Card machine software integrations
Choosing a card acquirer often comes down to which software it integrates with. This page covers the main UK accounting and booking-system integrations: how they work, who each one suits, and what to watch for.
Two ways a card machine connects to your software
With accounting software, there are usually two routes. Some card providers have a direct link, a plugin or app, that sends your sales across to your software. How much detail arrives depends on the link: Xero's link to Square creates one daily summary invoice, and you can choose a transaction-level breakdown instead. Others rely on your bank feed: your takings are paid into the business account, the account is connected to your software, and the software sorts the payments. A bank feed shows one total per payout rather than each sale, so tips and refunds are harder to pick out.
Booking platforms work differently. Treatwell, Booksy and Cliniko each have their own payment product for deposits and payments taken through the booking. A separate card machine is an option for walk-ins and anything paid outside the booking system, not a necessity on every platform: Treatwell sells its own card machine and offers Tap to Pay, and Booksy offers Tap to Pay on your phone.
The software we cover is grouped below by type, with a line on who each one suits.
Accounting
Xero
Small UK limited companies that keep their accounts in Xero.
QuickBooks
Small businesses on QuickBooks Online, often set up by their accountant.
Sage
Established limited companies on Sage's online accounting software or Sage 50.
Salon and beauty booking
Treatwell
Hair salons, barbers, beauty clinics and nail bars that take bookings through Treatwell.
Booksy
Barbers, salons and beauty businesses that take bookings through Booksy, from one chair to several.
Healthcare practice management
Cliniko
Physiotherapy, osteopathy, podiatry and other allied-health practices that run their patient records in Cliniko.
What to check before you choose
- How often the link syncs. Many sync once a day, but it varies, so check with the provider.
- How fees and refunds show up. You may need to set rules in your software so the provider's fee deductions match, and refunds can arrive as negative sales.
- Which version of the software you use. Intuit's UK support community says third-party apps can't connect to QuickBooks Self-Employed, only to QuickBooks Online, and Sage 50 on the desktop works differently from Sage's online product.
- On a booking platform, the platform sets the rate for its own payment product, so compare it with an independent card provider.
- No-show and cancellation fees follow the booking platform's rules, not the card provider's.