Best Digital Wallet Apps for Small Businesses

Card-based wallets: Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet
Account-based wallets: PayPal and Venmo

For a small business, the digital wallets worth knowing fall into two groups. Apple Pay, Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet sit on top of your customers' debit and credit cards, so if you already take cards, you may be able to accept them through the same setup. PayPal and Venmo are accounts with their own balances, so taking them means opening a business account with that company and moving the money out yourself. Which ones you add depends on whether your customers pay in person, online or from an invoice. This page describes each of them and how it works. It does not rank them.

Billed publishes this page and makes invoicing software. Product details below come from each provider's own pages, checked on October 29 and 30, 2026. Fees and availability change, so check the linked pages before you sign up.

Card-based wallets: Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet

These wallets store a customer's existing cards on a phone or watch. For you, the business, they are mostly a different way to present a card.

Apple Pay. Apple says the wallet uses "a device-specific number instead of your actual card number" and that the actual card number is hidden from merchants. Payments are approved with Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode. Customers can use it where there's a contactless symbol in stores and an Apple Pay symbol online or in apps. For businesses, Apple's advice is: "If your business already accepts credit and debit cards, simply contact your payment provider to start accepting Apple Pay." Apple keeps a list of countries and regions that support Apple Pay.
Google Wallet and Google Pay. Google Wallet is "only available on Android." Google says tap to pay "uses encrypted payment codes to hide your real card number." For checkout on your own website or app, Google points businesses to the Google Pay API. Availability is listed per country on Google's supported countries page. The US page shows tap to pay as supported.
Samsung Wallet. On Samsung devices, Samsung Wallet stores cards, IDs, keys and passes. Samsung says it can be used "anywhere contactless payments are accepted," and in apps and websites that show the Samsung Pay button. Samsung also says the wallet is protected by Samsung Knox.

What this means for you: if your card terminal or payment app already accepts contactless cards, ask your payment provider whether wallet payments are already turned on. Don't assume you need a new account. Online, whether a customer sees an Apple Pay or Google Pay button depends on your checkout provider and the customer's device.

Taking wallet payments without a card reader

Tap to Pay on iPhone lets a business take contactless payments on its own iPhone, "with debit and credit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets." Apple says "no extra terminals or hardware are needed." You turn it on inside a supported payment app. Apple also notes it "is not available in all markets." Apple's page doesn't list fees; check the pricing of the payment app you use.

Account-based wallets: PayPal and Venmo

These hold money in an account with the provider. That matters for your bookkeeping and for whether you can take business payments at all.

PayPal. PayPal's business payments page (US) lists invoices, payment links, QR codes and online checkout. It says businesses can accept "PayPal, Venmo (in the US), card payments, digital wallets, and installment payments." In person, PayPal's Tap to Pay supports wallet payments including Apple Pay and Google Pay. PayPal says "fees vary by transaction type" and publishes them on its merchant fees page, last updated October 1, 2026.
Venmo (US only). The Venmo User Agreement (effective August 24, 2026) requires account holders to be US residents. It also says personal accounts "may not be used to conduct business, commercial or merchant transactions" with other personal accounts. To be paid for goods or services, you either ask the buyer to mark the payment as goods and services or use a business profile. A Venmo business profile links to your personal account. Customers can pay it by scanning a Venmo QR code, and its fees are listed on that page.

What this means for you: if regulars keep asking to pay by Venmo or PayPal, set up the business version. Don't take business payments into a personal account. Then treat the balance as one more account you need to empty and reconcile.

Worked example: one Saturday for a mobile bike-repair business

Lena runs a mobile bike-repair van in the US. The figures below are sample figures. Her payment app on her iPhone has Tap to Pay turned on, she has a Venmo business profile, and she sends invoices for bigger jobs.

Tune-up, $85: paid with Apple Pay, tapped on Lena's iPhone. Lands in the payment app payout.
Brake repair, $140: paid with Google Wallet, tapped on Lena's iPhone. Lands in the payment app payout.
Flat fix, $60: paid by scanning Lena's Venmo business QR code. Lands in the Venmo balance.
Wheel rebuild for a café, $320: paid online from the invoice's pay link. Lands in the invoice processor's payout.
Chain, $45: paid in cash. Goes in the cash box.
Total sales: $650.

What the example shows:

The two phone-wallet payments added nothing new to set up. The $85 and $140 went through the same payment app as a contactless card would. They arrive in one $225 payout, less that app's fees.
Venmo created a separate balance. The $60 stays in Venmo until Lena transfers it to her bank, so her bank deposits for the day won't add up to $650 on their own.
The invoice is paid where it was issued. The café's $320 is matched to the invoice, which makes it the easiest of the day's payments to reconcile.
Bookkeeping: Lena records $650 of sales and books each provider's fees separately as an expense. Then she checks three deposits against her records: the payment app payout (gross $225), the Venmo transfer (gross $60) and the processor payout (gross $320). The $45 cash is banked separately. If she recorded only what landed in the bank, she would understate her sales by the fees.

Where Billed fits

Billed is invoicing software, not a wallet. Billed's accept payments page says: "Billed integrates with Stripe to enable online payments on invoices." It also says: "Billed charges you nothing to accept online payments with Stripe." and "Keep track of all the payments from offline sources like checks, cash etc."

Before you add another wallet

Ask your current provider first. If you already take cards, adding a card-based wallet may need nothing more than a setting or a conversation with your payment provider.
Read the provider's own fee page. Use the fee page for your country and your type of transaction: in person, online, invoice or QR code.
Check the country. Apple and Google each publish the countries where their wallets work; for Samsung Wallet, check Samsung's site for your country. Venmo is for US residents.
Use business accounts for business money. Venmo's terms say so explicitly for personal accounts. Separate accounts also make tax time easier.
Decide how each balance reaches your bank, and reconcile it the same way every week.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a separate account to accept Apple Pay or Google Pay?

Not if you already accept cards through a provider that supports them. Apple's advice is that a business that already accepts credit and debit cards should contact its payment provider to start accepting Apple Pay. Google Wallet payments are made with cards stored on an Android phone. If your terminal or payment app takes contactless cards, ask your provider whether wallet payments are already on. Online, it depends on whether your checkout provider supports the wallet buttons.

Can I take Venmo payments for my business on a personal account?

No. The Venmo User Agreement (effective August 24, 2026) says personal accounts may not be used to conduct business, commercial or merchant transactions with other personal accounts. To be paid for goods or services, ask the buyer to mark the payment as goods and services or use a Venmo business profile. Venmo is only for US residents.

Do digital wallet payments cost more than card payments?

There's no single answer, because the fee is set by whoever processes the payment. For Apple Pay and Google Pay, that is your payment provider or payment app, so check its fee schedule. PayPal publishes its merchant fees on its own fees page, and Venmo lists business profile fees on its business page. Compare the rates for your country and type of sale before you add a wallet.

Can I take wallet payments on my phone without a card reader?

On an iPhone, yes, where it's offered. Apple's Tap to Pay on iPhone lets a business accept contactless cards, Apple Pay and other digital wallets through a supported payment app, with no extra terminal. Apple says it is not available in all markets. Check the payment app's pricing for fees.

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Best Digital Wallet Apps for Small Businesses: What to Accept and Use