Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals
Small businesses using Vend Ltd. point-of-sale systems and a mobile-payment acceptance app from Flint Mobile Inc. can now link payment data from these services to their QuickBooks Online accounts.
Vend is a New Zealand-based company that markets a POS system that works on desktop computers, Apple computers, and the iPad. Flint is a Redwood City, Calif.-based payment-service provider that targets service merchants with its mobile app.
The QuickBooks integration for each product is done via a Web app available on the app marketplace of Intuit Inc., which markets the popular accounting software. The user downloads the Vend or Flint app from the site, and completes the required information to link their QuickBooks Online and POS accounts. That takes about two minutes, says Greg Goldfarb, Flint co-founder and chief executive.
Once linked, data from the POS apps are securely shared with QuickBooks Online, enabling merchants to view and manage their data. “This saves retailers hours every week so they can focus on growing their businesses,” a Vend spokeswoman says.
With Flint, users’ data are synced hourly between the two services, Goldfarb says. Transactions made in the Flint app are automatically mapped to a corresponding customer file in QuickBooks Online if a matching e-mail address is used.
Merchant can use that data, for example, to send coupons to customers, Goldfarb says. The Flint-QuickBooks Online integration allows for detailed syncing so unique data can be shared between the two services.
There is a clear need among Flint users for this integration, Goldfarb says. Flint, which targets merchants that provide services, such as photographers, says its customers needed a way to get their payment data into their accounting software, he says.
Flint can handle multiple payment methods, including sending an invoice and collecting the payment once on site. A photographer, for example, might want a deposit to hold a date, and then may collect the rest of fee on the day of the event, Goldfarb says.
With Flint, merchants do not swipe a payment card through a reader. Instead, they scan the card number using the camera, a technology that Flint developed for its app. They must still enter the expiration date, card verification codes, and the cardholder’s ZIP code, Goldfarb says. Card numbers also can be keyed in.
Merchants are charged 1.95% for debit transactions and 2.95% for credit. Currently, Flint only accepts Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. cards. Goldfarb says that is because Flint’s research found that these two brands account for more than 90% of U.S. credit and debit transactions.
Vend opened its U.S. operations in late 2013, and has offices in San Francisco and Toronto. “it’s clear that the U.S. market is heating up, and is a massive opportunity for Vend to grow,” the spokeswoman says. Vend has a tiered monthly fee starting at $39. That does not include merchant processing fees.
The QuickBooks Online integration service is free for both Vend and Flint merchants.
