Does your small business accept credit cards? Have you been paying 3% on every total charged as well as a transaction fee? Well now you don’t have to. Intuit PaymentNetwork has a new and cheap alternative for accepting payments and it all takes place on the web.

At only $0.50 per transaction, small businesses can now receive immediate payments online from customers which are deposited directly in the bank. Whether they are paying $50 or $500, the charge is always $0.50. The price is right for small businesses, especially those just starting out. All your customers need is an email address and they can pay through this service. The best part is no contracts, no hidden fees, and no equipment. Unheard of.

An online service like this is exactly what small businesses need to get paid and get the money in the bank as fast as possible. I don’t know about you, but I can’t always find time to run to the bank while trying to deal with every other aspect of my business. Add in the rising gas prices to drive there, and that $0.50 transaction fee seems trivial to get paid instantly and directly. However, if your most common form of payment is check, you will need to weigh the number of checks on which you would be paying that transaction fee with the time and effort you will no longer have to put in to cash them. It could still be a good deal.

As a small business in today’s economy, we have to save money where we can. And luckily Intuit agrees.