How solo mobile detailers and pressure washers accept card payments on-site
The simplest way for a solo operator to accept card payments is a hosted invoice or booking link powered by Stripe — the customer taps a link and pays from their phone, and the money lands in your account. No card reader, no monthly terminal fee.
No credit card required. $49/mo flat after the trial.
Getting set up to take cards on-site
Connect Stripe to Houseler
Houseler uses Stripe Connect for card payments. Connect your account once — it is the same Stripe that powers checkout for millions of businesses.
Send a pay link instead of carrying hardware
When the job is done, text the customer a hosted invoice or a booking link. They tap it and pay by card on their own phone — you do not carry or maintain a card reader.
Get paid into your account
The payment runs through Stripe and lands in your connected account. The invoice updates to paid automatically, so your books stay current without extra steps.
Your payment options, compared
A solo operator has three realistic options: cash (simple but limiting and risky to carry), a card reader (works, but it is hardware to buy, charge, and often a monthly terminal fee), or a Stripe-powered pay link (the customer pays from their own phone, with no hardware on your end). For one or two people, the link is usually the simplest.
Why a Stripe-powered link is simplest
A pay link means no device to carry, charge, or replace, and no terminal contract. You text a link, the customer taps and pays by card, and the money lands in your account. It is the same Stripe that handles payments for huge companies, so customers recognize and trust the checkout.
Fees explained plainly
Card payments carry Stripe’s standard processing fee per transaction — a small percentage plus a few cents — and there is no card reader to buy and no monthly terminal fee on top. You pay the processing fee only when you actually get paid, which keeps the math simple for a solo business.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a card reader to take cards?
No. With a Stripe-powered pay link, the customer pays by card on their own phone, so there is no card reader to buy, charge, or carry, and no monthly terminal fee.
How does the customer actually pay?
You text them a hosted invoice or a booking link. They tap it and pay by card through Stripe right on their phone — no app and no login. The money lands in your connected account.
What are the fees?
Card payments carry Stripe’s standard per-transaction processing fee (a small percentage plus a few cents). There is no hardware cost and no monthly terminal fee — you pay the processing fee only when you get paid.
Is it safe for the customer?
Yes. Payments run on Stripe, the same checkout that powers millions of businesses, so customers recognize and trust it. You never handle their card details directly.
Set up in minutes
Booking, text invoices, and card payments — on by default. Start today.
No credit card required.