PayAnywhere

Overview

PayAnywhere is a point-of-sale and payment-processing service for businesses that take payments in person, online, or by phone. It is best suited to U.S. merchants who want inventory and back-office tools alongside payment acceptance. Its breadth is useful, but transaction fees and the U.S.-only service area narrow its appeal.

Key features

Payments at the counter and beyond

PayAnywhere supports EMV chip, contactless, magstripe, PIN debit, and EBT, as well as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and other digital wallets. Tap to Pay and offline payments are supported, and a reader is not required. That makes it a flexible fit for merchants who take payments in different settings, though offline acceptance may matter less to businesses that sell only remotely.

The browser-based Virtual Terminal handles orders taken online or by phone without payment hardware. Payment Links can use fixed, multiple, or open-ended amounts, and merchants can share them by email or text, embed a button, or provide a QR code. Recurring payments are also supported. Together these options cover several ways to collect payment without relying on an in-person checkout.

PayAnywhere describes Virtual Terminal transactions as using end-to-end encryption, tokenization, and in-house payment processing. Payment Links use certified point-to-point encryption and tokenization. PCI Plus pairs a dedicated support team with the SecureTrust platform; eligible PCI Level-3 or Level-4 businesses may receive up to $100,000 in breach-related expenditure protection.

Inventory and operations

The cloud-based product catalog supports categories, price variants, modifiers, bulk uploads, discounts, stock alerts, and sales tracking. Those controls can help businesses manage changing product ranges without keeping inventory work separate from sales. Reporting covers sales, customers, employees, inventory, deposits, and chargeback activity; reports can be exported or scheduled by email.

Merchants can export transactional data to QuickBooks, and a Chargezoom integration syncs PayAnywhere transactions with QuickBooks Online. Employee tools provide administrator, manager, cashier, and reporter roles. A Homebase partnership adds scheduling, time tracking, and payroll, which may reduce the need for separate workforce tools.

Next-day funding is the default, while same-day funding is available at no charge. Processing cutoff times apply, so merchants that depend on same-day deposits need to account for those deadlines. Support is available by email at [email protected] and by phone at 866.485.8999.

Pricing

PayAnywhere is freemium, with a free plan and a pay-as-you-go option. The pay-as-you-go rates are 2.69% for swipe, dip, or tap transactions and 3.49% + $0.19 for keyed transactions. The difference makes payment method consequential: businesses that regularly enter card details should compare their expected keyed volume against the lower card-present rate.

Custom pricing is also offered, based on processing volume, average transaction amount, and other business factors. It may suit businesses whose volume or ticket size calls for a tailored arrangement, but it requires a direct pricing conversation. The free plan is a way to start without a listed subscription price; transaction processing rates still matter to total cost.

Platforms

PayAnywhere runs on Android, iOS, and the web. The Virtual Terminal provides browser-based acceptance, while mobile support and Tap to Pay accommodate merchants who do not want to depend on a dedicated reader. Services are limited to the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, ruling it out for businesses operating outside that territory.

Who it's for

PayAnywhere is a strong fit for U.S. merchants that need both in-person and remote payment options, plus catalog, staff, and reporting tools in one service. It is less suitable for businesses outside the permitted service area or for buyers whose priority is a clearly fixed monthly cost: transaction rates vary by how a payment is taken, and custom pricing depends on business factors.

Pros and cons

Pros: Multiple card and wallet types, Tap to Pay, offline payments, and no reader requirement support flexible in-person acceptance.

Pros: Inventory, reporting, employee roles, and accounting connections extend the service beyond checkout.

Pros: Same-day funding is available at no charge, alongside next-day funding as the default.

Cons: Services are restricted to the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Cons: Keyed transactions cost more than swipe, dip, or tap transactions, making transaction mix important to cost.

Alternatives

Choose PayPal Invoicing if the priority is creating and sending invoices without setup or subscription fees; transaction fees apply when customers pay. Zeller offers a free-to-run POS with no monthly subscription or software licence fee, but requires a Zeller Terminal and charges transaction fees.

Helcim is worth considering for businesses seeking interchange-plus rates that vary by volume and no monthly account fees. Lopay offers an Essential plan with no monthly fee, unlimited team members, Thursday bank payouts, and a processing-fee waiver tied to card spend.

SwipeSimple has an eligible-business plan where card-paying customers cover a 3.5% card fee. Clover Go has Starter and Essentials plans with contact-sales pricing. Enterprise! is another paid option. Paid for Stripe has no monthly or setup fees and charges 0.99% per transaction in addition to Stripe’s standard fees.

Verdict

Choose PayAnywhere if you are a U.S. merchant looking for one service to handle in-person and remote payments alongside inventory, employee management, and reporting. Its broad payment options and back-office coverage are the main reasons to choose it; look elsewhere if you operate beyond its U.S. service area or need transaction costs that do not vary with how customers pay.