Have you ever found yourself in a small shop, wanting to buy something (perhaps a drink), but the sad realisation soon hits you that you have no cash on you and this shop doesn’t take card? Or perhaps you ARE that small business that doesn’t accept card?
We should all understand how annoying it is when we want or even need to buy something, but we have no cash on us to pay. Perhaps you are reluctant to get a card machine because of the fees involved? Whatever your reasons, in this day and age there is simply no excuse. Many people shun carrying cash on them and exclusively use their card to make purchases.
With a card machine, your sales could potentially go through the roof! You’re wrong to think that the money you would have got from the few people that went chundering out of your shop in search of a card machine wouldn’t add up. Not only is a card machine capable of increasing sales, it can streamline your invoice process for you too!
But hang on a minute, maybe you don’t actually need a card machine? There are tons of card processing apps available for different smartphones (iPhone being the most popular), and some companies have even joined up their app to a mini card swiping tool. This is definitely the way to go if you want to increase your sales, streamline your invoices and step back into the year 2013
Here’s a guide to choosing the best smartphone card reader for your business:
Square
Square is the teeniest card readers available, not to mention most recogniseable. This “card machine” will only take up as much space as a box of matches. All you need to do to use Square is plug it into the audio jack of your iPhone or Android, and away you go.
Wait, even more good news. The Square device and app are totally free, and you don’t need a contract or merchant account either. The money just goes straight into your bank account!
You can even give refunds at the touch of a button if needed.
So, how does Square get paid? For every swipe of a card, Square takes 2.75%. Simple!
Intuit GoPayment
This option isn’t too different from Square, bar two key differences. Square will only work with Apple and Android phones, whereas Intuit GoPayment is also compatible with the Blackberry! If you’re a slightly larger business, this card reader could be the one for you as signing up for a $13 per month plan can save you money on your swipe transaction fees (1.7%). Again the app and reader are free of charge and the money will go straight into your bank account.
PAYware Mobile
This app is the only one that will soon have the ability for international payments, which will cover the UK and Canada. The app is also perfectly capable of integrating itself in with your current merchant account. You’ll be able to geographically record your transactions, and if you get the updated version PAYware Mobile Enterprise, you’ll receive a variety of card processing tools that include pin pad and even a bar code scanner.
This post was written by Amie Scott, a mobile & tech blogger, on behalf of MobilePhones.org.uk