Rapidly evolving technologies are changing how consumers prefer to shop and pay for products and services — both online and in-store.
Small business owners must adapt to meet customers’ needs today and in the future.
Otherwise, they risk losing business to competitors with better payment options. In fact, an Interac study found that “66% of Canadians believe businesses that fail to offer digital payments will struggle.”
Read on to learn how to accept credit card payments in-store and online to turn more browsing customers into buyers.
- How do I accept credit card payments in-store or in-person?
- How can I accept credit card payments on my website or online store?
- How much should I budget for credit card processing fees?
- Best credit card payment processors compared
- Make it easy for people to shop with you
How do I accept credit card payments in-store or in-person?
Any reputable in-store credit card payment solution should include the following three tools:
1. A credit card payment processor
A payment processor like GoDaddy Payments handles all of your credit or debit card transactions for you.
It acts as a mediator between your store and a financial institution or merchant account.
The payment process involves authorizing all credit card or debit card transactions via your merchant accounts and transferring the funds so you receive your payments quickly. The faster the business gets paid, the better its cash flow.
2. A POS payment system
If you’re wondering what exactly is a POS system and how it works, the explanation is quite simple. A point of sale (POS) is the location where you exchange your goods or services for payment. It can be done:
- Using a device in a physical location such as a store
- Online through your ecommerce-enabled website
For example, GoDaddy’s POS system gives business owners an easy and fast way to accept credit card payments anywhere and everywhere.
It seamlessly integrates with GoDaddy’s Online Store if you have one, so your online and in-person sales are easily organized and accessible in one place.
Your customers can buy online and pick up in-store or book online and pay in-person.
GoDaddy’s sleek and powerful Smart Terminal (or POS device) comes ready to use with everything built-in for a convenient in-person checkout process.
The unit comes with free three-day expedited shipping, a one-year limited warranty and 30-day refund.
It includes:
- GoDaddy Payments processing
- A paper receipt printer
- A barcode scanner to scan product UPC codes and QR codes
There is no bulky setup, and it’s lightweight enough for in-store mobility.
It also comes with dual screens — a dedicated screen for you, and one for your customers — to make it faster and easier for your customers to checkout, tip and sign.
GoDaddy Payments accepts all major credit cards digitally or in-person, as well as Interac debit (in-person transactions only). The Payments hardware can be delivered to your home or business free within three days.
Additionally, GoDaddy offers contactless in-person Apple Pay and Google Pay transactions. This is a bonus, as 42% of Canadians say their preference for digital and contactless payments is here to stay.
3. A way for customers to pay online
There’s another way to easily and reliably sell anywhere you want. Simply turn your smartphone, tablet or computer into a credit card terminal.
GoDaddy Payments offers a Virtual Terminal that allows you to accept credit card payments right from your computer, smartphone, or another device with an internet connection.
It’s a safe, simple way to get paid when your customer isn’t standing in front of you.
Virtual Terminal processes payments quickly and securely. You receive the funds as soon as the next business day.
It’s a simple, two-step process:
- Just sign in to your GoDaddy account and open Virtual Terminal on your Payments dashboard.
- Enter your customer’s credit card information and confirm the charge. That’s it!
This option is popular among small business owners who want to let customers prepay over the phone for delivery, such as a restaurant or food truck.
If you run a yoga class or landscaping business, you can also let people book and pay for your services in advance.
Or process secure payments over the phone for your freelance business and get paid as soon as the next business day.
No website? Get paid with Online Pay Links
If you’re a flower shop owner or, say, a non-profit fundraiser who deals with customers primarily through email, text or social media, you can also get paid through Online Pay Links.
Here's how it works:
- You create a Pay Link in your GoDaddy account and share it with your customer
- Upon clicking the link, your customer is taken to a secure web page
- They enter their payment details
- The payment is processed
If you prefer, you can create a QR code that customers can scan using their mobile phones for contactless in-person payments.
How can I accept credit card payments on my website or online store?
Let’s look at your online payment options next.
To begin, you’ll need an ecommerce platform that enables you to:
- Set up an online store to manage all your orders in one place
- Sell across big channels like eBay and Amazon
Use GoDaddy Online Store to build your own site
One way to safely accept payments online is to use GoDaddy’s Online Store builder to create your digital storefront.
Set up a store for free using one of over 100 mobile-friendly customizable templates. Simply add your products, descriptions, images and prices with a few clicks.
Upload photos or adjust pricing on the go, from any device including your phone.
If you decide you like your store, just upgrade to a paid plan to start selling.
Online Store comes with handy promotional tools, like email marketing, social media and search engine optimization (SEO) so customers can easily find your store across all of their preferred channels.
The GoDaddy store builder offers four payment options: Square, Stripe, PayPal or GoDaddy Payments.
Selecting GoDaddy Payments requires just a few clicks:
- Open your store dashboard from your GoDaddy product page.
- Select Commerce and then Payment Methods.
- Next to GoDaddy Payments, select Connect.
- Follow the onscreen prompts to fill out your business info and the bank account where you want to receive payments.
- Provide any requested verification to complete the sign-up process.
- Once verification is complete, your store will be linked to GoDaddy Payments and you’re ready to go.
Build a Managed WordPress WooCommerce store
Another option is GoDaddy’s managed WordPress ecommerce platform with WooCommerce. It enables you to quickly set up a custom WordPress store for only $28.99 CAD per month.
You can sell anything, anywhere online — from physical products to digital downloads, services and subscriptions.
You can choose from a variety of free, exclusive WooCommerce Storefront extensions — all included in your plan. You also get:
- A domain name for a custom web address
- SEO optimizer to help your website get found
- Daily backups in case you ever lose data
With a streamlined WordPress setup, it’s built with a REST API which makes it scalable and able to integrate with virtually any service.
GoDaddy Payments, which takes only a few clicks to activate, makes it possible for you to accept these forms of payment:
- All major credit cards digitally or in-person
- Interac debit (in-person transactions only)
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
If none of these fit your needs, you can install other payment gateway plugins.
Using GoDaddy Payments with WordPress
You can select GoDaddy Payments when you first set up your GoDaddy Managed WordPress WooCommerce store, or at a later time by following these steps:
1. Go to your GoDaddy product page and open your Managed WordPress WooCommerce store. You might be asked to sign in.
2. In the left-hand menu under WooCommerce, select GoDaddy Payments.
3. Select Set up payouts in the Payment Hub to begin the verification process.
4. Follow the prompts to set up GoDaddy Payments and link your bank account for deposits. You'll need to supply the following information:
Business Owner: Name, contact info, date of birth and SIN (Social Insurance Number).
Business Profile: Business name, province or territory and BN (Business Number) for the business.
Banking information: To deposit payouts you'll need the transit number, institution number and account number.
5. When you’ve finished filling everything out, select Confirm.
6. You may be asked to verify your identity by sending either a text confirmation or government ID. Follow the instructions to complete verification.
7. Once verification is complete, your online store will be linked to GoDaddy Payments and you can start accepting payments.
GoDaddy Payments meets payment card industry (PCI) standards so you know your site is always using the latest payment security protocols — helping you build trust with customers.
How much should I budget for credit card processing fees?
It’s important to know what a merchant’s payment processing fees are before selecting one to offer to your customers.
Let’s take a closer look at average fees across the credit card payment industry.
Average credit card merchant fees
Credit card merchants like Visa and Mastercard charge fees on every transaction processed, either online or in-store.
Those fees depend on a variety of factors, including:
- The type of transaction your customers choose most often (both online and in-person)
- The average size of the credit card transactions you process
- The type of business you run (e.g., a low- versus high-risk company)
It’s always best to get a quote from any credit card merchants you want to offer on your site or in your store.
Average credit card payment processor fee
According to Forbes, the average payment processing fees for credit card payments range from 1.5% to 3.5%.
When you factor in things like the cost of goods sold (COGS) and sales taxes, these fees can quickly eat into your profit margins.
At 2.7% + 0 cents CAD per transaction, GoDaddy Payments charges the lowest fees.
In-person fees are 2.3% + 0 cents CAD. GoDaddy’s low fees mean you keep more of your earnings.
All major credit cards and debit cards are accepted, including:
- Visa
- Mastercard
- American Express
- Discover
There are no long-term contracts, no monthly minimums, or hidden fees.
Best credit card payment processors compared
We’ve compiled an overview of the most popular credit card payment processing solutions available to help you make an informed decision.
GoDaddy Payments
GoDaddy Payments is a payment provider that enables you to manage all of your sales details from one easy-to-use dashboard. No more logging into multiple accounts to handle payments, refunds and billing.
In-person payment features:
- Easy to set up to begin processing in-person or in-store checkouts out of the box
- Money is deposited into your bank account as soon as the next business day
- Accepts all types of payment, including Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, Apple Pay and Google Pay, as well as Interac debit (in-person transactions only)
- Fast and secured by the best encryption available
- The lowest in-person card transaction fees in the industry (compared to other leading providers) at 2.3% + 0 cents CAD
- Includes a one-year limited warranty and 30-day refund
- No setup fee, no monthly minimums or any hidden fees, and no long-term contracts
- Connects offline and online sales to manage all your sales in one place
- Receive your POS device in three days with expedited free shipping
- Create a customized pay link and share it with your customers anywhere you do business
- Take remote or over-the-phone payments to complete transactions whenever a customer is not present
Online payment features:
- Easy to set up to start processing online checkout experiences
- Money is deposited into your bank account as soon as the next business day
- Versatility to accept credit and debit card payments, including Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and Discover cards
- Checkout is fast and secure by the best encryption available
- The lowest credit/debit card transaction fees in the industry at 2.7% + 0 cents CAD per transaction
- No setup fee, no monthly minimums or any hidden fees, and no long-term contracts
- Works with GoDaddy Online Store and Managed WooCommerce stores
- Customers can also buy online and pick up in-store (if integrated with the GoDaddy POS system)
Square
Provides small businesses with software and hardware to help them sell products and services online and offline using their Square accounts.
To accept payments via phone or tablet, you’ll need a free magstripe Square reader that interfaces with the free Square Point of Sale app.
However, you don’t need a card reader to start using Square with GoDaddy’s Online Store.
In-person payment features:
- Accepts all major credit and debit cards, plus Apple Pay (on supported devices)
- See your money in one to two business days
- No monthly or set up fees
- Accept payments online and in-person
- Quick setup
- Works with GoDaddy Payments
- Better suited for small, low-risk businesses (limited “advanced features”)
Note: Square will freeze funds if they suspect fraud.
PayPal
PayPal processes all major credit cards plus Apple Pay and is one of the most popular payment processing gateways.
Online payment features:
- Accept credit and debit cards from millions of PayPal users
- Same-day funds delivery
- Fast and secure checkout for customers
- No monthly or set up fees
- Quick set up
- Works with many shopping cart platforms
- Integrates with GoDaddy Payments
Note: PayPal has higher fees than other payment processors and account suspensions can freeze funds.
Stripe
Stripe works similar to PayPal and Square. Its gateway integrates with your store’s checkout.
Online payment features:
- Accepts all major credit and debit cards on your site
- Receive funds in two to seven days
- Accepts Apple Pay on supported devices
- Quick setup
- No monthly or setup fees
Note: Some small businesses complain about frozen or canceled accounts
Make it easy for people to shop with you
As consumers become more comfortable shopping online, their expectations for where and how they pay for products and services have changed.
It’s essential to learn how to accept credit card payments in-store and online, safely and securely, wherever and however your customers choose to buy.
GoDaddy Payments quickly processes all major credit and debit cards online and can be used for both in-person and online payments via Pay Links, Virtual Terminals, and POS devices.
We charge the lowest fees in the industry, with a fast payout as early as the next business day.
Be sure to watch how consumer card payment behaviors evolve, so you can anticipate future needs. Trust GoDaddy to keep you ahead of the curve.
* Lowest pricing compared to leading providers Square, Stripe, and Shopify for Canadian ecommerce, in-person, and keyed-in transactions.
