For electricians
Payments for electrical contractors, on your own merchant account.
Panel upgrades, EV chargers and service calls are invoiced from software you already know. Your own merchant account changes what each payment costs, not how you invoice.
Where the fees go
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 all in, and a few dollars per bank payment (published rates and sources). For electricians, that shows up here:
Upgrades priced in thousands
A flat built-in percentage on a panel or charger install adds up fast.
Progress billing
Each draw on a larger job is charged the full rate again.
Commercial customers paying by bank
A 1% bank fee on a commercial invoice can cost more than the card fee you were avoiding.
The math
One example: a $3,000 panel upgrade.
Illustrative. The built-in rate is a common published one, 2.9% + 30¢ (sources). 2.25% is the middle of what a small business typically pays all in on its own merchant account (Merchant Cost Consulting). Your rate depends on your cards and your account.
| Paid by | Built-in | Own account |
|---|---|---|
| Card | $87.30 | about $67.50 |
| Bank payment | $30.00 | a few dollars |
About $19.80 less on this card payment. It isn't 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. Estimate yours
How it works in your day
Same software, same invoices. A Pay button on each one.
SwitchKeep Pay runs in Chrome beside the software you already invoice from. It reads the open invoice, takes the payment on your own merchant account and records it on that invoice. Nothing else in your software changes.
In the office
Key in a card from the open invoice. The payment is recorded on that invoice.
Commercial accounts
Take bank payments for large invoices, usually a flat few dollars each on your own account.
Deposits and draws
Charge part of the balance whenever you bill a stage of the job.
FAQ
Questions.
Can I take part of an invoice now and the rest later?
Yes. Charge any amount against the invoice, and each payment is recorded on it.
What does a bank payment cost?
On your own merchant account, usually a flat few dollars. Built-in payments typically charge 1%.
Do I have to change my software?
No. You keep your software, your customers and your invoices. SwitchKeep takes the payment and records it on the invoice.
What does SwitchKeep cost?
Nothing to use: the extension and the merchant portal are free, and you never get a bill from us. We're paid through a share of card processing.
See your own number.
Send a recent processing statement. We'll price the same month on your own merchant account, line by line.