Self-employed independent contractors using FreshBooks accounting software can now offer their clients Apple Pay as a payment option.
Through a partnership integration, FreshBooks is including Apple Pay so that self-employed business owners and their teams can receive faster payment when clients use a Safari browser from a MacBook, iPhone or Apple Watch to make payments.
Apple revealed two months ago that Apple Pay would be included as an app on the new
The Apple Pay integration with Toronto-based FreshBooks will still operate through Apple's TouchID or secure passcode with no credit card details to enter and no extra fees, FreshBooks said.
“FreshBooks is already the most ridiculously easy-to-use accounting software in the cloud available,” Mark Girvan, chief commercial officer at FreshBooks, said in a Dec. 7 press release. “Our redesigned platform has enabled us to provide new benefits for our users at a faster pace."
Because FreshBooks users do not have to complete any initial setup, the Apple Pay inclusion "makes it even easier for self-employed professionals to run their businesses, collaborate with their clients, and get paid faster,” Girvan said.
FreshBooks views the Apple Pay inclusion as another step in helping freelancers overcome their biggest challenge — getting paid.
A 2015 Freelancers Union study revealed that 50% of 54 million freelancers in the U.S. reported trouble collecting payments, with an average of $6,000 in unpaid income. Among those, 81% reported being paid late, and 34% said they were never compensated for their work.
Apple Pay will operate through FreshBooks in the same manner it does in retail or e-commerce settings with a unique Device Account Number assigned, encrypted and stored in the device secure element. Actual card numbers are not stored on the device after a transaction nor on Apple servers. Each transaction is authorized with a one-time unique dynamic security code.
