What is Melio? — Melio Payments Explained

Complete guide to Melio Payments • What it does • Who uses it • How it works

What is Melio Payments?

Melio (officially Melio Payments Inc.) is a business payment platform built specifically for US small and medium businesses. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in New York, Melio gives businesses a central dashboard to pay vendors, manage bills, send invoices and sync payment data with accounting software.

The core idea behind Melio is simple: pay your vendors the way you want, regardless of how they accept payment. If your landlord only takes checks but you want to pay by credit card to earn rewards — Melio handles the conversion. You pay by card, Melio mails a check to your landlord.

What Does Melio Do?

Accounts Payable — Pay Vendors

After Melio login, businesses can pay any vendor — suppliers, contractors, utilities, landlords, service providers — via ACH bank transfer, credit card or paper check. Vendors don't need a Melio account to receive payment. Melio supports payments to 80+ countries for international vendors.

Accounts Receivable — Get Paid

Melio lets businesses create professional invoices and share payment links with customers. Customers pay by ACH or card directly through the payment link. Funds land in your bank account. The entire AR process is managed from the same Melio dashboard as your outgoing payments.

Accounting Software Sync

Melio integrates with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop and Xero via two-way automatic sync. Bills, payments and vendor data update in both platforms in real time, eliminating manual data entry and double bookkeeping.

Approval Workflows

Businesses can set up multi-step payment approval flows, assign roles to team members (Admin, Approver, Payer, Viewer) and maintain financial controls without bottlenecks. Approvers get notified and can approve payments from the app.

How Does Melio Work?

1. Sign in to Melio at app.meliopayments.com/login or create a free account
2. Add a bill — upload a photo, forward the invoice email, or sync from QuickBooks
3. Choose payment method — ACH (free), credit card (2.9%) or check (free)
4. Schedule or send — Melio processes the payment and delivers it to your vendor
5. Track and sync — payment status updates in real time, synced to QuickBooks/Xero

Is Melio Legit?

Yes. Melio Payments is a legitimate, well-funded US fintech company. Key facts:

• Founded 2018, headquartered in New York City
• Used by over 100,000 US businesses
• Named to Forbes Fintech 50 list (2024)
• Named CNBC Top 250 Fintech (2024)
• PCI DSS certified — highest payment security standards
• In 2025, Xero announced acquisition of Melio
• Rated 4.4/5 on Trustpilot from thousands of reviews

Who Uses Melio?

• Small business owners — restaurants, retailers, contractors, service businesses paying suppliers
• Accountants and bookkeepers — managing client payments from one Melio dashboard
• Freelancers and consultants — sending invoices and getting paid via payment links
• Medium businesses — teams with multiple approvers and complex vendor relationships

What Does Melio Cost?

Melio's Go plan is completely free. ACH payments are free. Check payments are free. Credit card payments have a 2.9% fee. There are no monthly subscription fees on the Go plan. Paid plans (Core, Boost, Unlimited) add advanced features for businesses that need them.