The Internet forms the bedrock of our everyday life because it saves our time and makes our lives easier. We are now accustomed to shopping online, booking spaces, making appointments, having discussions, ordering services, and handling many other issues on the go, all from the comfort of our homes.
In this age, people searching for co-working spaces first search online. These people are always eager to book a space once they find one that suits their needs.
Owing to this growing trend, a payment gateway for co-working spaces makes it possible for clients to pay for booking with a bank card or any other online payment method. In more detailed terms, a payment gateway is a third-party service that allows merchants to securely receive credit card payments from clients online or in person.
The best payment gateways are known to offer secure and reliable service, extensive support, and competitive transaction processing fees. The need for payment gateways in the co-working space is becoming more evident especially among businesses looking to grow and gain market share.
After finding a suitable meeting room, the user will want to pay online. Note that you won’t have to input any additional effort to accept the payment.
With a good payment system, money will be immediately wired to your bank account. Howbeit, know that a payment gateway is not entirely a win-win solution for co-working spaces. For example, it is not an ideal fit for billing when you offer private office space for rent.
This is because private office prices tend to be quite exorbitant, and people may not always have such credit limits on their bank cards. These offices are most often rented by a company rather than an individual. When choosing the ideal payment gateway for your co-working space, know that price is a decisive factor.
Although the cheapest/lowest fee does not in any way equate to the best, but you should always think about the total implementation cost. If you are just automating meeting room payments, consider a payment gateway that is the easiest to integrate and the most developer-friendly. But if you’re automating office payments, then you should go with the lowest fee.
Best Payment Gateway for Coworking Space
Various providers have ventured into the payment gateway industry and it can be quite challenging to pick the most suitable for your co-working space. However, here are the top five choices to consider for your co-working space;
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Stripe
This is a renowned full-service payment provider. It includes your payment gateway and your merchant account, and is the go-to for establishing a customized payment system. Although this payment gateway is trusted by big brands including Deliveroo, Booking.com, and ASOS, it is designed for businesses of all sizes.
Stripe’s pricing is known to be highly competitive. It also offers custom pricing including interchange-plus and volume discounts that will suit a well-established co-working space.
However, unlike most payment processors in the market, Stripe features a separate fee for international credit cards accepted in person. Note that they have a chargeback fee of $15 and are way cheaper than most for those who charge. It also offers a limited amount of hardware, mostly card readers.
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PayPal
Truth be told, this is one of the well-known names in payment processing. It was established in 1998 and went public in 2002. But it was through its acquisition by eBay and its subsequent usage by 70% of eBay purchases that made it became a household name.
But PayPal is just as user-friendly for businesses as it is for customers. Today, its payment gateway – named Payflow Gateway – is widely trusted, with over 220 million users worldwide. Boasting of variable transaction fees, this payment gateway is reliable and budget-friendly for co-working spaces.
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Authorize.net
According to experts, this is the only pure payment gateway that works with a multitude of payment providers and integrations.
This payment gateway has the best credit card readers, virtual terminals, and other software, as it is compatible with most payment solutions. Have it in mind that Authorize.net has two plans. It can be a pure payment gateway that lets you choose your merchant service, or you can select the all-in-one plan, where it makes available payment processing at a flat rate.
Authorize.net remains one of the most popular payment gateways for co-working spaces, working with merchant services and POS systems to offer seamless payment processing. Authorize.net pricing structure includes;
- Monthly fee: $25
- Card-present processing fee: 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction or 10¢ per transaction and 10¢ batch fee
- ACH/e-check processing fee: 0.75% per transaction
- Chargeback fee: $0
- POS system: $0
- Virtual Terminal: $0
- Card readers: $65
- Terminals: 3rd party
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Opayo (formerly Sage Pay)
Without doubts, this is an all-in-one merchant account and payment gateway service. It is renowned for offering top-class security while providing small businesses and large corporations fair rates for processing transactions. Note that it is fully customizable, and you can even create a checkout system that suits your website.
You can even choose Opayo for your co-working space to keep all of your payment data in one place. Although this payment gateway has expanded over the years, it still remains favorable with small businesses. According to reports, the payment gateway provider has not outgrown its roots, with its small business packages perfect for co-working spaces looking to expand their business online.
With its online flex package costing £25/month, Opayo is ideal for small businesses that don’t make more than 350 transactions per month. If you upgrade to its Online plus package, you pay £45/month for 500 transactions.
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Chase
Chase Merchant Services is one of the biggest financial companies in the world, offering merchant services to SMBs with a checking account. Owing to that, it’s a wonderful choice for businesses just starting out that also need checking, a business credit card, and more.
This payment gateway is serving businesses in the US, Canada, and Europe, but can also handle international sales and has a large number of integrations and partnerships.
Have it in mind that Chase features a monthly fee of $15 for which your co-working space can get a business banking account with additional benefits. If you maintain a minimum balance and purchases, this fee is waived. Like Stripe, Chase also offers discounts and interchange-plus for qualifying merchants.
Chargeback fees tend to vary and can be as low as $5. Chase also provides custom pricing on its card processors and has several models to choose from.
As a coworking space owner or manager, integrating a payment system is very beneficial for your business and convenient for your customers. Your clients are used to making payments online for products and services, therefore you must provide them the same convenience at your co-working space.