company financial records when processed.
5. Camera scanning of credit cards allows you to take a photo scan of the credit card and voila an instant sale.
6. Data entry of transactions on the go, such as entering deposits and expenses.
7. Sales taxes and extra tips can be collected with each transaction.
8. Email receipts, customized with your logo and message, make sales transactions paperless when sent to your customer after each sale.
9. Inventory management of your products complete with descriptions, prices, and even photos are displayed in the mobile app.
10. Virtual terminal accessed online is a convenient way to process sales on any internet-connected computer. This feature is offered at no extra charge. While other mobile processors charge $30+ per month for similar services.
11. Billing recurring, also at no extra charge, is a real time-saver for products that you sell as monthly subscription services.

Quickbooks EMV Card Reader

How to Get and Costs

To get started taking credit cards on the go you need to obtain the QB mobile credit card reader.

Yes, it is an EMV-compliant reader that can read credit cards with embedded chips. The good news it is free, for Quickbooks Online subscribers, and easily ordered from your QBO account.

Once logged in to your dashboard company go to YOUR COMPANY, then ACCOUNTS AND SETTING, then select the choice ORDER CARD READER. Complete the form, and within seven days you will get your new card reader in the mail.

Tips on Charging Device

As will all electronic devices, you will need to keep the battery charged, so the reader will work properly. Right, the first version of readers did not need charging because non-chip cards require little power for reading.  Luckily the Gopayment mobile credit card reader comes with a USB cable for charging from wall power or your computer.

Keep in mind that processing credit cards with chips takes substantially more power than non-chip cards. Intuit has improved the reader with this internal battery to compensate for this power drain.  Because of this fact, I ALWAYS pack a fully charged power pack like this one, anytime when I bring my QB mobile reader. I never want to be unable to take payments because my reader is not charged.

FREE Trial and Card Reader – NO credit card required

Capability Number of Transactions per Charge

A fully charged intuit mobile credit card reader can process about 125+ transactions with chip cards and a bit more like 150+ credit cards without chips.  This varies with your connection and the card brand and issuing bank.  After charging you will know that is ready when the LED indicator light is green, the universal color for “go.” I like to think of it as ready to get money. A yellow light means it is empty and needs to be charged.  It takes a full 4 hours to be charged completely.

While using the new Reader for chip cards, I found that I could indeed have the reader charging from my power battery and simultaneously process payments. The app has a helpful reminder screen that tells you when you need to charge the device. I appreciated this thoughtful reminder that saved me from disaster – a dead mobile card reader at a trade show.

UPDATE 2-5-17: Intuit GoPayment EMV Chip Reader available. Notice to all merchants with credit card readers made before 7/2016 you must get a new reader that has the upgraded chip reader for the new style credit cards with embedded chips. If you do not upgrade to this newer model of mobile credit card reader, you will not be able to get paid by any credit cards with chips.  This is super easy to do, go and log into your account and order a new reader – at no charge.

EMV is an abbreviation for Europay, Mastercard, and Visa, by the forward-thinking Europeans who began adding chips to credit cards before the United States. This new card reader will accept both chip and non-chips cards. The only difference is the method of swiping. For chip cards put the card in the back slot covering the chip, and for non-chip credit cards swipe across the readable stripe along the side.

Mobile Devices Compatibility List

The GoPayments mobile EMV card reader is compatible with

GoPayment version

Apple Devices
iOS: 8.0 and higher
Android: 5.0 and higher
Apple devices are running at least iOS 8.0:
iPhone 4s, 5, 5c, 5s, 6, 6s, 6 Plus, 6S Plus, SE

NOTE: The EMV card reader isn’t compatible with iPhone 4
iPad 2, iPad 3rd generation, iPad 4th generation, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad mini (1st generation), iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 4, iPad Pro (12.9 inch), iPad Pro (9.7 inch)

Android devices running at least OS 4.0
Phones
– Samsung Galaxy S5, S6, S6 Edge, S7, S7 Edge
– Samsung Note 3, 4, 5
– Nexus 5, 5X, 6, 6P
Tablets
– Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
– Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0
– Nexus 9

FREE Trial and Card Reader – NO credit card required

Download GoPayment App

The first step is to sign up for QBO and then download the app from either the Apple App Store or the Android app on Google Play.  There is no charge for the app it is free always.

Your existing cell phone and the cellular plan will work with this app, making it exceptionally easy to get started. Once you download this app, you have made your mobile phone an on the go credit card terminal to process payments. The most popular types of phones work with the GoPayment app such as Apple products including the iPhone, iPod Touch and Ipad tablet as well as Android devices. However, currently, Blackberry users cannot use the app but can process transactions by going online with browser software.

Apps: Intuit vs. Square App

We researched both mobile payment solutions – GoPayment and Square, and after careful study and comparison, we recommend Intuit Gopayment that comes free with QB Online. This is why we recommend GoPayment and not Square:

1. Mobile Scanner is Unstable – Because the Square mobile card reader is so small, we found it was easy to disturb the processing just by holding your cell phone. This frustrated me because I had to redo three sales. Wasted my time and my customers got mad. They worried that I doubled charged them. Other users across the internet have said that it can take up to three (3) swipes to get one mobile transaction processed. To me, this is a big negative for Square.
2. Card Reader Easy to Lose – Again because of the mini size I found it was easy to lose. In fact, during testing, we lost it for a whole day. Thankfully this did not happen at a trade show with a line of customers waiting to pay. Poor design and too small. The GoPayment card reader is about twice the size and brightly colored. It is easy to handle, and most transactions processed payments 0n the first swipe. The swipe seems smoother, and it glides more smoothly. Intuit thoughtfully includes a plastic case with a super handy lanyard with the mobile reader. I wore mine at the craft fair, so I was ready to get paid at any moment.
3. Multiple Swipes for Single Sale – The design and function of the square reader were faulty. Many times it took multiple swipes to get one sale processed. A big down for Square.
4. Square App is Buggy – There are much fewer features in the Square app, and it has a few more screens to complete to finish the transaction. GoPayments customer receipts will show as sent from your business, whereas the ones from Square, say from Square. This is sure to confuse some customers and may result in unwarranted chargebacks to your firm.

What percent does Intuit Charge?

Quickbooks GoPayments has two priced packages; 1) Pay per usage and 2) Monthly subscription plan.  Choose the right one for your firm based on the number of credit card transactions you plan to charge monthly.  For higher volumes of sales, pick the plan for a monthly subscription because you will pay lower fees per order.  Commission rates average at 1.75%, as of this writing, and 2.75% for a transaction that you key in manually.

The per transaction program is called Pay-As-You-Go plan and is right for the merchant who will only use the mobile card reader a few times monthly.  As you could expect, the fees are higher such as 2.75% for those sales you swipe customer’s card through the mobile credit card reader and 3.75% for orders than you manually type into the GoPayment software. Note that with the per transaction program there is no monthly subscription fee.

Intuit Gopayment Fees

Pay-as-you-go GoPayments Plan

No fee monthly charged
2.4% + $0.25 each transaction swipe
3.4% + $0.25 each keyed transaction

Monthly Plan for GoPayments

$19.95 monthly charged
1.6% + $0.25  each transaction swipe
3.2% + $0.25 each keyed transactions

(American Express rates do vary.)

Which GoPayment Plan Is Right for Your Business?

The monthly payment plan does enjoy lower rates. You save .8% on swipes sales and .2 on those orders you manually type, i.e., keyed-in, transactions. Let’s examine this more closely. To calculate your best plan choice, we will take the $19.95 monthly fee, divide by the savings rate .8% and determine that if your credit card sales are over $2,500 you should go with the GoPayments monthly program. If your sales are less than $2,500 stick with the Pay as you Go plan to get your best value.

Add to these reasonable prices, the fact that the GoPayment requires no setup fee and even gives you the mobile card reader for free, and you have the best mobile card reader system for small businesses.  Another fact that endears me to Quickbooks is that on most transactions they do not charge me an extra transaction fee. I say a penny saved is a penny earned – that is never truer than when it comes to credit card fees that seem to sprout up everywhere. Competitive mobile credit card systems all charge, in addition to per sale percentages (referred to as “discounts), require a fee every time you use the card reader for customer payments. These charges range from $.10 to .30 or higher. I hate those extra fees which take a bit out of my profits.

Other fees that you could be charged include chargebacks $25, ACH bank rejection $25 and returned check fee $10. Here’s a clarification of these industry terms; chargebacks are when the bank considers the sale a fraud, or customer requests refund from their credit card issuer. An ACH bank rejection is akin to a checking account with overdraft protection. This often occurs when a customer is over their credit card limit. Return check fees are for checks written against insufficient funds, more commonly called a bounced check.  These fees are all within industry standards.  Your account will have a maximum limit for sales processing. As your business grows you can apply for limit increases.

FREE Trial and Card Reader – NO credit card required

Contracts and Early Cancellation Fees

In most cases, there are no account termination fees with Intuit GoPayment. For those with the Pay as you go plan you just stop using your account and no more costs are incurred. You do not need to return the mobile card reader.  However, if you opted for the monthly subscription plan, to avoid future costs, you must formally close your account to prevent future costs.

Note that you can cancel your monthly program but keep using Gopayments with the Pay as you go plan. An excellent option for those businesses who only need mobile credit card processing for special events or specific times of the year.  There is a limit, once every 12 months, the number of times you can switch between these two types of accounts.  Exceptions to this rule are for merchant misconduct, such as fraud, which will incur a $500 termination fee.  To cancel your subscription you need to mail or fax a written letter to request the account closure.

Social Media Support

Intuit runs a Twitter support channel called @QBcares plus another corporate account @Intuit. Paypal and Square, other mobile processors,  also offer Twitter-based customer support. Facebook also has support options on Intuit and Quickbooks facebook pages. These pages are run by expert company representatives.  Their blog is filled with great content and as such is an excellent resource for entrepreneurs 24/7/365.

Recent articles include such helpful subjects as, “How to create an invoice with the works”, “A quick way to pay one vendor” and “How to create management reports”.  The blog is not all business it regularly contains inspiration success stories,k called Customer Profile, that are fun to read. My favorite was the one about Western Smokehouse from Greentop, MO.

Independent Reviews by Top Review Sites

Quickbooks Credit Card Processing Reviews

We consulted with the top internet review sites and found the following ratings for Quickbooks GoPayment for your consideration.

Toptenreviews.com – Reviewers at this popular site gave it an 8.25 out of 10 scores.  They note the Pros as affordable pricing for smaller businesses with no additional transaction-based fees on most credit cards. The reader is free and easy to order on your QBO dashboard. The reader is a green plastic physical gadget that attaches to mobile devices via a jack that plugs into the headset port.  The one con they note is that does not support Blackberry devices. While once my mobile phone of choice, it has fallen out of favor in recent years.

Digital Trends.com – The experienced testers at this site looked at many competitors in the mobile card reader industry. They point out that you will want to review your specific business needs before you shop for a card reader merchant account.  Seamless integration is a big plus with the GoPayment system of Quickbooks.  The app makeover is appreciated as clean and easy to navigate.  Highly rated accessories, such as inventory integration and point of sale cash register software, were rated highly. This review site recommends QB Gopayment for its excellent integration and robust functionality.

Software Users Ratings:

Compliments and Positive Reviews

At Itunes 4800 users rated it 4+. The app scored 3.9 stars after over 5,000 consumers ranked. 3.5 stars are the rating on Amazon.
FREE Trial and Card Reader – NO credit card required
Positives of note:

1. Larger credit limits of payment processing amounts. Good for sellers of high-end products. Not limited to QB Gopayment purchased plan.
2. Seamlessly integrates with QB Online, our recommended software accounting for small businesses
3. Multi-users in one account – up to 50. Perfect for a full team of salespeople.
4. Accept all credit card types, such as the commonly accepted Visa and Mastercard, QBO further accepts American Express Amex, Discover, JCB and international credit cards.
5. Easy to understand rates.

One shop set up – When you open a GoPayment account you are getting two services in one. First the merchant processing account and a mobile payment card reader. In the not so distant past, merchants had to have one bank to process the charges and another to deposit it into their business checking account. Intuit has simplified and streamlined this process significantly.

Complaints and Negative Reviews

There is no perfect product, nor service, on earth. So expect some complaints on every software. However, Intuit has lower negative reviews than other similar companies. We researched and found only a handful of listings on Ripoff Report, as of this date about Intuit as a firm – but none naming this product Gopayment.

After reviewing many online sites with review systems, there are the top complaints:

1. Customer Service Hard to Reach
2. Large Order Funds Held
3. Upgrading of Account Automatically
4. Difficult to cancel Account

FAQ’s – Intuit Gopayment App and Reader

Where to Buy Quickbooks EMV Card Reader?

Good news, you don’t have to buy the EMV card reader because Intuit will give you a free Quickbooks card reader when you sign up for Gopayment.  To sweeten the deal, even more, Intuit offers a free trial of Quickbooks Online with no credit card required. Nice 🙂

What are compatible devices for this EMV card reader?

The Intuit Gopayment device is compatible with these makes and models of phones and tablets:

Apple iOS

iPhone 4s, 5, 5c, 5s, 6, 6s, 6 Plus, 6S Plus, SE
NOTE: The EMV card reader is not compatible with iPhone 4

iPad 2, iPad (3rd generation), iPad 4th generation, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad mini (1st generation), iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 4, iPad Pro (12.9 inch), iPad Pro (9.7 inch)

>>NOTE: The device needs to be running at least OS 8.0 to work with the EMV reader

Android – running 5.0 and higher

Phones
Samsung Galaxy S5, S6, S6 Edge, S7, S7 Edge
Samsung Note 3, 4, 5

Tablets
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0

Can I use the EMV card reader on my desktop computer?

No, you cannot use the card reader both on your mobile devices and on your desktop computer to accept credit card payments from your customers.  You can email invoices to our customers with the free online invoice creator: QuickBooks Free Invoice Creator, try QuickBooks Online for free today

To swipe credit cards on your desktop or laptop computer you need a USB card reader.  Intuit recommends the Magtek card swiper which is compatible in the following applications:

• Merchant Service Center (MerchantCenter.intuit.com)
• Supported versions of QuickBooks for Desktop (Pro, Premiere, Enterprise)
  QuickBooks Point of Sale
• QuickBooks Online

Will it work on my iPad or tablet? Do I need to download a different version of the app?

Yes, you can use Gopayment on your Ipad or tablet. Your Quickbooks Online app seamlessly integrates with the Gopayment app.  Both the reader and the app are compatible with all iPhones, IPads and IPad Touch, most Android smartphones and tablets based on your carrier which includes AT & T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and US Cellular.  GoPayment also is compatible with nine different Android tablets, from device makers Asus, Lenovo, and Samsung. Google’s Play Store notes if your device supports the app.

What is the difference between Quickbooks Gopayment and the POS Point of Sale software system?

Gopayment is meant for small retail and service firms to use their mobile devices to process customer credit card payments. While the Quickbooks POS app – Point of Sale system is designed for retail stores and restaurants to use as a cash register at their physical location.

Is it true that this EMV reader cannot process debit cards?

No, the reader will process debit cards as credit cards with no issues.

QuickBooks Free Invoice Creator, try QuickBooks Online for free today

How do I set up my new EMV reader with my Quickbooks Online account?

Intuit will set up the connection automatically when you adjust your settings as shown in this video:

Does Gopayment accept American Express and Discover?

Yes this card reader accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover.

Does Intuit Gopayment work internationally?

Yes, Intuit is credited as being one o,f the first major US mobile payment card readers to work internationally when paired with a country-specific bank and merchant accounts, when they launched their Canadian program in 2012.  However, to use the Intuit Quickbooks integrated merchant account processor you need to have a physical address in the US 50 states and an American bank account.

If you meet these criteria and want to accept credit cards from your non-US based customers, you can, but be aware that you will be charged the highest non-qualified discount rates for these international transactions.  Also if after accepting international credit cards there is unusual activity on your account the Risk Team will review your account for security breaches.

How long does it take to deposit funds in my bank account after swipe the mobile credit card reader?   

On average your funds will be deposited into your bank account within 2 days.

Is Intuit Gopayment PCI compliant?

Yes, Intuit and all their business units are fully compliant with PCI DSS standards. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards protect your customer’s credit card and personal information.

Are mobile credit card readers safe – for my credit card info, privacy, and smartphone?

Yes, they are as safe as all other types of credit card processors. The same strong level of security is within within the mobile credit card chip reader.  Also don’t be concerned with the reader damaging your smartphone, because it will not.

Can I process credit cards without a merchant account in Quickbooks?

Yes, you can accept credit cards without a merchant account because Quickbooks offers you a built-in merchant account for your usage. Log into your Intuit to use the Quickbooks billing software.

How to process a credit card manually?

You can use your Gopayment app to take credit cards over the phone by simply typing in the credit card number and the card will be charged.

Considering Clover payment system? Read this in-depth comparison of Clover vs Square