Take payments from a web browser, securely charge saved cards, and automate future, installment, or recurring billing with SwipeSimple.
SwipeSimple Virtual Terminal is designed for phone orders, remote billing, back-office payments, and businesses that need to accept cards without a physical reader. Scheduled Payments can automate one-time future charges, installment plans, subscriptions, and recurring billing through the same customer and transaction platform.
SwipeSimple Virtual Terminal
- Browser-based payments: enter approved card payments from a computer without installing a card reader.
- Phone and remote orders: process card-not-present transactions while a customer is on the phone or paying from another location.
- Saved customer cards: charge a securely stored payment method for an authorized repeat transaction.
- Digital or printed receipts: send receipts by email or text, or print from the computer.
- Transaction tracking: keep remote and in-person payment activity visible within SwipeSimple tools.
- Customer and item data: associate payments with customer profiles, reference numbers, and catalog items when appropriate.
SwipeSimple Scheduled Payments
One-Time Future Payments
Schedule a single authorized charge for a specific future date, such as a balance payment, deposit milestone, or delayed service charge.
Installment Plans
Divide a larger purchase or project balance into multiple scheduled payments. The customer authorization, payment dates, amounts, and cancellation terms should be documented clearly.
Subscriptions and Recurring Billing
Create weekly, monthly, yearly, or other supported recurring schedules for memberships, service plans, retainers, donations, maintenance agreements, and repeat billing.
Best Fits for Virtual Terminal and Scheduling
- Professional services and offices accepting payment by phone
- Contractors collecting deposits and milestone payments
- Membership, subscription, and service-plan businesses
- Nonprofits or organizations collecting authorized recurring contributions
- Medical, wellness, and appointment-based practices
- Merchants handling back-office payments or repeat customers
Card-on-File Authorization and Risk
A saved card is not permission to charge it at any time. Businesses should obtain clear customer authorization for the amount, timing, frequency, cancellation policy, and purpose of each one-time or recurring charge. Retain records appropriate to the merchant’s industry and processor requirements.
Virtual Terminal and scheduled-card transactions are generally card-not-present payments. They can have different interchange, processing costs, fraud exposure, verification practices, and chargeback risk than chip or contactless transactions.
Related SwipeSimple Collection Tools
- Invoices, Payment Links & Text to Pay — request payment without manually entering the customer’s card.
- ACH Payments & QuickBooks Online Sync — offer eligible bank transfers and streamline bookkeeping.
- SwipeSimple Platform — compare the full mobile, terminal, register, and remote-payment ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the SwipeSimple Virtual Terminal?
It is a browser-based tool for taking approved card payments from a computer without a physical card reader.
Can SwipeSimple charge a saved card?
Yes, authorized saved-card transactions can be processed through supported customer and Virtual Terminal workflows.
Does SwipeSimple support recurring payments?
Yes. Scheduled Payments supports one-time future charges, installments, subscriptions, and recurring billing through supported configurations.
Can receipts be sent by text?
SwipeSimple states that Virtual Terminal receipts can be sent by email or text, or printed from the computer.
Are Virtual Terminal payments more expensive?
They may be. Card-not-present transactions can have different interchange, processing costs, and risk controls than in-person payments.
What authorization should I collect for recurring billing?
Document the customer’s consent, amount or calculation method, frequency, start date, duration, cancellation terms, and purpose. Industry and processor requirements may add further obligations.
Build a Safer Billing Workflow
Tell VCCP how often you bill, whether customers pay by phone, whether you store payment methods, and whether you need deposits, installments, or subscriptions. We will help compare the appropriate SwipeSimple tools and processing configuration.