More and more customers have stopped carrying cash in favor of debit and credit cards. As a small business owner, you may be looking for the best way to serve this growing customer base. Whether you’re an artisan who needs to take cards at pop-up shops or your brick-and-mortar location needs to upgrade its technology, a mobile credit card processing service can solve your problems. We’ve put together a list of three of the best mobile processing services that can serve as your POS.
Square
Square is perhaps the most well-known credit card processing service around. With apps for iOS and Android, Square paved the way for many other mobile card processors. Users will be happy to know they don’t have to enter any service contracts, nor do they need an official business account with Square;. Sounds good, right? One drawback is that the free card reader Square would send to new users is being replaced by a $30 EMV chip card reader.
The transaction fees are 2.75% for swiped and online transactions and 3.5% plus an additional $0.15 whenever a customer keys in their card. Although there aren’t any monthly fees, Square’s transaction fees are a little pricier than other competitors. But that aside, you may enjoy the features Square has to offer. You can offer multiple tax rates, categorize your items for sale, and perform inventory counts. There are even more features available if you pay $60 a month for the iPad POS.
PayPal Here
While some people may be wary of mobile card processing services, PayPal is a household name. In order to use PayPal’s mobile service, you need to set up a business or premier Paypal account. PayPal Here has an app for Android, iOS, and even Windows 8.1 devices (a rarity among many credit card processors). Their fees aren’t much better than Square: swiped transactions have a charge of 2.7%, and keyed in transactions are the same at 3.5% plus $0.15. Thankfully, there aren’t any monthly fees, nor are there setup fees or equipment fees.
PayPal Here has Square beat when it comes to the mobile POS option. You can download a free tablet app for a more robust point of sale terminal; since Square’s Register works best with iPads and doesn’t even have Windows support, PayPal Here has them beat. Transactions process very quickly and if you have a PayPal merchant debit card, you can use your funds anywhere. PayPal Here also allows you to capture card information by camera instead of using a card reader.
Flint Mobile
Mobile credit card processing services tend to offer a free card reader. The little card readers fit in your pocket and once you plug them into your phone or tablet’s earphone jack, work just like the traditional credit card terminals. As impressive as they are, these card readers are easy to lose and actually increase the cost of your account.
This is where Flint Mobile has an edge over its competitors. Flint has no card reader at all; instead, the app captures the credit card information using the camera. You will be delighted at the convenience and your customers will be relieved to know that no images are stored on the mobile device. You can download the app to iPhones, iPads, and Android phones and tablets in the United States. The rates are sweet, at 1.95% for debit transactions and 2.95% for credit transactions. Although you will initially have spending limits, you can submit more information about your business and allow for a soft credit check (one that won’t hurt your credit) to have your limits gradually increased.
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