Accepting Credit cards?

[Ilovetofixcomputers]

So I need to look into accepting creditcards.. companys for a real terminal. like do I need a POS or what? any help is appreciated, thanks

 

[FoolishTech]

Check out squareup.com or paypal.com - both have a free thingie you plug into your cell phone to swipe credit cards with. I think square provides a USB based terminal too when you aren't mobile. Paypal is nice though you can just direct your clients to the website - especially when working remotely. Few other companies out there with same or similar. Else you need to check into a credit card processing co. and get one of those terminal jobs. You'll pay a little less percentage of the charge, but it will be more in setup fees.

 

[DCGPX]

Doesn't half wind me up this type of topic ha ha !

Here in uk we are so neglected on choice compared to you USA guys!

God knows the hoops to jump through its not worth it, we have virtually no add ons for smartphones like you do !!

 

[Ilovetofixcomputers]

Check out squareup.com or paypal.com - both have a free thingie you plug into your cell phone to swipe credit cards with. I think square provides a USB based terminal too when you aren't mobile. Paypal is nice though you can just direct your clients to the website - especially when working remotely. Few other companies out there with same or similar. Else you need to check into a credit card processing co. and get one of those terminal jobs. You'll pay a little less percentage of the charge, but it will be more in setup fees.

I have heard of square for mobile, but not the usb.. I will have to look into that, but would a POS be better?

 

[DocGreen]

I just received my card reader from payanywhere[dot]com ... it's basically a competitor to Square, and so far I think Pay Anywhere's features and interface is WAY better. I haven't taken any charges yet as I'm still getting the account setup. I'll update later on with my experiences. Fees are equivalent to Square, FYI.

 

[Ilovetofixcomputers]

I just received my card reader from payanywhere[dot]com... it's basically a competitor to Square, and so far I think Pay Anywhere's features and interface is WAY better. I haven't taken any charges yet as I'm still getting the account setup. I'll update later on with my experiences. Fees are equivalent to Square, FYI.

I don't want a mobile reader I want to look semi- professional..

 

[TenYardFight]

Man I thought I was the only one...

 

[edtech]

What's so unprofessional about a smartphone attachment credit card reader? Been to an Apple store lately? No POS credit card readers there. Only iPhones with a credit card reader attachment.

 

[altrenda]

I don't want a mobile reader I want to look semi- professional..

Never had anyone question paying with square. Many people think it's cool and ask about it.

 

[Ilovetofixcomputers]

What's so unprofessional about a smartphone attachment credit card reader? Been to an Apple store lately? No POS credit card readers there. Only iPhones with a credit card reader attachment.

well one I don't have a smart phone so it wouldn't work.....

 

[altrenda]

Are you planning on working mobile? I would find it hard to work without a smartphone and it would be a better investment than a POS.

 

[AlaDes]

As one other poster mentioned, the rates you pay will be higher if you go with one of the smart phone options.

When I opened my business, I went with Intuit's iPhone credit card reader. I also had the option to swipe cards using a web interface using a usb card swiper. However, as my card sales increased, I eventually switched to my local bank because the fees were allot cheaper and the fact I rarely used the mobile swiper for anything.

 

[compnet]

I don't want a mobile reader I want to look semi- professional..

So with a 20 dollar ebay server backboning your company and a dumb phone, you are worried about a square reader making you look unprofessional... mmmmk

I agree with other posters.. We have used square with lots of business clients and the thought of it being unprofessional never crossed my mind.

And no you dont need a POS.. we have an in store reader and you just punch the total in.. invoicing is done separately in quickbooks.

 

[uprighttech]

We use FirstData. Haven't looked around at many other companies. I'm sure we could find some that are cheaper, but FD is who our local bank hooked us up with and we haven't had any problems with them. We have a nice little terminal where we swipe the card and punch in the amount. It prints out a receipt for the customer to sign and then one for them.

Also, you should probably rethink your view on mobile CC swipers being unprofessional. Many businesses (including Apple stores) have moved to them exclusively. More clients are likely to have a problem with you operating out of mommy's basement than swiping their CC on your phone.

 

[Magic Miguel]

We use Squareup with no problems.

 

[DCGPX]

As one other poster mentioned, the rates you pay will be higher if you go with one of the smart phone options.

When I opened my business, I went with Intuit's iPhone credit card reader. I also had the option to swipe cards using a web interface using a usb card swiper. However, as my card sales increased, I eventually switched to my local bank because the fees were allot cheaper and the fact I rarely used the mobile swiper for anything.

This is where we are in UK in a way, CC payments not as common place as overseas which will account for why there is no real market as yet for the readers. I would love to be able to offer it, other than via a clunky web button to PayPal, I don't want a merchant account just yet as I can't justify it as a standard payment method which is why I'd be happy with slightly higher fee to use my phone or iPad.

Even going forward I can't see me wanting a terminal as something else to carry about!

Anyone in UK got any ideas I might have missed on mobile cc/ debit card payments?

 

[DocGreen]

I don't want a mobile reader I want to look semi- professional..

I agree with you that using an ACTUAL CC terminal looks more legit, at least in my eyes, and I've looked into getting one. I decided against it though after my bank explained the fees to me. Yes, the per-swipe fees are quite a bit lower using the CC terminal... but then you also have monthly fees, which can be pretty pricey with a mobile CC terminal. It just doesn't make sense financially to use one of those options until your CC sales are consistently high enough to warrant switching.

Also, like others have said, I have never had an issue with customer perception using Square. Everyone thinks its cool, and they don't mind using a stylus to sign on my phone. (definitely recommend using a stylus)

On a side note, I've come across local brick-and-mortar retailers that are using Square as well.

 

[Ilovetofixcomputers]

So with a 20 dollar ebay server backboning your company and a dumb phone, you are worried about a square reader making you look unprofessional... mmmmk

I agree with other posters.. We have used square with lots of business clients and the thought of it being unprofessional never crossed my mind.

And no you dont need a POS.. we have an in store reader and you just punch the total in.. invoicing is done separately in quickbooks.

A dumb phone??? yes I do not have a smart phone yet (iphone 5 on sprint in about a month) im looking at sqare and the intuit one.... not sure which yet and a 20$ server? I decided to go with a synology disk station

 

[TenYardFight]

Perception is one thing, but math is math. If you are doing any significant volume, you are paying too much with square and PA.

 

[Ilovetofixcomputers]

Perception is one thing, but math is math. If you are doing any significant volume, you are paying too much with square and PA.

I want a stand alone reader to look professional