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Join For FreeVirtual Terminal Credit Card Processing: Best Options For Small Businesses
Virtual terminals allow small businesses to accept payments remotely or in-person from a computer — with or without a credit card reader.
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Virtual terminal credit card processing is essential if you need to accept credit or debit card payments when a customer isn’t physically available to swipe, dip, or tap their card.
Long favored by mail-order and telephone-order businesses, modern virtual terminals have evolved to include many additional features. They can even be a cost-effective alternative to expensive credit card terminals and point of sale (POS) systems for card-present transactions.
In this article, we’ll profile six of the best virtual terminal providers we’ve found for small businesses. Fortunately, all of them are among the best credit card processors for small businesses.
Learn More About Our Top Picks
| Company | Highlights | Next StepsHighlights |
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Helcim
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PaymentCloud
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Clover POS
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Square
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Dharma Merchant Services
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Durango Merchant Services
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| Show Fewer Options |
Read more below to learn why we chose these options.
Table of Contents [hide][show]
- The 6 Best Virtual Terminals For Small Business
- Helcim: Best All-Around Virtual Terminal
- PaymentCloud: Best For High-Risk Retail Businesses
- Clover POS: Best For Remote Payments Businesses
- Square: Best For Low-Volume & Seasonal Merchants
- Dharma Merchant Services: Best Virtual Terminal For Nonprofits
- Durango Merchant Services: Best For High-Risk eCommerce Businesses
- What Is A Virtual Terminal?
- 4 Benefits Of Virtual Terminal Credit Card Processing
- What Should You Look For In A Virtual Terminal Merchant Account?
- Which Virtual Terminal Is Right For Your Business?
Table of Contents
- The 6 Best Virtual Terminals For Small Business
- How The Best Virtual Terminals Compare
- Helcim: Best All-Around Virtual Terminal
- Helcim
- Helcim Pricing
- Helcim Features
- PaymentCloud: Best For High-Risk Retail Businesses
- PaymentCloud
- PaymentCloud Pricing
- PaymentCloud Pricing
- Clover POS: Best For Remote Payments Businesses
- Clover POS
- Clover Pricing
- Clover Features
- Square: Best For Low-Volume & Seasonal Merchants
- Square
- Square Pricing
- Square Features
- Dharma Merchant Services: Best Virtual Terminal For Nonprofits
- Dharma Merchant Services
- Dharma Merchant Services Pricing
- Dharma Merchant Services Features
- Durango Merchant Services: Best For High-Risk eCommerce Businesses
- Durango Merchant Services
- Durango Merchant Services Pricing
- Durango Merchant Services Features
- Payment Processing Rating Methodology
- What Is A Virtual Terminal?
- 4 Benefits Of Virtual Terminal Credit Card Processing
- What Should You Look For In A Virtual Terminal Merchant Account?
- Which Virtual Terminal Is Right For Your Business?
The 6 Best Virtual Terminals For Small Business
The best virtual terminal providers are also usually the best merchant service providers in general. While often proprietary, virtual terminals don’t vary much in terms of features or capabilities. Instead, you should focus your search on companies that offer flexible contracts, fair pricing, and excellent customer support.
Our top choices for virtual terminals that work well for small businesses include the following:
- Helcim: Best All-Around Virtual Terminal
- PaymentCloud: Best For High-Risk Retail Businesses
- Clover POS: Best For Remote Payments Businesses
- Square: Best For Low-Volume & Seasonal Merchants
- Dharma Merchant Services: Best Virtual Terminal For Nonprofits
- Durango Merchant Services: Best For High-Risk eCommerce Businesses
How The Best Virtual Terminals Compare
| Monthly Fee | Keyed-In Processing Rate | Payment Gateway(s) Supported | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helcim | $0.00 | Interchange + 0.50% + $0.25/transaction (volume discounts available) | Helcim Gateway |
| PaymentCloud | Varies | Varies | Authorize.Net, USAePay, & others |
| Clover POS | $14.95 | 3.5% + $0.10/transaction | Clover Virtual Terminal |
| Square | $0.00 | 3.5% + $0.15/transaction | Square Online |
| Dharma Merchant Services | $20.00 ($15.00 for nonprofits) | Interchange + 0.20% + $0.11/transaction | MX Merchant, QuickPay |
| Durango Merchant Services | Varies | Varies | Durango Pay |
Helcim: Best All-Around Virtual Terminal
Pros
- Free virtual terminal with each account
- No long-term contracts or early termination fees
- Uses interchange-plus pricing exclusively
- Available in Canada & the United States
Cons
- Not available to high-risk merchants
Why Helcim Is The Best All-Around Choice For A Virtual Terminal
Available to Canadian and US-based merchants, Helcim offers one of the lowest-cost options for payment processing that we've seen anywhere. The company's proprietary Helcim Virtual Terminal is included as a standard feature of each free account, allowing you to take remote payments over the phone, through the mail, or using the terminal's online invoicing features.
With no long-term commitment and no monthly account fee, Helcim is a great choice for seasonal and low-volume businesses that aren't taking a large number of credit card payments every day. However, higher-volume businesses will save even more with Helcim, thanks to its interchange-plus pricing.
While Helcim is one of the best all-around merchant services providers in the industry, be aware that the company does not accept high-risk merchants.
Helcim Features
Helcim’s merchant accounts include the following key features:
- Full-service merchant account
- Helcim Virtual Terminal
- ACH transfers
- International payments
- POS hardware for in-person transactions
- Product and inventory management features
When To Use Helcim
- You want a free virtual terminal with no contract
- You have a low-risk business with low or high sales volumes
PaymentCloud: Best For High-Risk Retail Businesses
Exclusive Promo: PaymentCloud will give you $200 if they can't beat your current rate. Get Your Quote
Pros
- High-risk specialists
- No account setup fee
- Free terminal or card reader available with account
- Excellent customer support
Cons
- No publicly disclosed pricing
Why PaymentCloud's Virtual Terminal Is The Best Choice For High-Risk Retail Businesses
PaymentCloud serves both low- and high-risk businesses, with a focus on the high-risk retail sector. The company offers a free credit card terminal with each account, although you can choose a card reader instead if you plan to use a virtual terminal to enter card-present transactions.
Your specific virtual terminal will be determined by your choice of payment gateway, with the company offering Authorize.Net, USAePay, and several other third-party options.
In addition to free hardware and reasonable pricing, the company provides excellent customer support after you've signed up for an account.
PaymentCloud Pricing
For high-risk merchants, PaymentCloud offers a wide variety of services at a reasonable price. While pricing and contract terms may be highly variable, all PaymentCloud merchant accounts include the following features:
- Free virtual terminal from Authorize.Net, USAePay, or other compatible gateway providers
- Free mobile credit card reader
- Integrates with most third-party online shopping carts
- eCheck & ACH processing
- Accepts a wide variety of high-risk industries
- QR code payments through Paysley
When To Use PaymentCloud
- You want a fairly priced virtual terminal that caters to high-risk businesses
- You own a retail business, primarily selling online or in-person
Clover POS: Best For Remote Payments Businesses
Pricing Range
$0 - $84.95/monthContract Length
3 yearsEquipment Cost
$199-$1,799Pros
- No Clover hardware required
- Month-to-month billing
- Includes integrated invoicing feature
- Includes access to Clover App Market
Cons
- Requires monthly subscription fee
Why Clover's Virtual Terminal Is The Best Choice For Remote Payments
Better known for its popular line of countertop terminals and point of sale (POS) systems, Clover also offers a fully-featured virtual terminal and does not require you to purchase any of Clover's physical devices.
Clover Virtual Terminal is ideal for businesses that mostly take payments remotely, such as over the phone or via invoice payment.
With the Clover Essentials plan, not only can you process payments using Clover's virtual terminal, but you can also send invoices that customers can pay themselves online, as well as generate sales reports, manage inventory, take payments with an (optional) mobile credit card reader, and more.
This plan also includes access to the Clover App Market, allowing you to add additional features, such as employee scheduling and appointment booking.
While we prefer to see companies offer their virtual terminals for free, the low entry price, business management features, and ability to add additional apps from the Clover App Market make the monthly fee a worthwhile trade-off for businesses that will be relying on the Clover Virtual Terminal for most (or all) of their transaction processing.
Clover Features
Primary features of Clover Essentials plan (the most affordable plan that includes a virtual terminal) include the following:
- Clover Virtual Terminal
- Invoicing option available
- Access to Clover App Market
- Transaction reports
- Order management
- Customer management
- Basic inventory management & reporting
- Compatible with Clover Go card reader for in-person transactions
When To Use Clover
- You want an inexpensive virtual terminal with no contract
- You have a low-volume, low risk business
Square: Best For Low-Volume & Seasonal Merchants
Get a free card swiper from Square at no cost when you create a free account. Claim your card reader.
Pros
- Pay-as-you-go billing
- No monthly fees
- Predictable flat-rate pricing
Cons
- Account stability issues
- Can be expensive at higher processing volumes
Why Square's Virtual Terminal Is The Best Choice For Low-Volume & Seasonal Merchants
Square has long been popular with retailers and other businesses that usually take payments in person, but the company's free virtual terminal also makes it a great option for businesses that need to take card-not-present payments via phone, mail, email, or text.
You can also use the virtual terminal for in-person sales, with or without a card reader---though if you have a card reader, you'll get lower processing fees. For in-person payments using Square Virtual Terminal, you'll need a computer (Windows or Mac) and a free Square reader or Square Terminal.
Square's Virtual Terminal is an excellent choice for small businesses that only process several thousand dollars a month in credit/debit card transactions. At higher processing volumes, the company's flat-rate pricing can actually hurt you, and you'll be better off getting a full-service merchant account.
Square Features
The Square Virtual Terminal includes the following key features:
- Square Virtual Terminal included with every account at no additional cost
- Supports credit/debit cards, ACH transfers, and payment links
- Supports split transactions and BNPL financing via Afterpay
- Integrates with Square Dashboard
- Integrates with QuickBooks
- Compatible with Square Reader or Square Terminal for in-person payments
- Square Virtual Terminal app available for Windows or Mac
When To Use Square
- You want a free virtual terminal with no contract
- You have a low-volume, low-risk business
Dharma Merchant Services: Best Virtual Terminal For Nonprofits
Pros
- Interchange-plus pricing offered exclusively
- Month-to-month billing with no early termination fees
- Discounted pricing for qualified nonprofit companies
- Outstanding sales transparency & highly ethical business practices
Cons
- Not cost-effective for businesses processing less than $10,000 per month
- Does not accept most high-risk businesses
Why Dharma Merchant Services Offers The Best Virtual Terminal For Nonprofits
One of the most transparent and ethical companies in the payments processing industry, Dharma Merchant Services offers fully transparent pricing information, with all account fees, processing rates, and contract terms disclosed on the Dharma website. This saves you the hassle of having to negotiate with the company's sales team to get the best offer.
Dharma uses month-to-month billing and interchange-plus pricing exclusively and offers discounted rates to qualified nonprofits. Every Dharma merchant account comes with a free virtual terminal, which is included as a feature of the company's MX Merchant integrated payments platform.
Dharma's QuickPay virtual terminal allows you to manually key in a transaction and integrate with a customer database, so you can process sales to repeat customers even faster.
For in-person payments, you can add the AnywhereCommerce Walker CX3 Bluetooth card reader, which supports EMV, contactless, and magstripe payments.
Dharma Merchant Services Features
Dharma offers a complete range of products and services, including the following:
- Full-service merchant accounts, underwritten by Fiserv and TSYS
- MX Merchant payments system (including QuickPay virtual terminal)
- MX Merchant Express app and Walker 2 card reader for mobile payments
- B2B payment processing
- Credit card surcharging program (optional)
When To Use Dharma Merchant Services
- You need a virtual terminal for your nonprofit
- You have a high-volume, low-risk business
Get Started With Dharma Merchant Services
Durango Merchant Services: Best For High-Risk eCommerce Businesses
Pros
- High-risk specialist
- Offers offshore merchant accounts for some international merchants
- Fair pricing & excellent contract terms
- Dedicated account manager for customer service
Cons
- No pricing disclosures on the website
Why Durango Merchant Services Offers The Best Virtual Terminal For High-Risk eCommerce Businesses
Durango Merchant Services is one of the best companies we’ve found that specializes in serving high-risk merchants, with a particular focus on high-risk eCommerce. The company works with a wide variety of acquiring banks and payment processors to get you approved for an account, but offers its own proprietary merchant services and customer support. One of these services is the Durango Pay gateway, the company’s proprietary payment gateway.
Durango Pay includes a virtual terminal as one of its features, allowing you to accept orders and payments over the telephone, even if you don’t have a website.
You’ll get access to various features, including support for recurring billing and a customer information database. As a high-risk provider, Durango also includes a robust set of security features, including tokenization, encryption, and anti-fraud services that can flag (or even block) suspicious transactions.
When To Use Durango Merchant Services
- You need a fairly priced virtual terminal that caters to high-risk businesses
- You want a provider with good customer support and strong security features
Get Started With Durango Merchant Services
Payment Processing Rating Methodology
Merchant Maverick has been researching the payment processing industry since 2009. Our writers have reviewed hundreds of credit card processors, merchant account services, and mobile payment apps, evaluating each provider carefully on several different metrics.
When comparing different payment processing companies and applications to one another, we consider numerous data points. Our experts start by comparing credit card processing rates, the presence of additional fees, contract length, sales practices, and the presence or absence of additional features and services, like point of sale software. Each provider is judged on its own merits and how well it stacks up to industry standards; then it is weighed against the other providers on the list.
We spend an average of 10-15 hours researching and updating each one of our lists, making sure every company or application included meets our internal standards for quality and reputation. Any list of recommended payment processors on our site might contain a mix of standard merchant accounts, third-party payment processors, mobile payment devices, and high-risk payment processors, depending on what our expert feels is the best fit for certain scenarios or business types.
For additional details about Merchant Maverick’s review and rating processes, please refer to any or all of the following methodology pages:
- Credit card processor rating criteria
- High-risk merchant account rating criteria
- Credit card reader & mobile payment device rating criteria
15
Years reviewing payment processors
100+
Providers evaluated
25
Attributes and features assessed per vendor
40+
Years combined experience
What Is A Virtual Terminal?
A virtual terminal is a web-based software application that enables credit card processing on a computer, tablet, or phone. Transactions can be manually keyed in if the physical card is not present. You can also swipe, dip, or tap cards using a compatible credit card reader and a virtual terminal.
4 Benefits Of Virtual Terminal Credit Card Processing
Virtual terminals offer all of the security and fraud protection features of a countertop terminal or POS system — but at a fraction of the cost. Here’s an overview of the main benefits of using a virtual terminal:
- Potential Cost Savings: Because most providers include a virtual terminal for free with your account, you can put together a very low-cost alternative to spending hundreds of dollars on a countertop terminal or POS system. All you’ll usually need is a browser-equipped device with an internet connection. Because credit card processing requires very little bandwidth, it’s a great way to repurpose an old laptop or tablet. If you also need to accept card-present transactions, a card reader can usually be purchased for less than $130.
- Security Features: Virtual terminals are just as secure as physical terminals or payment gateways, using the same tokenization and encryption methods to protect your customers’ card data from hackers during the transaction approval process. They also meet the same PCI compliance requirements as other payment processing devices and software. Additional security measures, such as address verification (AVS) and CVV numbers, are also available and should be used whenever appropriate.
- Fraud Protection: With the rise of eCommerce, credit card fraud has become a bigger problem. The best way to avoid liability for credit card fraud is to always enter credit card information directly into the payment form and never copy the numbers down anywhere else. Of course, even with good security, sometimes breaches happen. However, if your company has a PCI-compliant virtual terminal, the liability shifts away from you if a breach occurs.
- Chargeback Protection: While every business experiences the occasional chargeback, they still cost you money. Experiencing too many chargebacks, in fact, can get you labeled as a high-risk merchant. Modern virtual terminals frequently include access to automated anti-chargeback tools that can flag — and even block — suspicious transactions before they lead to a chargeback. Learning how to prevent chargebacks is essential for any business, regardless of how you accept credit/debit card payments.
What Should You Look For In A Virtual Terminal Merchant Account?
Most virtual terminal services on the market include several common features, and there isn’t much to distinguish one from the other. However, there are several not-so-standard features that you might want to look for, especially if your business needs them. These include the following:
Which Virtual Terminal Is Right For Your Business?
A virtual terminal is an important part of your payment acceptance strategy, regardless of whether you only occasionally need to enter a transaction manually or your business is 100% based on remote sales.
Virtual terminals offer a convenient, secure method of completing a transaction without either the customer or their payment card being physically present.
At the same time, combining a virtual terminal with a Bluetooth or USB-connected card reader can allow you to process in-person sales as well, without shelling out the money for a traditional credit card terminal.
Need more options to take remote payments? Check out our list of the best mail-order/telephone-order (MOTO) payment processors.
Frank Kehl
Expert Contributor at Merchant Maverick
Frank has been writing about payment processing and business services since 2015. He is a retired Air Force officer and a former practicing attorney. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University and a Juris Doctorate degree from the Ventura College of Law, and currently resides in Paso Robles, California.
View Frank Kehl's professional experience on LinkedIn.
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