Mobile credit card processing offers you the ability to process credit card payments for your business without being at the office. This article discusses the benefits of mobile processing, what options are available for wireless credit card processing, and expected costs.

Mobile Credit Card Processing refers to an array of technologies for processing credit cards on the move. If the network on which your equipment will run is reliable enough, this may be an option that will add versatility to your present payment options. It’s the technology that some airlines are turning to for in-flight purchases.

Or you might like it just because it looks cool. Beginning in the holiday season in 2009, Apple store employees started using mobile credit card processing on specially-designed iPod Touch units to read credit cards, collect signatures, and complete their sales. This article discusses the benefits, drawbacks, and some of the different technologies.

Benefits of Mobile Credit Card Processing

Once upon a time, if you were a plumber providing work on a client’s premises, a tow-truck driver, pulling folks’ cars out of ditches, or a pushcart merchant, selling upscale merchandise, you didn’t have a lot of choice besides cash and checks. This has changed with the advent of mobile credit card processing, and with these changes comes a variety of benefits.

Not only are more payment options available, but other benefits may accrue to you as well:

• the added convenience may win you more customers
• you may avoid having to bill customers, which lessens paperwork as well as speeds payments
• mobile credit card processing can be less expensive than traditional wired and wireless merchant accounts with regard to: cost of equipment, fees, and no need for second phone line.
• Some technology offers “Store” and “Forward” features for use where no phone line is available.

Mobile Credit Card Processing Methods

• Laptop Merchant Account Express offers software that, given an Internet connection, a monthly gateway fee and a per transaction fee, and a USB swiper turns a laptop into a wireless credit card machine.

• Cell Phone Various solutions exist, including a Bluetooth card swiper for phones with Bluetooth capacity (also from Merchant Account Express); a swipeless system that involves calling an 800 number and keying in your merchant number and your customer’s credit card info (from Merchant Seek); Intuit GoPayment, which works with or without Bluetooth swiping and which ties into Quickbooks™; several iPhone and iPod Touch apps exist for this functionality, including Square, Mophie, and VeriFone PAYware Mobile.

• Touch-tone Phone Merchant Express offers Dialpay Phone Processing for touchtone phones, with no other equipment needed. Like other systems of this kind, processing is done by calling a toll free 800 number. Merchant Seek technology works for touch-tone phones as well.

• Wireless Terminal Costing in the range of $400 to $600, wireless terminals have the benefits of a built-in receipt printer, store and forward technology, and may have lower monthly and transaction fees than other solutions.

Other plans besides these are also available.

You will notice, as you review the options, that the cost of wireless mobile card processing terminals is higher than point-of-sales terminals. The volume of sales for which you are getting the mobile unit may determine whether you choose this option or not.

Costs to Consider

When you are considering any of these plans, you should check for the following so you can take all costs into account:

• equipment costs
• software costs
• sign-up or activation costs (if any)
• set-up charges
• processing fees
• swipe processing fees
• monthly fees
• per transaction fees
• any seasonal reactivation fees
• printer paper and ink
• charges for support
• battery charger for internal batteries
• data encryption fee

You should also check for warranties and the support options available. Read reviews of the product and company, including comparisons of fees and costs with other, comparable products and services.

Sources

merchantexpress.com
merchantseek.com
blogs.zdnet.com
mashable.com

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