The future of payments

Your own merchant account. Inside the software you already use.

Built-in payments typically charge 2.9–3.5% per card and 1% per bank payment. Your own merchant account typically runs about 2.1–2.4% on cards. SwitchKeep is a free Chrome extension that connects the two: it reads the invoice, takes the payment and posts it back.

Published rates and typical merchant-account costs, October 2026. See the sources

Invoice #1042 $0.00 Harbor Dental Group
  1. readinvoice #1042 · $480.00 due
  2. chargecard ···· 4242 · $480.00
  3. okapproved · your merchant account
  4. postpayment recorded on #1042
Card entered in the processor's secure fieldIllustration

The math

Your real rate is two numbers on your statement.

Divide last month's processing fees by last month's card sales. That's your effective rate, and it's the number to compare.

2.9–3.5%

Built-in payments, per card. Plus 1% per bank payment: $50 to collect a $5,000 job.

2.1–2.4%

Your own merchant account, typical all-in. Usually a few dollars per bank payment.

$0

What SwitchKeep costs you. We're paid through a share of processing instead.

$
$
%

Example figures; type in yours. 2.25% is the middle of what a small business typically pays all in on its own merchant account, 2.10–2.40% (Merchant Cost Consulting). An estimate. Your actual rate depends on your cards, your industry and your processor. Nothing you type leaves this page.

Your effective rate3.00%
Kept a year, after ~$300 in account fees$3,300

At 2.25%, the same cards would cost $275 less a month.

Send a statement for the exact number

What you get

A payment terminal in Chrome. Less to do after every payment.

No card reader, no developer and nothing for your software company to approve. Charge any amount, with or without an invoice.

Cards and ACH

Charge from the invoice

Key in a card on the phone, or take a bank payment for larger invoices. Full balance or part.

Pay links

Reminders that send themselves

Email a pay link. Unpaid ones get a reminder after 3, 7 and 14 days.

On file

Saved cards, plans and recurring charges

Installments and service agreements, each with the customer's consent on record.

Write-back

Nothing to retype

Each payment is recorded in your software's own payment records, with a reference that matches the portal.

Merchant portal

Books that match

Payments, deposits and the fees behind each one, a nightly check against your processor and an export for your bookkeeper.

Security

Card numbers never enter your software

Cards go into your processor's secure fields. Our server re-checks every amount, and retries never charge twice.

How it works

One way, on purpose: it reads the invoice and posts the payment.

SwitchKeep Pay sits beside your software in Chrome. Nothing else in your software changes, and if you stop using it, your software is exactly as you left it.

Open the invoice

It reads the customer, the invoice number and the balance due.

Take the payment

Card details go into your processor's secure fields and straight to your merchant account.

It's marked paid

The payment is recorded on that invoice. If it can't be, the portal flags it for you.

What it reads

The customer, the invoice number and the balance due.

What it writes back

One payment, on that invoice.

What it leaves alone

Your customers, prices, items and every other invoice. Refunds and voids are flagged for you to adjust.

Works with any web-based software you invoice from. If we haven't connected yours yet, we do it before you switch. Tell us what you use

Try it

Take a pretend payment, right here.

FieldDesk is a made-up invoicing app. The Pay button and the payment window on it are SwitchKeep's own code in demo mode: nothing is charged, and nothing leaves your browser. Open the demo on its own page

Demo: no real payments

The demo loads here. It needs JavaScript.

Getting started

From your statement to your first payment.

  1. Know your number

    Use the estimate above, or send a statement and we'll price the same month.

  2. Apply for your merchant account

    One short application. We follow it through approval and set up the keys ourselves.

  3. We connect it

    Your software is checked, and your account is tested with one small live charge, which is then voided.

  4. Install and take your first payment

    Add SwitchKeep Pay to Chrome, open an invoice and click Pay. Move saved cards at your pace.

Read the full walkthrough

FAQ

Straight answers.

What is SwitchKeep?

SwitchKeep is a payment terminal for any business that sends invoices, and it runs in Chrome. It reads the invoice open in the web-based software you invoice from, charges it by card or bank through your merchant account, and posts the payment back to that invoice. It comes with a merchant portal. It isn't a processor.

How much does SwitchKeep cost?

Nothing to use: the SwitchKeep extension and the merchant portal are free, and you never get a bill from us. We're paid through a share of card processing, which usually costs you less than your software's built-in payments. If you came to us through a payments partner, your rate comes from them.

Will I actually save money?

Usually, if you're on your software's built-in payments. They typically charge 2.9–3.5% per card and 1% per bank payment; your own merchant account typically runs about 2.1–2.4% on cards and a few dollars per bank payment. It's not always cheaper: below about $43,000 a year in cards, account fees can eat the difference, and a mix heavy in Amex or business cards costs more anywhere. Divide last month's fees by last month's card sales for your effective rate, or send us a statement and we'll do the comparison. Published rates, with sources.

What syncs between SwitchKeep and my software?

Very little, on purpose. SwitchKeep reads the customer, invoice number and balance from the invoice you have open, and posts the payment back to that invoice. It doesn't change your customers, prices, items or other invoices. Refunds and voids are flagged in the portal for you to adjust in your software.

Does it work with my software?

If you use it in a web browser, we can connect it. If we haven't connected your software yet, we build the connection from one test payment in your account and check it before you switch. Software installed on a desktop isn't supported yet.

Do I have to change my software?

No. You keep your software, your invoices and your workflow. SwitchKeep only handles the payment and records it back.

Do I have to change processors?

Yes: you apply for a SwitchKeep Pay merchant account, and we do the setup. If a payments partner introduced you, they set up your merchant account instead.

Will my software know the invoice is paid?

Yes. The payment is recorded on the invoice automatically while SwitchKeep Pay is open in Chrome. If one can't be recorded, the payment is still taken and saved, and it's flagged for you to check.

When do I get my money?

On your processor's deposit schedule. SwitchKeep never holds your funds. Bank payments take longer to settle than cards.

What about customers who already have a card saved or autopay?

Leave your software's payments connected until they've moved. Each customer agrees to save their card again, then you switch the old option off.

Does it work on a phone or tablet?

Taking a payment needs SwitchKeep Pay in Chrome on a computer. The merchant portal, for payments, refunds and deposits, works in any browser.

Is it made by my software company?

No. SwitchKeep is independent and isn't endorsed by the software it works with.

Pricing

Free for merchants.

  • The SwitchKeep extension is free
  • So is the merchant portal
  • You never get a bill from us
  • We're paid through a share of card processing, which usually costs less than built-in payments

Start here

Tell us what you invoice from.

Your software and your processor. We'll tell you whether SwitchKeep fits, and what switching would look like.

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