Melio Review
Free ACH bank transfersThe simplest way to pay vendors & contractors
2-way automated sync with Xero & QuickBooks
Manage all business payments in one place
Hold on to cash up to 45 days & earn rewards
Pros & Cons
- No monthly fees. ACH bank transfers are free.
- Pay multiple bills in one go, schedule in advance, set recurring payments
- Payment flexibility—pay by card, ACH bank transfer, or instantly
- Only integrates with Xero and Quickbooks
- No phone support—only live chat and email support
- Only 85 countries are available for international payments
Plans & Pricing
Melio only charges you for credit card transactions and other fast payment methods. Here’s a quick pricing breakdown:
- Same-day bank transfers: 1%, up to $30
- Fast check: $20 flat fee
- Card payments: 2.9% fee
- Instant payments: 1.5% fee, up to $50.
Accountants can use Melio to manage their clients’ business payments and set up approval workflows. Businesses can use Melio to improve their own payment process and manage every business bill from one platform.
Overview
While paying your bills on time is crucial for maintaining good relationships with suppliers and vendors, staying on top of payments can also help you maximize your cash flow. Ideally, you want to extend your payment terms as much as possible without going past the due date. There are many payment management software options available, but Melio stands out for its simplicity and affordability.
Melio is a free online solution for managing payments. Fees apply for credit card payments and instant payments. Melio helps businesses streamline payment processes and leverage credit cards to pay more vendors. Learn more about Melio in our review below.
Features and Functionality
Credit Card Payments
Credit cards allow you to extend your cash flow and have more cash on hand for when you need it. But not all vendors accept credit cards as a method of payment. Melio lets you pay vendors with a credit card, even where cards aren’t accepted. Pay with your card on Melio, then your vendor receives the funds by ACH bank transfer or paper check. All you pay is a 2.9% processing fee. If you’re earning cashback rewards, that will help offset the fee. Melio supports American Express, Visa (except Visa consumer credit cards), Mastercard, and Discover.
Payment Scheduling and Management
Managing business payments can be a balancing act between maximizing cash flow and keeping supplier relationships strong. While late payments have obvious downsides, paying too early can also hurt your business. Early payments tie up cash that could be used for investments or other opportunities.
This is where Melio’s scheduling feature comes in handy. Schedule multiple payments in advance by simply choosing your desired payment date. Melio will then automatically debit your account when the due date arrives, send the funds to your supplier/vendor, and notify you of the expected delivery date. In short, Melio lets you automate numerous scheduled payments, ensuring timely deliveries while giving you complete control over the timing.
Permissions and Roles
As your business expands, delegating payment management becomes essential to free up your time for your business. Melio simplifies this process with its user permissions and roles. You can easily invite team members to the platform and assign them specific roles and permissions related to payment schedules. This system allows you to maintain control over every transaction with a clear approval workflow.
Accountant Client Management
Melio was built for all business owners, including accountants. Accountants can manage bill payment information for all their clients inside Melio Payments. The accountant can switch seamlessly between each client, so there’s no need to “back out” to the dashboard every time.
Real-Time Payments
Send your vendor an instant payment with Melio so they receive funds directly to their bank account, immediately (for a 1.5% fee).
Pay over time
Improve your cash flow with Melio’s Pay over time option. You get to choose from different repayment options—Net 30 or up to 12 monthly installments. Plans already include a fixed fee.
Features with Every Melio Account
- Your first 5 checks every month are completely free
- Unlimited users: Businesses can invite unlimited users to their accounts, enhancing collaboration and payment management.
- Accounting software sync: Beyond QuickBooks Online, Melio also syncs with Xero, offering broader compatibility with accounting software.
- Approval workflows: Users can set up roles, permissions, and approval amounts to maintain control over transactions.
- Easy bill capture: Simplifies the process of adding bills to the platform.
- Payment tracking & updates: Offers real-time updates on payment status, ensuring transparency.
- Data & form export: Allows for easy export of data and forms for record-keeping.
- Bills management: Provides tools for efficient management of bills.
- Custom payment requests: Users can customize them to suit their business needs.
Additional Benefits
- Cash flow control + more rewards: Encourages using credit cards for business bills to enjoy rewards and improve cash flow.
- Keep vendors happy: Fast payment options like instant transfer, same-day bank transfer, or fast check help avoid late payments.
- More ways to send payments: Melio supports a variety of payment methods to accommodate different business needs.
Ease of Use
Melio Payments is quite easy to use. Signing up takes only seconds, and it doesn’t take much longer to add details for your vendors. After that, you’ll notice that the interface is simple to navigate. It’s easy to find everything you need on the platform and perform all the functions it offers. You can also download the Melio mobile app to make and track payments easily and on the go.
Add-ons and Integrations
Melio integrates with Quickbooks Online and Xero. Your data syncs both ways, keeping your books fresh and up to date. Melio also integrates seamlessly with Gmail and Amazon Business so you can automatically import your bills into Melio and pay them all at once in a few clicks.
Add-ons and Integrations
Melio Payments integrates with Quickbooks Online. This integration syncs your payment data with your accounting records, keeping your books fresh and up to date. Unfortunately, Melio Payments doesn’t appear to integrate with any other business software solutions at this time. They may change that in the future.
Customer support
Live chat support
Melio offers support via live chat which you can access directly from the platform.
Email
You can contact Melio support via email at support@meliopayments.com if you have any questions.
FAQ and Help Center
Melio has a FAQ page with some general questions and answers and an in-depth Help center with answers to more specific questions.
Blog
Melio’s blog covers various topics related to bookkeeping, payment processing, and small business success.
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Live Online Chat
Use the messenger pop-up box in the Support tab in your Melio dashboard to contact a live chat agent. -
Email
You can contact Melio support via email at support@meliopayments.com if you have any questions. -
FAQ
Melio has a FAQ page with some general questions and answers, as well as a more extensive library of FAQs with in-depth answers to more specific questions. -
Blog
Melio’s blog covers various topics pertaining to bookkeeping, payment processing, and small business.
Final Word
Melio Payments focuses on one thing — payment management — and does it quite well. Everything’s free except for the reasonably priced credit card processing fee. Even then, your cashback rewards and tax write-offs can recover some of those costs. Sure, it could use some more integrations, and it would be nice if it supported payments outside the US, but these are only minor drawbacks for most small businesses. Overall, if you’re looking for a simple payment management solution that’s easy on the budget, Melio Payments is the way to go.
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