Google Checkout Review

Rates and Fees
60/100
Truth in Advertising
90/100
Consumer Reviews
40/100
Customer Support
40/100
3

Best for

Any business with a website that is looking to accept card payments online.

Specializes in

Google Checkout streamlines online shopping by letting you purchase with a single login I.D. The payment method enables you to buy goods on Google searches or online shops without repeatedly typing your address and card number. There are no fees for using Google Checkout, and transactions are fully secure.

Pricing Summary

Setup Fee: $0

Monthly Fee: $0

Swipe Rate: N/A

Keyed-in Rate: 1.9% + $0.30 to 2.9% + $0.30

Early Termination Fee : $0

Contract Terms:

No Contract Required
Visit Google Checkout

Google Checkout is a payment processing service provided by Google.com that enables merchants to accept card payments 

Google Checkout Overview

 

(Google Checkout has been discontinued and is unavailable as of November 2013)

It is an electronic merchant account service that allows you to accept online payments on your site. Although Google is mainly known for its advertising programs and search engine, it also provides Google Checkout for webmasters. It is quite similar to other payment processors, but it gives a unique touch to the industry. If you're looking for a merchant account from a trusted firm, Google Checkout is a service you should mull over. Like other merchant account services, Google Checkout provides the ability to set it up on your site with XML-based API or HTML.

Quick Facts

Head Quarters

Mountain View, CA

Year Founded

2006

CEO

Bill Ready

Employees

10000

Merchant Provider Risk Tolerance

What We Like

Zero setup fee.

No early termination fee.

No monthly fee.

No contract required.

Easy integration into customers' websites.

What We Don't Like

Expensive transaction fees.

Customization for individual businesses is not available.

Does not provide a terminal for face to face transactions.

Has a keyed-in rate charge.

Google Checkout per se appears to have been discontinued as a click on the website button takes you to Google Pay.

Industries Served

  • Clothing & Apparel
  • Education
  • Educational Seminars
  • Electronics
  • Hosting
  • SAAS
  • SEO & SEM Services
  • Web Design Services

Business Types Served

  • Ecommerce
  • High Volume
  • Information
  • Mobile
  • Non Profit
  • Online
  • Small Business

Google Checkout Products & Services

 

Google Checkout allows merchants to either accept payments from a hosted checkout on Google servers or via their personal shopping cart, either an XML-based API or HTML. Most likely, merchants will need to collaborate with a qualified web developer for the API. Still, the other options are implementable by anyone with a rudimentary understanding of HTML.

Merchants can use the Google Checkout invoice emailing option to request bills from customers to fill up their payment information. Please note that merchants cannot input credit card information into their Google Checkout accounts to make sales.

Basically, if a buyer puts an order through fax or phone, a merchant can create invoices via the Google Checkout Merchant Center and send it to the buyer. Said buyer gets a link containing the invoice that enables him/her to validate shipping and payment information.

Unlike other services, Google Checkout does not provide a virtual terminal for face-to-face transactions. Still, it has a mobile app for Android that allows Google Checkout users to accept in-store payments.

Google Checkout Payment Processing

  • Chargeback & Fraud Prevention
  • Credit Card Processing
  • Debit Card Processing
  • Mobile Payments App
  • Online Payments
  • Online Shopping Cart Integration
  • Returns Management
  • Shopping Cart Integration

Google Checkout Billing & Invoicing

  • Mobile Payments
  • Multi-Currency
  • Online Invoicing
  • Online Payments
  • Payment Processing

Google Checkout Advertising & Sales

 

Google has no misleading sales strategies or tactics to market Google Checkout. Primary promotion happens in search results and online by other merchants.


It has a few videos on YouTube, such as instructions on making a website using the Google Checkout store gadget, which you can find here. Another example is the Earth Day promotion, where the firm encourages customers to donate to environmental non-profit organizations. Moreover, you can track your donation and see how friends you referred to are donating.


Since Google search is a powerful online platform for finding things, promotion, and advertisement of Google Checkout is easy and effective.

Truth in Marketing

Discloses All Important Terms

Yes

Public Pricing Available

Yes

Google Checkout Pricing, Rates & Fees

 

Google Checkout uses a mixture of a flat transaction fee of $0.30 and a sales percentage.

If your sales are less than $3000 per month via the service, the transaction cost will be 2.9%.

If your sales are between $3000 and $9999, the percentage drops to 2.5%.

If you sell between $10,000 and $99,999, the cost drops further to 2.2%.

Anything you make over $100,000 a month in sales is charged with a 1.9% fee.

Furthermore, there is a surcharge of 1% if the seller's billing country is different from the buyer's. Google Checkout also a $10 fee for merchants found responsible for a Chargeback and an extra $0.30 fee for every 'partial capture' if a merchant chooses to do so with a sale. Except for Google Grants recipients, registered non-profits pay the same prices as mentioned above.

Pricing at a Glance

Pricing Model

Flat Rate

Swiped Rate

N/A

Keyed-in Rate

1.9% + $0.30 to 2.9% + $0.30

Mobile Payment Rate

Virtual Terminal Rate

N/A

Monthly Fee

$0

Payment Gateway Fee

$0

Batch Fee

$0

Early Termination Fee

$0

PCI Compliance Fee

N/A

Equipment Lease Terms

None

Address Verification Service (AVS)

Application Fee

$0

Account Setup Fee

$0

Gateway Setup Fee

$0

Annual Fee

Monthly Minimum

$0

Statement Fee

$0

Google Checkout Contract & Terms

Google Checkout has no contract apart from the pricing structure discussed above.

It has no setup or monthly fees. It has integration with Adsense and Adwords accounts.

The service terms clarify that Google Checkout will not disclose your information with third parties for any purpose. If you don't wish Google to share your activity with Checkout and the firm's services for promotional campaigns, then be sure to visit its policy page to disable sharing.

It guarantees to safeguard you from credit card fraud. If a stranger uses your Google I.D. for an online shopping fest, you can challenge the unlawful purchases within 60 days.

Contract Length

No Contract Required

Early Termination Fee

$0

Google Checkout Setup & Support

 

Setup Highlights

  • Documentation / Knowledge Base

Support Highlights

Google Checkout Complaints, Ratings & Reviews

Google Checkout does not have a profile with the Better Business Bureau.

Overall, Google, LLC has a 'B+' rating and has not sought or been awarded BBB accreditation. There are 198 customer reviews (1 out of 5 stars)

As for customer complaints, there is 4,453 of them in the past three years. The breakdown of said complaints is as follows:


  • 3,148 product or service complaints

  • 524 billing and collection complaints

  • 499 advertising and sales complaint

  • 187 guarantee or warranty complaints

  • 95 delivery service complaints


However, all of the above complaints have been successfully resolved.

Ratings

BBB

B+

Google

N/A

Facebook

N/A

Yelp

N/A

Reviews

Total Online Reviews

150+

Total Online Complaints

100+

Lawsuits

None

Google Checkout Alternatives

NEED A MERCHANT ACCOUNT PROVIDER?

If you're in the market for a merchant account provider, be sure to check out our user reviews, our merchant accounts guide and our top popular merchant provider picks

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