Here is a question most trade owners have never been asked: who is your payment processor?
Most will name their field service software. But that software usually is not a processor at all. It sits between you and one, decides the rate you pay, and keeps the relationship to itself.
That is fine on day one. It gets expensive as you grow.
The short version
- With crewduo, card payments go into your own Stripe account, with the full Stripe dashboard. Stripe collects its fees directly from you, at Stripe's published rates.
- You see every fee, payout and dispute yourself, and payouts go straight to your bank.
- Stripe offers custom and volume-based pricing for businesses with large processing volumes, and you are the one who can ask for it.
- If you ever change software, your Stripe account and its history stay yours.
Two ways software can handle your payments
The platform owns the processing. Many field service tools offer their own branded "payments" feature. Behind the scenes there is a processor, but your contract and your rate are with the software company. They set the price, they can change it, and you see what they choose to show you.
You own the processing. The software connects to a payment account that is yours: in your name, with your own dashboard, paying the processor directly. The software sends the invoice and records the payment, but the money and the relationship are between you and the processor.
crewduo works the second way.
What owning your Stripe account means
When you connect payments in crewduo, Stripe opens an account in your business's name, and you get the full Stripe dashboard. Clients' card payments go into that account, and Stripe pays out to your bank.
You pay Stripe's rates, and you can see them. Stripe's published rates in Canada are 2.9% + $0.30 for online domestic cards and 2.7% + $0.05 in person on a card reader. Stripe collects those fees from your account directly, and every fee is itemised in your dashboard.
You control your payouts. Payout schedule, bank account and payout history are all in your own dashboard, not hidden inside another company's.
You handle your own disputes. If a client disputes a charge, you see it in your dashboard and respond with your evidence: the signed quote, the photos, the service log.
It stays yours. Your Stripe account belongs to your business. If you ever leave crewduo, your account, your payout history and your records go with you.
The long-term saving: you can negotiate
Stripe's pricing page says it offers custom pricing for businesses with large processing volumes, with volume-based discounts tied to tiers, commitments and product usage. Eligibility varies by market, and Stripe does not publish what the discounts are.
The point is not the exact discount. It is who can ask for one. When the account is yours, your growing volume is a bargaining chip that belongs to you. When the processing belongs to your software, the volume discount, if there is one, belongs to them.
Small differences in rate add up quickly. Here is a hypothetical example: if your business processes $500,000 a year in card payments, every 0.1 percentage point off your rate is worth:
| Rate reduction | A year | Over 5 years |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1 points | $500 | $2,500 |
| 0.3 points | $1,500 | $7,500 |
| 0.5 points | $2,500 | $12,500 |
These are illustrations, not a promise of what Stripe will offer. But for a business that keeps growing, the ability to negotiate is worth having.
The small fees add up too
Per-transaction fees look tiny until you multiply them. In person, Stripe charges 2.7% + $0.05 per card payment on a card reader, and its Tap to Pay on a phone adds $0.15, for 2.7% + $0.20. When we checked on October 1, 2026, Jobber's pricing page listed its tap to pay at 2.7% + 30ยข. Same percentage, 10 cents more per tap, or 25 cents more than a Stripe card reader.
A crew that takes 2,000 in-person payments a year pays $200 to $500 more a year on the fixed part alone. Small, but it is your money, and it never stops.
Transparency is the point
Beyond the rate, owning your processing means nothing about your money is hidden from you:
- You can see every fee on every payment
- You can see exactly when each payout will land, and reconcile it against your bank
- You can export your payment history whenever you want
- Your accountant can log in and see the same numbers you do
It is your money. You should be able to see everything that happens to it.
How crewduo handles payments
- Connect your own Stripe account from inside crewduo: Stripe opens it in your business's name.
- Every invoice gets a pay link; clients can also pay from their portal or set up autopay.
- Take deposits when a client accepts a quote, and split big jobs into payment schedules.
- Tap to pay and card readers for payments in person (Crew plan).
- Prefer e-Transfer? Your Interac details are on the invoice, and transfers are matched to the invoice for you.
- On Crew, payments and refunds sync both ways with QuickBooks Online or Xero.
See how payments work, compare plans on the pricing page, or read Interac e-Transfer vs card: what each really costs.
Quick answers
Do I need a Stripe account already? No. Stripe opens one in your business's name when you connect payments in crewduo.
Where does the money go? Into your Stripe account, then out to your bank account on your payout schedule.
Can I negotiate my Stripe rate? Stripe offers custom pricing for businesses with large processing volumes, and eligibility varies. Because the account is yours, you can talk to Stripe directly.
What happens to my payments if I leave crewduo? Your Stripe account is yours, so your account, its history and your payouts stay with you.
Sources
- Stripe, Pricing in Canada: standard rates, and custom and volume-based pricing for large processing volumes.
- Jobber, Pricing: tap to pay rate, checked October 1, 2026.
