The best payment methods for contractors in 2026
Card, ACH, Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, Square — ranked by speed, fees, and how likely your customer is to actually use them.
The right payment method isn't the cheapest one — it's the one your customer will actually tap. Here's how the big options stack up for trades.
Card (Stripe, Square)
~2.9% + 30¢. Highest customer conversion. Funds in 1–2 days. Default for any invoice over $300.
ACH / bank transfer
~0.8%, capped low. Slow (3–5 days). Use it for repeat commercial customers on net-30.
Zelle
Free, instant, no chargebacks. Customer needs a US bank. Great for residential jobs under $1,000.
Venmo / Cash App
Free for personal, but technically against ToS for business use. Fine for tips and tiny jobs; risky for anything you want to deduct.
The rule of thumb
Offer two options on every invoice — card for trust, Zelle for speed. BillingDone lets you hand off to all of these without becoming a merchant yourself.