Contents
Key takeaways
- Tradies can take payment on site by card reader, tap-to-pay on a phone, PayID or bank transfer, or cash.
- Card options cost around 1.6-1.9% per tap and settle next day; PayID and transfers are free and PayID lands in under a minute.
- Which is best depends on job size and how fast you need the money.
Tradies can take payment on site by card reader, tap-to-pay on a phone, PayID or bank transfer, or cash. Card options cost around 1.6 to 1.9% per tap and settle next business day; PayID and transfers are free, and PayID lands in under a minute. The right pick depends on job size and how fast you need the money.
The moment matters more than the method: the best time to get paid is while you are standing in front of a happy customer. Every option below is a way of not letting that moment turn into "I'll fix you up during the week."
The five ways, side by side#
Here is the whole menu on one table. Fees are indicative as at July 2026; check the provider's current pricing page before you commit.
Method | Cost to you | Money arrives | Setup | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Card reader (Square et al.) | ~1.6% per tap | Next business day | Buy reader, ~$50-90 | Fees add up on big jobs |
Tap-to-pay on your phone | ~1.6-1.9% | Next business day | App only, no hardware | Newer-phone requirement |
PayID / instant transfer | $0 | Usually under a minute | Register with your bank | Client's bank app moment |
Bank transfer (BSB + account) | $0 | Same day to 1-2 days | Nothing | "I'll do it tonight" risk |
Cash | $0 | Instant | Nothing | Still record and bank it |
Three of the five cost nothing. The card options buy you one thing with that fee: the customer with no cash and no banking app on their phone can still pay you on the spot.
Card readers and phone tap-to-pay: what the fee buys#
A card reader (Square is the one most tradies know) charges about 1.6% per tapped card payment, settling the next business day; tap-to-pay apps that turn your phone into the reader charge in the same 1.6 to 1.9% band with no hardware at all. Rates as at July 2026, per the providers' pricing pages.
Put a real number on it: a $1,000 job paid by tap costs you about $16. On a $180 call-out, the fee is under $3 and not worth a second thought. On a $15,000 reno stage payment, it is $240, which is real money, and exactly the kind of job where you steer the client to PayID or transfer instead. The fee is not good or bad; it is a convenience charge, and whether the convenience is worth it scales with the invoice.
PayID: the free one most tradies still have not set up#
PayID is the fastest free option and the most underused. It runs on the banks' New Payments Platform: the client opens their banking app, pays to your registered PayID (your mobile number or your ABN), and the money is typically in your account in under a minute, while you are both still standing there. No fees to either side.
Setup is one visit to your banking app to register a PayID against your business account, and registering your ABN as the PayID keeps your personal mobile number off every invoice. The "confirm you can see it" moment before you leave the site is the whole point: it is a bank transfer with the waiting removed. The only requirement is that the client can drive their own banking app, which is most people and not quite everyone.
The surcharge rules are changing (October 2026)#
If you currently add a card surcharge, or planned to, the ground is moving. Following the Reserve Bank of Australia's decision announced on 31 March 2026, card networks are permitted to ban surcharging on Visa, Mastercard and eftpos transactions from 1 October 2026, which is expected to end most card surcharging in practice.
The rules as they stand in July 2026: under the ACCC's framework you may only surcharge what the payment actually costs you (a documented 1.6% cost means a maximum 1.6% surcharge), and renaming it a "service fee" or "admin fee" to dodge the cap is not allowed. From October, the safest assumption is that surcharging cards is off the table, so the practical choice becomes: absorb the ~1.6% as a cost of doing business, or price your work so it does not matter. Worth a check of the current rules before you set a policy; this is a moving area.
When they cannot pay on the spot#
Some clients legitimately cannot pay on site: the real estate agent, the strata manager, the builder who pays on 14-day terms, the owner who is at work while you are at their house. For those, the goal shifts from "money now" to "make paying effortless the moment they see the invoice."
That is the gap the invoice itself has to cover. With Chippie, the invoice you email carries a payment link, and the client pays by card from the invoice in their browser. To be clear about what that is and is not: it is a web payment link on the emailed invoice, not a tap-to-pay reader; Chippie has no card reader and does not turn your phone into one. It means the agent at their desk can settle your invoice in about a minute, and the on-site options above stay your tools for the customer standing next to you. If the invoice still goes quiet, the chasing ladder takes it from there.
So what should a solo tradie actually use?#
An honest recommendation for a one-person outfit: register a PayID on your business account today (free, ten minutes, instant money), and put a pay-by-card link on every invoice for the clients who are not standing in front of you. That combination costs nothing until someone actually pays by card, and covers the happy homeowner and the office-bound agent alike.
Add a card reader or tap-to-pay app when you regularly meet customers who want to tap a card, which for most trades means lots of small residential call-outs. Skip it if your work is mostly builders and property managers on terms; they were never going to tap a card at your ute. Whatever you pick, the charge-out rate should already have your payment costs inside it, which is covered in how to price a job.
FAQ#
What is the cheapest way for a tradie to take payment on site? PayID or a direct bank transfer, both free. PayID is the better of the two on site because the money usually arrives in under a minute, so you can confirm it landed before you leave.
How much does a Square reader cost per transaction in Australia? Around 1.6% per tapped card payment as at July 2026, with the money settling next business day. Check Square's current pricing page, as rates change.
Can I add a card surcharge to cover the fee? As at July 2026 you may surcharge only your documented actual cost of acceptance. Note that from 1 October 2026, following the RBA's March 2026 decision, card networks can prohibit surcharging on Visa, Mastercard and eftpos, so build fees into your pricing rather than relying on surcharges.
Is PayID safe for business payments? Yes, it runs on the banks' New Payments Platform with the same protections as a normal transfer, and the payer sees your registered name before confirming, which cuts wrong-account mistakes. Register it against your business account, ideally using your ABN.
Should I still accept cash? If a client wants to pay cash, take it, but record the job and invoice it like any other, and bank the money. Unrecorded cash jobs create tax problems and leave you with no paper trail if there is ever a dispute.
However the money moves, the invoice should be ready before you leave the site. Chippie's free tier sends the invoice from your phone with a card-payment link built in, so even the clients who cannot pay on the spot can pay in a minute.