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Pros

  • Integrations with over 750 business apps.
  • No monthly fee for existing QuickBooks Online customers.
  • Transparent, straightforward pricing.

Cons

  • No 24/7 support.
  • Requires a paid QuickBooks Online subscription.
  • POS systems only available through partners after October 2023.

Why trust our small business experts

Our team of experts evaluates hundreds of business products and analyzes thousands of data points to help you find the best product for your situation. We use a data-driven methodology to determine each rating. Advertisers do not influence our editorial content. You can read more about our methodology below.

  • 27 companies reviewed.
  • 11 hours of product testing.
  • 1,674 data points analyzed.

Intuit Payments overview

Intuit was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California. It is a business software company that specializes in financial software. In addition to QuickBooks, the company owns TurboTax, Credit Karma, Mint and Mailchimp. Since its founding, Intuit has grown into a company with more than 17,000 employees and 20 offices in nine countries. In 2022, the company earned over $12 billion in revenue.

In addition to offering payment processing options, Intuit Payments is included in Quickbooks’ monthly plans. These plans range from $30 to $200 per month and add features and capabilities such as invoicing, financial reporting and tracking, cash flow management tools, bill pay management tools, workflow automations, inventory management tools, data backups and project profitability management tools.

Intuit Payments includes online functionality and a mobile app. The mobile app, QuickBooks GoPayment, is generally well-liked, with user ratings of 4.8 and 4.1 on Apple and Google Play, respectively.

However, Intuit has a 1.2 out of five-star rating on TrustPilot and an average user review score of 1.09 out of five stars on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website. Complaints about Intuit are generally related to its other business products, including TurboTax and QuickBooks Online, but some complaints say customer service failed to resolve users’ issues.

How much does Intuit Payments cost?

INTUIT PAYMENTS COST
Pricing structure
Subscription flat rate, Interchange-plus
Monthly fee
$30 – $200 (with 50% off the first three months)
Digital invoiced transaction fee
2.9% + 25¢
Swiped transaction fee
2.4% + 25¢
Keyed transaction fee
3.4% + 25¢
Chargeback fee
$25
Free equipment
Yes: Card reader
High-risk merchant
No

Intuit Payments credit card processing

Intuit Payments is the payment processing functionality included with a QuickBooks Online subscription. It generally has more features than other payment processors due to its inclusion with QuickBooks Online. Its features include invoicing, in-person payments, recurring payments and next-day deposits. It also has payroll, cash flow management and advanced marketing tools. 

The main features Intuit Payments is missing is built-in ecommerce support and, after October 2023, an in-house POS system. However, it supports integrations with Shopify, BigCommerce, and other platforms for your ecommerce needs.

Payment options

QuickBooks offers the free GoPayment POS mobile app, which allows users to accept mobile payments while on the go. The app uses Bluetooth to wirelessly connect to Intuit’s free card reader to accept in-person payments. This deal is offered via email after signing up for Intuit Payments. You can also purchase the QuickBooks Card Reader for $49 and its charging stand for $39. 

Intuit Payments lets you accept online or in-person payments via the following payment methods:

  • Visa.
  • Mastercard.
  • Discover.
  • American Express.
  • ACH.
  • Venmo.
  • PayPal.
  • Apple Pay.
  • Google Pay.

Monthly plans and fees

Intuit Payments is included in any of its four QuickBooks Online subscription tiers. Its four tiers are: 

  • Simple Start: At $30 a month, this plan includes invoicing capabilities, reporting (profit and loss, expenses and balance sheets), receipt capture, mileage tracking, cash flow management and forecasting tools, ecommerce tool integrations, the ability to send estimates, contract hiring and payroll management tools and the ability to connect and sync one sales channel. 
  • Essentials: At $55 per month, this plan includes all of the Simple Start plan features, plus the ability to connect three sales channels and to include three users, bill management tools and the ability to add project or client time to invoices. 
  • Plus: At $85 per month, the Plus plan includes all of the Essential plan features and adds the ability to connect all sales channels and up to five users, inventory management tools and project profitability management tools (such as payroll and labor and expense tracking).
  • Advanced: At $200 per month, the Advanced plan includes Plus plan features, plus the ability to sync data with Excel, manage employee expenses, batch invoices and expenses, implement custom access controls, integrate premium apps for more streamlined operations, automate workflows, back up data and access 24/7 support and training.

These are not introductory prices, and they remain the same after the first term. Intuit Payments has no hidden fees. And each plan includes a 30-day free trial of QuickBooks Online, which grants access to Intuit Payments. 

In addition to the monthly plan fee, Intuit Payments has interchange-plus pricing added to each processed transaction. Its per-transaction fees are: 

  • 2.9% + 25¢ for invoice transactions.
  • 3.4% + 25¢ for keyed transactions.
  • 2.4% + 25¢ for swiped or chipped transactions.
  • 1% per ACH transfer (maximum $10). 

In addition to monthly and per-transaction fees, Intuit charges a $25 chargeback fee if your customer disputes a charge. 

Who it’s best for

Intuit Payments requires a monthly subscription, which starts at $30. However, its paid plan includes features that many competitors do not, such as instant deposits, invoicing, receipt capture, mileage tracking and expense reporting. As such, Intuit Payments is best for companies looking for a complete accounting, financial management, payroll and payment processing solution. 

Intuit Payments customer support and experience

If you need help with Intuit Payments, the company offers live chat support. If you still have questions or prefer phone support, call its customer support team. Live support is available Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Time. Outside of its regular support hours, you can create a thread in the QuickBooks Community, an online discussion board, to request help from other Intuit Payments customers.

The QuickBooks Desktop software is straightforward to use. You can quickly find the information you need, create invoices and reports and track your finances. However, Intuit is slowly phasing out QuickBooks Desktop, starting with QuickBooks Desktop 2020. The 2023 version still works, but Intuit is encouraging customers to switch to QuickBooks Online.

The GoPayment app is generally user friendly. It automatically syncs with transactions in QuickBooks and accepts chip and contactless credit and debit cards. It also accepts digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.

Intuit Payments vs. Square

MONTHLY FEEONLINE TRANSACTION FEESIN-PERSON TRANSACTION FEESFREE VERSION24/7 CUSTOMER SUPPORTBEST FOR
$30 – $200 (with 50% off the first three months)2.9% + 25¢2.4% + 25¢NoNoQuickbook users
MONTHLY FEE$30 – $200 (with 50% off the first three months)
ONLINE TRANSACTION FEES2.9% + 25¢
IN-PERSON TRANSACTION FEES2.4% + 25¢
FREE VERSIONNo
24/7 CUSTOMER SUPPORTNo
BEST FORQuickbook users
$0 – $792.9% + 30¢2.6% + 10¢YesNoNew and brick-and-mortar businesses
MONTHLY FEE$0 – $79
ONLINE TRANSACTION FEES2.9% + 30¢
IN-PERSON TRANSACTION FEES2.6% + 10¢
FREE VERSIONYes
24/7 CUSTOMER SUPPORTNo
BEST FORNew and brick-and-mortar businesses

Square is a payment processor that is aptly named for its square-shaped card readers, which connect to smartphones and tablets. It’s an affordable choice for new and small businesses. It offers a free plan and its transaction fees are competitive. Its free plan includes complementary features like invoicing, inventory management and an app marketplace. 

However, users note that Square accounts can be frozen due to irregular activity. In addition, it does not offer 24/7 support with a free plan, although this feature is available in paid plans.

Intuit Payments offers many of the same features as Square, including a low-cost, basic payment processing solution. However, QuickBooks Online customers can take advantage of advanced features, such as income and expense reporting, cash flow management tools, workflow automations and receipt capture tools — features Square does not offer. 

However, unlike Square, Intuit Payments doesn’t offer an ecommerce solution. It also doesn’t have a free plan, although a 30-day free trial is available. In addition, Intuit Payments lacks 24/7 phone support, even for paying customers.

Of these two providers, Intuit Payments is best for companies looking for lower per-transaction rates to support a high volume of monthly transactions and an all-in-one financial and accounting tool. In contrast, with a free plan, a free card reader and no upfront costs for in-store payment processing setup, Square is best for startup brick-and-mortar businesses. 

Intuit Payments vs. PayPal

MONTHLY FEEONLINE TRANSACTION FEESIN-PERSON TRANSACTION FEESFREE VERSION24/7 CUSTOMER SUPPORTBEST FOR
$30 – $2002.9% + 25¢2.4% + 25¢NoNoQuickbook users
MONTHLY FEE$30 – $200
ONLINE TRANSACTION FEES2.9% + 25¢
IN-PERSON TRANSACTION FEES2.4% + 25¢
FREE VERSIONNo
24/7 CUSTOMER SUPPORTNo
BEST FORQuickbook users
$02.59% + 49¢2.99% + 49¢YesNoDigital wallets
MONTHLY FEE$0
ONLINE TRANSACTION FEES2.59% + 49¢
IN-PERSON TRANSACTION FEES2.99% + 49¢
FREE VERSIONYes
24/7 CUSTOMER SUPPORTNo
BEST FORDigital wallets

Intuit Payments and PayPal are closely matched with many of the same features, including live chat, mobile apps, software integrations and invoicing. Because both have mobile apps, both allow you to accept payments on the go with their POS integrations.

Where the two diverge is in their payment structures. Intuit’s transaction fees can also be lower than PayPal’s in some cases, such as its fee for online transactions. PayPal also does not require a monthly fee for an account, whereas Intuit Payments does. 

However, Intuit Payments has a more straightforward pricing structure overall. PayPal charges a slew of merchant fees – including for currency conversions, fundraising or charity transactions and QR code transactions — which could lead to its monthly cost being higher than Intuit’s.

Because Intuit Payments is a part of Intuit Quickbooks plans, Intuit Payments is best for companies that already use Quickbooks or are in need of an all-in-one payment processing, financial management and reporting and operations management tool. In contrast, with the ability to accept a wide variety of digital wallets and other payment methods, PayPal is best for companies with target markets increasingly using digital wallets, such as Gen Z and Millennial consumers. 

Is Intuit Payments right for your business?

Intuit Payments is the payment processor from Intuit that allows QuickBooks Online customers to accept all forms of payment, such as contactless payments, ACH transfers, digital wallets and payment apps. It also accepts all major credit cards, including Discover, Visa, Mastercard and American Express.

Its pricing is transparent and straightforward, and all transaction fees are clearly published on Intuit’s website. However, it does not offer a free plan. Despite this, when you sign up for a paid plan, you access advanced accounting features in addition to credit card processing capabilities. These advanced features include invoicing, recurring payments, next-day deposits, workflow automations and financial health reporting and management tools. 

Intuit Payments doesn’t have a built-in ecommerce solution, but it easily integrates with services like Shopify and BigCommerce. It also integrates with over 750 business applications. For a more straightforward ecommerce management experience, companies may consider an alternative solution that offers online checkouts and other ecommerce essentials, such as Helcim.

If you already have QuickBooks online and want to add credit card processing without additional fees, Intuit Payments is a solid choice. However, if you don’t use Intuit Quickbooks and need a solution with minimal upfront costs, consider Square, which offers a free terminal, no monthly fees and a per-transaction pricing structure. 

Methodology

We extensively research the key competitors within an industry to determine the best products and services for your business. Our experts identify the factors that matter most to business owners, including pricing, features and customer support, to ensure that our recommendations offer well-rounded products that will meet the needs of various small businesses.

We collect extensive data to narrow our best list to reputable, easy-to-use products with stand-out features at a reasonable price point. And we look at user reviews to ensure that business owners like you are satisfied with our top picks’ services. We use the same rubric to assess companies within a particular space so you can confidently follow our blueprint to the Best credit card processing.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

You can set up Intuit Payments by following these steps:

  1. Click the gear icon, then “Account & Settings” from the Intuit Payments website header menu.
  2. Click “Payments.”
  3. Select the “learn more” button.
  4. Select “set up payments” from the pop-up window.
  5. Fill in the requested company information using the form’s drop-down menus and provided spaces.
  6. Click next to access the rest of the form.
  7. Fill in the information about you (the business owner).
  8. Connect your bank account as prompted.
  9. Select “activate payments.”

Once you complete these steps, you will receive an email notifying you of your approval. At that point, you are ready to receive payments.

There is a 30-day free trial of QuickBooks Online, which is required to use Intuit Payments. After the free trial, you must pay for a monthly subscription of QuickBooks Online. Subscriptions range from $30 to $200 per month. Of the payment processors we considered, the average monthly fee is $13.97, which puts Intuit Payments on the high end of credit card processing providers.

Intuit Payments requires a subscription because you must sign up for QuickBooks Online to use the service. Plans are initially billed monthly. Most users can switch to annual billing after the first 30-day days. However, you can’t switch to annual billing if you use Intuit’s payroll services.

Intuit doesn’t offer discounts for long-term commitments. However, it sometimes runs sales that can help you save on your QuickBooks Online subscription, such as a 50% discount for the first three months of a plan.

Intuit Payments does not offer an in-house POS system. It is also phasing out its previously-offered POS by October 2023, requiring Intuit Payment customers to use a partner integration for this functionality. While QuickBooks prefers Shopify POS, it supports POS systems from several other payment processors. These include Square, Toast, Clover and TouchBistro.

Intuit uses advanced protection to keep your data secure, including Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), digital certificates and RSA encryption. It also requires a personal identification number (PIN) and customer ID to access your account or send payment instructions to a financial institution.

In addition, Intuit works with a PCI service provider to ensure that Intuit Payments meets Data Security Standard (DSS) compliance requirements. However, Intuit notes that other applications do not always follow the same standards, and using Intuit Payments does not make you PCI-compliant in all cases.

Intuit Payments has a mobile app called QuickBooks GoPayment that is available for Apple and Android devices. The app allows users to process payments on the go. You can sign up with a QuickBooks, TurboTax or Mint account, or create a new account to get started. Transactions automatically reconcile with QuickBooks.

Intuit Payments integrates with over 750 business apps. These include Amazon Business, PayPal, Square, Etsy, Shopify, eBay, HubSpot, Salesforce and DocuSign. Intuit’s integrations allow you to automate spending, organize expenses, sell online and market your products or services, among other functionalities.

While Intuit Payments has many add-on services, most of them are rolled into different subscription tiers. Some of these add-ons include:

  • Sales channel syncing.
  • Multiple users.
  • Bill and time management tools.
  • Inventory management tools.
  • Employee expense management tools.
  • Payroll management tools.
  • Business analytics.
  • Workflow automations.

However, Intuit allows you to add payroll services separately when signing up for QuickBooks Online. Intuit also offers free guided setups from a QuickBooks expert who will walk you through tasks like connecting your bank account and automating your most frequent tasks. Guided setup is not available with Intuit Payments’ free trial.

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Bob Haegele

BLUEPRINT

Bob Haegele is a freelance writer specializing in topics such as insurance, investing and credit cards. His work has appeared on Business Insider, CreditCards.com, and other nationally recognized outlets. Follow him on Twitter @thefellowfrugal.

Alana Rudder

BLUEPRINT

Alana is the deputy editor for USA Today Blueprint's small business team. She has served as a technology and marketing SME for countless businesses, from startups to leading tech firms — including Adobe and Workfusion. She has zealously shared her expertise with small businesses — including via Forbes Advisor and Fit Small Business — to help them compete for market share. She covers technologies pertaining to payroll and payment processing, online security, customer relationship management, accounting, human resources, marketing, project management, resource planning, customer data management and how small businesses can use process automation, AI and ML to more easily meet their goals. Alana has an MBA from Excelsior University.