Comments on: Online Credit Card Providers

By: Patty Schlottman

Patty Schlottman — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 03:58:38 +0000

I use the paypal credit card scanner. It costs nothing to open the account. The card scanner is free of charge and you simply download the app from your phones application menu. I have spoken to another jewelry artist who have had problems with one of the other companies. Unfortunately she sold a customer several items but did not get her name and address. The customer paid with credit and when the money came into her account from the company it was minus this customers payment. She called the company to inform them of the mistake but they were unable to research the amount missing because the credit card number was not saved and she did not have the customers name and address. Unfortunately in the end she was out the money. I think this can probably happen with any company, but make sure that you get this info from the customer no matter what company you decide to go with. That way if there is a mistake, you can still get your money.

By: Kathi Ader

Kathi Ader — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 12:21:40 +0000

In case anyone is interested, u can also use your Square on your ipad and use it as a cash register. They have a stand for the ipad that flips when the customer needs to sign. Square now also has a cash drawer (hooks up to square to be automatic) and a receipt printer. A bit pricey for me but I can dream:)

By: Sarah

Sarah — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:13:33 +0000

Hi Everyone,
Thank you all for your feed back. It has been very helpful. I have signed up for ProPay and so far it seems to be fine. The customer service is excellent and the integration into my website was a snap. The fees seem to be reasonable as well. So, I think I will go with this for now and see waht happens.
You have all been a big help and I thank you very much. I love hearing what everyone has to say.
Sarah

By: Dennise larson

Dennise larson — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:29:20 +0000

I’ve used several over the years. Some offer the big machines for free but then want monthly fees to cover the phone line and higher transaction charges.

Intuit’s Go Payment is good but they also charge fees for higher rated cards with cash back incentives or air miles. So, it’s 2.75% plus the extra charges. I used the Intuit this year during the Tucson show. It worked OK. My only complaint about the device is that if you put it on your smartphone the correct way, it turns your phone off when swiping the card so you have to put the device to face the opposite direction making it quite wonky. And, to use the Intuit, I had to take the Otter case off my phone because the jack is not long enough.

I have just applied for a square which does not have the extra charges, just the flat 2.75%. I have heard they don’t have the best customer service but if it doesn’t work, I’ll just switch over to the Intuit. And, I can leave the case on my phone.

By: Janice Bowden

Janice Bowden — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 03:57:12 +0000

There are now several cell phone companies that have smart phones & you pay either by the minute which includes data or a smal monthly charge that covers unlimited data & minutes. You just need to check that the phone is compatible with the card reader. checkout WalMart’s plan, Trac phone, & Boost. fees are generally around $50/mo, orTrac phone is pay as you go.

By: Cheryl Feyen

Cheryl Feyen — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 22:59:54 +0000

I currently use Intuit as well. But since I don’t have a smart phone I pay the $20 monthly fee which is really expensive for the months that I don’t do shows.

But, PayPal now has the same reader that will work on a smart phone, so if you already have a smart phone then there are no extra fees at all, except PayPal’s standard cc processing, which with a business account you pay for every transaction anyway.

If I could find a smart phone & plan that let me pay as I went (no monthly fee) paying only for the data time I used, then I would go with the paypal option.

By: Carolyn Dargevics

Carolyn Dargevics — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 23:54:11 +0000

Both my husband and I have used Square for about 2 years and love it. His art is much higher priced than Square’s initial limits. All we had to do was contact them about his art and how much an art fair might produce along with what a single transaction might be. They immediately took care of the limits. Their customer service is excellent. We get a notice immediately after a scan and the money is deposited within 2 days of our transaction. Carolyn

By: Nancy

Nancy — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:06:40 +0000

We use the Square and have been very happy with them. They only charge 2.75% per transaction and no other fees. I can do a show over the weekend and the money is usually in my account by Monday, very fast.

By: Liza Lalita Lee

Liza Lalita Lee — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:00:06 +0000

I use square. No monthly fees or contracts. I have had no problems with the square. I do lots of art fairs and trade shows. Check it out.

Aloha
Liza

By: Loretta Kent

Loretta Kent — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:19:46 +0000

I also use Go Payment with Intuit. One nice feature is you can enter your products with pictures and prices. Then you can scroll down to select when sold.

Loretta
Elianna Designs

By: sharon

sharon — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:56:10 +0000

Yes I have used propay for years and I like them.

By: Val

Val — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:08:48 +0000

I have used Propay in the past which is great. You may want to consider Paypal though to keep things in one spot. They have tiered plan. It is scary because these companies do require you provide social security numbers. Research is important. When looking at options I always refer to http://www.bbb.org to make sure the company is ethical.

By: Bev Carlson

Bev Carlson — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:35:17 +0000

I have a PayPal account and find it works for most people. But I added the Square and Go Payment when I decided to get a smart phone so I could take payments at shows. Word of CAUTION, make sure the phone you get is compatible with those things. I purchase a phone from Sprint and found out later it was not compatible as Christine found out. Check this out first. I did not find out it was not compatible until after the 14 days they allow for returns. (Don’t get me started on that subject. No amount of arguing on my part would get them to make good on that even though THEY had sold me the phone knowing that is what I wanted to use it for)

By: Joan

Joan — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:33:02 +0000

I used to use a local bank, but I found their fees (not just the fee each time I swiped a card) to be outrageous. Someone told me about “Square” and I started using them. I highly recommend this company and wouldn’t think of leaving them for another vendor.

By: Kathi Ader

Kathi Ader — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:52:31 +0000

I used to use basic prepay (card cannot be processed til you get home on your computer). When the economy went south I got a few bad cards and I stopped using it and started using square (square up.com). I love it and see a lot of other crafters using it too.

By: Lisa Festa-Estrada

Lisa Festa-Estrada — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:17:43 +0000

I have used PROPAY for years,,,LOVE them…good rates, good customer service and a human answers when I call…they get a great rating from the better business burea and I have had no problems with them

By: Karen Simmons-Milligan

Karen Simmons-Milligan — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:14:44 +0000

Dear Sarah, when I wanted a credit card processing service I did a lot of research too. Security and communication played a big part in my decision to use my bank PNC. I don’t enjoy a small monthly fee, but theirs in one of the smallest and the processing % is also extremely competitive. The best part and my decision maker was the communication I have with my personal merchant provider, Brian. If I have a problem, question or concern, I email or just phone him and he picks up and answers. I talk to him directly or hear back from him via email- usually in less than 30 minutes. The comfort level for me if anything would happen to go wrong with my reader, a customers sale or return is priceless because at the end of the day– it is my reputation as a business on the line– not an internet credit card processor.
Good luck in your decision.
Karen

By: Janice Bowden

Janice Bowden — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:42:28 +0000

Paypal does have an option for your customers to use credit cards instead of a paypal account. You have to sign up for a commercial or professional account. It’s been a while since I’ve used it, so I’m sorry I’m not familiar with the fees, but you might check into it.

By: Drake

Drake — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 04:53:16 +0000

I use square for my credit card processing at shows, and I’ve had no problems with them as of yet. I do have the new paypal reader as well, since I use paypal for my website sales, but I haven’t used it at a show yet.

By: Christine

Christine — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:14:25 +0000

Sarah,

My sister and I use GoPayment by Intuit. The fees are not horrendous (compared to what our bank wanted to charge us!) and the interface works on both our smartphones (Android and iPhone). We’ve had one challenge: the free card reader works fine on my sister’s iPhone but not at all on my Android (which is at least a year older than the other phone). If I have to process payments from my phone I just bite the bullet on the added charge and make all the entries manually. We’ve had no delay in getting paid. We can process payments via the internet, too, but have not yet used this option.

I know other artists who are happy with Square but I didn’t read good reviews of their product. I recommend you Google “credit card processing”, read as many reviews as you can handle, and go from there.

Good luck,

Christine
Two Sisters Jewelry