Lately, I’ve been looking for different ways to accept payments. I know I’m not the only one either. I receive many emails each month from readers who side hustle and/or run their own business and want to save money when processing transactions.
I currently use PayPal and the fees can add up very quickly. When using PayPal, the fee is 2.9% plus $0.30 of the amount you receive. This can easily add up to a few thousand dollars each year if you receive many of your payments through PayPal.
Even though PayPal is something I’ve been using for years, I knew there had to be something better. Cash and checks are great too, but when you run an online/location independent business, it’s not always the best choice.
Turns out there is something that is a much better option.
Square Cash is a great way for small businesses to accept payments.
I recently heard about Square Cash as a new way to accept payments. You’ve probably heard of Square before. Square Cash is directly related to Square, so you know that it has to be good! This is a big reason for why I tried out Square Cash, I’ve used Square before and it’s always been super easy to use.
Square Cash is a FREE way to send and receive money to/from others if you are just a personal user. If you are a small business, the fee to receive a payment is just 1.5%. That’s almost HALF of what PayPal charges. It may not seem like a huge difference percentage-wise, but over the course of a year it can really add up to a significant amount of money.
Square Cash makes it easy with $Cashtags.
You are probably wondering how you receive payments. This part is so easy that I was confused in the beginning because I didn’t think it could be this easy.
Square Cash also makes it very easy to receive payments. Instead of waiting for someone to give you cash or to send you a check, they can do the same thing through Square Cash without the delay.
For a business to accept money, they will use a $Cashtag. A $Cashtag is pretty much your username so that clients/customers can easily pay you what they need to by just entering your $Cashtag.
Customers can also pay via your web URL easily. Square Cash allows you to have a unique web URL that you can give to customers so that they can pay you directly. All they have to do is enter their payment with an optional note.
If you want to see an example, my URL is cash.me/$MichelleGardner.
Receiving each payment through Square Cash is done easily.
You may be wondering what happens after a customer pays you through Square Cash. Where does the money go? Does it sit in some sort of Square Cash bank account?
After a customer pays you (or after a friend sends you money), the money is automatically deposited into your bank account. Just like with any deposit, it sometimes may take a few days to clear. Since the money goes directly to your bank account, it makes it very easy to run a business.
Square Cash is safe.
Since this is money that we are talking about, you are probably wondering about how safe Square Cash is.
Square Cash is very safe. Square Cash uses/offers:
Security locks with option Touch ID verification or CVV verification;
Encrypted data so that your information remains safe;
Account notifications so that you are always updated on changes to your account; and
Fraud protection.
If you just want a quick summary of this review, here’s Square Cash’s description on iTunes. Yup, it’s really this easy:
Quickly send money between friends, or get paid for your business. No “cashing out” – money deposits directly to your bank account. It’s FREE between friends, and only 1.5% for businesses!
If you’re interested in trying Cash, send me an email at senseofcents(at)gmail.com and I will send you an invite link that will give you $5 after you use Square Cash for your first time. This is for both personal and business users.
What do you currently use to receive payments for your products or services?
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