I want to start doing some freelance work on the side. What are the some of the ways to accept online payments from clients?<p>I currently have a google checkout account, would this work well or is their something that is a lot better?
PayPal is the most convenient for most clients, since it is reputable and used ubiquitously. The downside is that if the invoice is large > than $3000, you will lose a good chunk in PayPal fees.<p>Checks are great because you get to keep all the money...well, except for taxes later,<p>Wire Transfer (Bank) is a great option if the invoice is huge (more than $3000), to avoid costly fees.<p>The other options suggested above are good alternatives, too.
For freelance billing of clients the best tool is probably WePay.<p>You can send a bill (including recurring bills) to clients, and have a full list of all invoices and whether they've been paid or not. They can pay with a credit card or bank account, and then you can either direct deposit the money into your bank account, or send yourself a check for the money.
If you're in the US, you can use Square: <a href="http://squareup.com/" rel="nofollow">http://squareup.com/</a><p>For online payments, Google Checkout should work fine unless you have any particular gripes with it.
If you're just doing freelance work, I find direct deposit works best. Many clients don't use credit card for large amounts because of fees, which you'll also incur for most online payment systems