Ask HN: How to accept payments?

7 points by danest 14 years ago | 5 comments

I want to start doing some freelance work on the side. What are the some of the ways to accept online payments from clients?

I currently have a google checkout account, would this work well or is their something that is a lot better?

richardofyork 14 years ago |

PayPal is the most convenient for most clients, since it is reputable and used ubiquitously. The downside is that if the invoice is large > than $3000, you will lose a good chunk in PayPal fees.

Checks are great because you get to keep all the money...well, except for taxes later,

Wire Transfer (Bank) is a great option if the invoice is huge (more than $3000), to avoid costly fees.

The other options suggested above are good alternatives, too.

LeBlanc 14 years ago |

For freelance billing of clients the best tool is probably WePay.

You can send a bill (including recurring bills) to clients, and have a full list of all invoices and whether they've been paid or not. They can pay with a credit card or bank account, and then you can either direct deposit the money into your bank account, or send yourself a check for the money.

jeggers5 14 years ago |

If you're in the US, you can use Square: http://squareup.com/

For online payments, Google Checkout should work fine unless you have any particular gripes with it.

bluesix 14 years ago |

If you're just doing freelance work, I find direct deposit works best. Many clients don't use credit card for large amounts because of fees, which you'll also incur for most online payment systems

revti 14 years ago |

I think best online payment is via "Paypal" and lot of free lancer site pay via paypal.