Payment methods: A complete guide for small business owners

You're setting up your online store, and the checkout configuration screen presents you with a wall of options: credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, buy now pay later, and ACH transfers. Your food truck needs to accept payments at the farmers' market this weekend. Your salon client wants to split a $200 service between two cards. Each scenario demands different payment methods, and the wrong choices cost you sales or eat into your margins.

Why Your Payment Method Strategy Matters

The payment methods you accept directly affect your bottom line. A customer who reaches checkout and doesn't see their preferred way to pay will often abandon the purchase entirely. According to Baymard Institute research on checkout optimization, the average cart abandonment rate hovers around 70%, with limited payment options cited as a contributing factor.

Beyond lost sales, your payment method choices shape customer perception of your business. Modern shoppers expect flexibility. They want to tap their phone at your counter, split payments online, or use buy now pay later for larger purchases. Meeting these expectations builds trust and encourages repeat business.

The good news is that accepting multiple payment methods has become simpler. Solutions exist that consolidate card payments, digital wallets, and contactless transactions into a single platform, often with minimal setup and predictable fees.

What Are Payment Methods?

Payment methods, at their core, refer to the various ways customers can transfer money to your business in exchange for goods or services. When someone buys a coffee from your shop, books an appointment at your salon, or orders a product from your website, they need a way to pay you. That mechanism is a payment method.

The concept spans everything from physical cash exchanged across a counter to a digital wallet transaction completed through a smartphone. A food truck accepting a tap from an Apple Watch uses a different payment method than an online store processing a credit card through a checkout page, but both accomplish the same goal: completing a sale.

Traditional payment methods include cash, checks, and money orders. Modern popular payment methods encompass credit and debit cards, digital wallets, bank transfers, and emerging options like cryptocurrency. Most businesses today need a mix of both traditional and digital payment methods to serve their full customer base.

What Are the Different Payment Methods?

Most businesses do not need to understand every payment method in depth. What matters is knowing the main categories, how they work in practice, and when each one makes sense for your customers.

The breakdown below covers the most common payment methods small businesses encounter today, from traditional options to newer digital and mobile‑first ways to get paid.

Traditional Payment Methods

Cash remains the most straightforward payment method. No payment processing fees, no chargebacks, and immediate access to funds. The downsides include security risks, the need to make changes, and the inability to accept cash for online purchases or remote transactions.

Checks still have a place in B2B transactions and certain service industries. They carry a risk of bouncing, require manual deposit, and can take several business days to clear. For most consumer-facing businesses, check acceptance has declined significantly.

Money orders function like prepaid checks and are sometimes used when buyers lack bank accounts. They're uncommon in retail but appear in specific situations like rent payments or large purchases where the buyer prefers not to use cash.

Card-Based Payment Methods

Credit cards from networks like Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover represent the backbone of modern commerce. They offer fraud protection for cardholders, rewards programs, and widespread acceptance. For businesses, credit cards mean processing fees typically ranging from 1.5% to 3.5% per transaction.

Debit cards pull funds directly from a customer's bank account. Processing fees are often lower than credit cards, and settlement can be faster. Customers may prefer direct debit cards to avoid credit card debt or because their bank account balance is more accessible.

Prepaid cards work like debit cards but aren't linked to a bank account. Gift cards fall into this category. They're popular for budgeting, gifts, and situations where customers lack traditional banking relationships.

Digital Payment Methods

Digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay store card information on smartphones and wearables. Customers authenticate with payment details like biometrics or a PIN, then tap their device to pay. These digital wallets offer speed, convenience, and an added layer of security through tokenization, which replaces card numbers with unique codes during transactions.

Mobile payment apps such as Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App enable peer-to-peer transfers that some businesses now accept. They're popular with younger demographics and useful for informal transactions.

Contactless and tap-to-pay methods use NFC (near-field communication) technology to complete transactions with a simple tap. Whether the customer uses a contactless card or a digital wallet, the process is fast and reduces physical contact at checkout. Understanding how tap to pay works helps you evaluate whether it fits your business.

QR code payments allow customers to scan a code with their phone to initiate payment. This method gained popularity in Asia and saw increased adoption globally during the pandemic. It works well for mobile businesses and situations where traditional POS hardware is impractical.

Online Payment Methods

Payment gateways process online transactions by securely transmitting payment information between your website and the payment processor. They handle the technical complexity of accepting credit card payments online.

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) services like Afterpay and Klarna let customers split purchases into installments. For merchants, BNPL can increase average order value and conversion rates, though fees are typically higher than standard card processing.

Bank transfers and ACH move money directly between bank accounts. ACH transfers are common for recurring billing, subscription services, and B2B payments. They have lower fees than cards but take one to three business days to settle.

Cryptocurrency acceptance remains niche for most small businesses. Volatility, technical complexity, and limited customer demand make it a lower priority for most merchants, though some industries see higher demand.

Payment Methods for Different Business Contexts

Not every business uses payment methods the same way. The right setup depends on how and where you sell, whether that is face‑to‑face, online, or on the move. Understanding how payment methods perform in different contexts helps you choose options that support your workflow, customer experience, and cash flow rather than complicating them.

In-Person Payment Methods

Physical retail and service businesses need to accept payments face-to-face. Cash remains an option, though handling it requires security measures, bank deposits, and the ability to make change.

Traditional point of sale (POS) terminals and card readers process chip and contactless cards. These range from basic card readers that connect to your phone to full POS systems with inventory management and receipt printing.

Tap to Pay on smartphone solutions eliminate the need for separate hardware. Using NFC technology built into modern phones, these apps accept contactless cards and digital wallets directly. This approach works particularly well for mobile businesses, delivery drivers, and service providers who visit customer locations.

Digital wallet acceptance at point of sale is increasingly expected by customers. According to the Federal Reserve, contactless payment usage continues to grow year over year, driven by smartphone penetration and consumer preference for speed.

Online Payment Methods

E-commerce requires payment gateway integration to process cards and digital payments securely. Your gateway handles the encryption, authorization, and settlement of online transactions.

Guest checkout versus saved preferred payment methods affects conversion rates. Forcing account creation drives some customers away, while saved payment methods enable faster repeat purchases. The right balance depends on your business model and customer expectations.

One-click payment options through digital wallets or stored card details reduce friction during their checkout experience. The fewer steps between "add to cart" and "order complete," the more likely customers are to finish their purchase.

Security requirements for online payment methods include SSL certificates, PCI compliance, and fraud detection tools. These protect both your customers and your business from data breaches and fraudulent transactions.

Mobile Business Payment Methods

Food trucks, farmers market vendors, and pop-up shops face unique challenges. They need portable solutions that work without reliable power or internet connections.

Phone-based payment acceptance addresses this need. Apps that turn smartphones into payment terminals offer mobility without the bulk of traditional POS equipment. Battery life, cellular connectivity, and ease of use become the key factors.

QR code payments provide an alternative for mobile businesses. Customers scan a code, enter the amount, and complete payment through their phone. This method requires no hardware on the merchant side and works well for low-volume transactions.

Understanding Payment Method Costs

Each of the types of payment methods carries costs, though they vary significantly in structure and amount.

Cash has no processing fees but incurs costs for secure storage, bank deposits, and the risk of theft or counterfeit bills. Employee time spent counting and reconciling cash adds hidden labor costs.

Card payments typically cost 1.5% to 3.5% per transaction, depending on the card type, network, and your processing agreement. Premium rewards cards often carry higher interchange fees. Many processors add a per-transaction flat fee (often $0.10 to $0.30) on top of the percentage.

Digital wallet transactions generally process at the same rates as the underlying card, though some processors offer lower rates for wallet payments due to reduced fraud risk.

ACH and bank wire transfers cost significantly less per transaction, often a $0.25 to $1.00 one-time flat fee, making them attractive for large payments where a percentage fee would be expensive.

BNPL services charge merchants higher transaction fees, typically 2% to 8% of the transaction value, in exchange for potentially higher conversion rates and average order values.

Hidden fees to watch for include monthly minimums, PCI compliance fees, statement fees, batch processing fees, and early termination penalties. Always calculate the total cost of payment acceptance, not just the advertised per-transaction rate.

What Is the Best Payment Method?

There's no single best payment method for all businesses. The right mix depends on your industry, customer demographics, transaction sizes, and operational needs.

For speed and convenience, contactless payments and digital wallets win. Transactions complete in seconds, reducing checkout lines and improving customer experience.

For low transaction costs, cash and ACH transfers keep more money in your pocket, though they're not appropriate for every sale or business type.

For customer preference, credit cards and digital wallets dominate. Most customers expect to pay with their preferred card or phone, and limiting options means losing sales.

For cash flow, instant settlement (offered by solutions like JIM) beats the traditional one-to-three business day wait. Immediate access to funds helps small businesses manage expenses and payroll.

The practical answer: accept multiple payment methods to cover the majority of customer preferences, then optimize based on actual usage data. If 80% of your customers pay with cards and digital wallets, focus your attention there.

Choosing Which Payment Methods to Accept

Not every business uses payment methods the same way. The right setup depends on how and where you sell, how frequently you take payments, and what customers expect at checkout.

A brick‑and‑mortar shop, an online store, and a mobile business each face different constraints around speed, hardware, connectivity, and cash flow.

Understanding how payment methods perform across these contexts helps you choose options that support daily operations and customer experience without adding unnecessary friction.

For most small businesses, the baseline today includes:

• Credit and debit cards
• Digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay
• Contactless payments for in‑person sales

Beyond that baseline, additional payment methods should be driven by actual customer demand and business needs. If clients regularly request ACH invoicing, it makes sense to add it. If higher‑value purchases benefit from installments, BNPL can be useful. If a method is never requested, it likely does not need to be prioritized.

Customer demographics also play a role. Younger customers tend to favor mobile wallets, B2B clients often prefer bank transfers, and high‑volume, low‑ticket businesses benefit most from fast, contactless checkout. As your business changes, your payment setup should evolve with it.

Simplify How You Accept Payments and Get Paid Faster

Choosing the right payment methods is ultimately about reducing friction for both you and your customers. The businesses that get this right focus on flexibility, predictable costs, and checkout experiences that do not slow sales down.

This is where JIM fits naturally into the picture. JIM lets you accept in‑person payments directly on your iPhone using Tap to Pay, without additional hardware, monthly fees, or complex setup. You can take credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other contactless payments at a flat 1.99% fee, with instant access to funds on your JIM Visa® Prepaid Card.

If accepting modern payment methods without added complexity matters to your business, JIM is worth considering. You can explore how it works and review pricing when you are ready.