Switching
Switch your payments. Everything else stays where it is.
Switching means your payments run through your own merchant account instead of your software's built-in payments. Your software, your customers and your invoices don't move. Here is every step, and who does it.
The steps
Statement review
Your exact number, before you commit.
Account approved
One application. We follow it through.
We connect your software
Nothing to set up on your side.
Install SwitchKeep Pay
A Chrome extension. One sign-in.
Your first payment
Open an invoice, click Pay.
Move saved cards
At your pace, customer by customer.
Step 01
Statement review
Send a recent processing statement and tell us the software you invoice from. We price the same month on your own merchant account, line by line, so you see what you'd have paid before anything changes. If it wouldn't save you money, we'll say so.
- You
- Send one statement and name your software.
- We
- Price it, and check your software is connected or schedule the connection.
Step 02
Merchant account approved
You fill in one application with your business details and the bank account for deposits. The processor reviews it, which can take from a few days to a few weeks. Your current payments keep working the whole time.
- You
- Fill in the application, and say if you want bank payments (ACH).
- We
- Follow it through approval. If an advisor or processor introduced you, they set up the account instead.
Step 03
We connect your software
Once the account is approved, we set up its connection and check your software end to end. We test the account with one small live charge and void it straight away, so it never settles. We'll warn you before we do.
- You
- Nothing. There's no setup on your side.
- We
- Connect, test and switch the account on.
Step 04
Install SwitchKeep Pay
Everyone who takes payments adds SwitchKeep Pay to Chrome on their computer and signs in once. The same login opens the merchant portal, where you add your logo and support details for the pay page and receipts.
Step 05
Your first payment
Open an invoice in your software and click Pay. Key in a card on the phone, take a bank payment, or email a pay link. The payment goes to your merchant account and is recorded on that invoice, so your books stay as they are.
Step 06
Move saved cards at your pace
A card saved in your software's built-in payments stays with that processor, so it can't simply be copied. Customers on autopay or with a saved card move one at a time, the next time they pay, with their agreement on record. Leave the old payments connected until they have.
The full walkthrough covers turning the old card option off and when to disconnect.
What stays the same
You change how payments are processed. Not how you work.
Your software
Same login, same screens, same plan with your software company. Nothing for them to approve.
Your customers
Same customer records. They get the invoice the way they always have, and pay on a page with your name on it.
Your invoices
Same numbers, items and prices. Each payment is recorded on its invoice, so nothing needs retyping.
Your current contract
What about the processor I'm with now?
Send us your current processing agreement with your statement and we'll read it with you: the notice period, any early termination fee, and any equipment lease. Then we'll tell you plainly whether switching now or at renewal makes more sense.
If you're on your software's built-in payments, check its payment terms for any notice to give. Either way, you don't have to close the old account to start: it can run alongside yours while saved cards move over.
FAQ
Switching questions.
How long does switching take?
Most of the time is the account approval, which takes from a few days to a few weeks. We connect and test as soon as it's approved. Your current payments keep working throughout.
Will there be a day we can't take payments?
No. You keep your software's payments switched on until SwitchKeep is connected and tested, then point customers to the new way to pay.
What if I'm in a contract with my processor?
Send the agreement with your statement. We'll read it with you and tell you what leaving would cost, and whether switching now or at renewal is cheaper.
Do I need new equipment?
No card reader. Payments are taken in Chrome on a computer: a card keyed in on the phone, a bank payment, or an emailed pay link.
What happens to saved cards and autopay?
They stay with your old processor until each customer pays again and agrees to save their card with you. Leave the old payments connected until everyone has moved.
Can I go back?
Yes. Your software and its invoices are untouched, so you can turn its own payments back on at any time and uninstall SwitchKeep.
Does my software company need to agree?
No. SwitchKeep is independent and runs beside your software in Chrome. There's nothing for your software company to approve or install.
Start with your statement.
It's the first step, and it tells you whether switching is worth it before you commit to anything.