How to set up card payments and payouts

Two separate things people conflate: being able to take a card, and having that money in your account. Accepting is instant; the payout is on a schedule, and knowing the schedule is what stops you thinking a sale went missing.

1. 1

   Open the payments settings

   Go to Settings → Payments. This is where card processing is set up for your business, separate from the payment-method toggles that decide what the cashier sees.

2. 2

   Complete the application

   Processing requires your business details and where you want to be paid. Fill in the payout destination carefully — this is the account the money lands in, and a wrong digit is a delay you find out about a week later.

3. 3

   Understand the payout schedule

   Money from card sales is paid out on a schedule — a set number of business days after the sale — into your account, with a breakdown of the orders it covers. That breakdown is the thing to keep: it is how you match a deposit to the days that produced it.

4. 4

   Connect the hardware you will use

   A card terminal is set up separately and has its own guide. Manual card entry and payment links work without a terminal, and are the right tools for a customer who is not standing in front of you.

5. 5

   Watch the payouts screen

   The payouts view is where you see what has been sent and what is pending. Check it against your bank, not against your sales — sales tell you what you earned, payouts tell you what arrived.

6. 6

   Decide about the card fee

   Once you know what processing costs you, decide whether to pass it on. The fee is set per payment method, and the payment-type report tells you what share of your revenue it would actually apply to.