Credit card payments

amother

Thu, May 02 2013, 9:10 pm

I have recently began my own business to supplement my full time job, working for someone else.
I offer a service and would prefer getting paid by credit card instead of checks. I have seen these gizmos you can attach to an iPad to process credit card payments.
Has anyone had any experience with these?
How can assure that I don't get stuck with a bad check?

TwinsMommy

Thu, May 02 2013, 9:16 pm

I've taken credit cards for a decade and never used the gizmos. 99% of the time I've used propay which, for my use, has had the best rates. the other 1% of the time I signed up to accept ALL types of cards with the machine-- not a tiny gizmo but an actual credit card machine that prints receipts. The rates were supposed to be better but the hidden fees drove me nuts. $25 here for not filling out a dumb form, $15 a month in months I used propay instead and didn't bother with the machine for various reasons, etc. I always had to be home to use the machine--- out and about, propay was easier. When I cancelled, it took months to clear out the contract. with propay I think you can join or leave at anytime. Long story short I recommend propay. And yes, from them you CAN get a gizmo if you want it (I don't). At home I use the computer. Out and about I use the phone and call it in.

I've gotten bad checks a couple of times. Only ONCE from a client who took product and bailed. Other times it was people who just needed to add $ to the account and try again- oops. You can choose JUST to do credit cards if you want--- I don't think any biz is OBLIGATED to take checks. I won't take checks from from clients I don't meet face to face unless I've worked with them before. If you're local and want to pay by check you have to come to my home and hand it to me--- that personal connection makes people less likely to be dishonest I think.

self-actualization

Mon, May 06 2013, 2:18 pm

The product is called "Square." The "Square" company charges a fee, that includes the credit card fee (which is usually 3%). Many small business owners don't like paying credit card fees. However, others feel like it is worth it as a convenience to their customers and as a means of avoiding bad checks. As a customer, I personally LOVE it whenever a small business uses Square. I also recommend it for restaurants or other places where the owner isn't around all the time - it cuts down on a lot of employee theft.