Mobile POS card readers
Mobile POS card readers
Anyone had any experience of mobile Point of sale card readers likePayleven or iZettle.
I don't accept cards as 90% of my business is B2B and usually involves an invoice and 30 days credit or a proforma and bacs payment. However the other 10% is joe public who usually pay by cheque or cash. I do increasingly get asked for card facilities but what I would take just wouldn't warrant a card machine merchant account and all the assiociated monthly costs. That is why i was rather attracted to one of the mPOS card readers that work with a smart phone app. You buy a chip and pin card reader for about £50 and they have no monthly fee but a transaction fee of 2.75% which i could probably live with. They also mean that I could allow customers to pay by card if i delivered to them.
Has anyone any experience?
I don't accept cards as 90% of my business is B2B and usually involves an invoice and 30 days credit or a proforma and bacs payment. However the other 10% is joe public who usually pay by cheque or cash. I do increasingly get asked for card facilities but what I would take just wouldn't warrant a card machine merchant account and all the assiociated monthly costs. That is why i was rather attracted to one of the mPOS card readers that work with a smart phone app. You buy a chip and pin card reader for about £50 and they have no monthly fee but a transaction fee of 2.75% which i could probably live with. They also mean that I could allow customers to pay by card if i delivered to them.
Has anyone any experience?
-
- Posts: 161
- Joined: Sun 20 Mar, 2011 3:05 pm
- Location: Lincolnshire
- Organisation: Considering the options. Again!
- Interests: Changes on a daily basis, but I'm never without a book to read.
Re: Mobile POS card readers
In case you missed this post from earlier in the year: Taking card payments with a smart phone
Other than that I can't be of help!
Other than that I can't be of help!
-
- Posts: 131
- Joined: Wed 28 Jun, 2006 9:43 am
- Location: lincolnshire
- Organisation: Blackcab Studio
- Interests: Driving my 1965 Bedford Dormobile.
- Location: Linconlshire, England
Re: Mobile POS card readers
We have been using the pay pal one for all our mobile work and have found it easy, reliable and customers seem confident with it. Using it along side our iPad, makes the transactions easy to read and it txt or email receipts instantly while with the customer which is a bonus.
-
- Posts: 885
- Joined: Sun 13 Jun, 2010 9:15 pm
- Location: Isle of Wight
- Organisation: Decormount
- Interests: Picture framing, mount-cutting, photoshop et al
- Location: Isle of Wight
- Contact:
Re: Mobile POS card readers
I have been looking at the possibilities of using iZettle or Paypal for our business since I do get fed up with the array of charges that seem to be attached to cards. A machine is £30 per month for us, although you could buy it and then there are charges from our merchant on top.
Our merchant charges us 30p for debits and 2% for credit cards which is pretty much OK since 70% of our card takings are on debit cards. The balance are credit cards.
Since our business does not take cheques any longer because of a big issue with the bank/royal mail/post office losing a whole wodge of them, we now have 80% of our turnover through the card machine. The balance is BACS and cash.
The big problem with all of the iZettles/Paypal etc is that they charge 2.75% on debit transactions as well, which makes the process very expensive. IZettle do drop their percentage to 2% after a certain throughput per month (the value escapes me) but it isn't really worth it unless you have a low turnover on cards which makes the conventional system with a card machine not so competitive.
It's just a maths thing, but the mobile angle is an attractive option, as we were going to do an art fair in with a couple of artists, but it floundered because no-one had a mobile device with a card reader!!
Our merchant charges us 30p for debits and 2% for credit cards which is pretty much OK since 70% of our card takings are on debit cards. The balance are credit cards.
Since our business does not take cheques any longer because of a big issue with the bank/royal mail/post office losing a whole wodge of them, we now have 80% of our turnover through the card machine. The balance is BACS and cash.
The big problem with all of the iZettles/Paypal etc is that they charge 2.75% on debit transactions as well, which makes the process very expensive. IZettle do drop their percentage to 2% after a certain throughput per month (the value escapes me) but it isn't really worth it unless you have a low turnover on cards which makes the conventional system with a card machine not so competitive.
It's just a maths thing, but the mobile angle is an attractive option, as we were going to do an art fair in with a couple of artists, but it floundered because no-one had a mobile device with a card reader!!
Re: Mobile POS card readers
Yes to be honest I wouldn't do much on cards a month probably less the £1000 so being charged 2.75% instead of about 2% woukld really make much difference if you saved on machine rental etc.
izettle seems to be the one that wins in reports.
Thanks Trillion I will take a look at that thread.
Cheers A
izettle seems to be the one that wins in reports.
Thanks Trillion I will take a look at that thread.
Cheers A
- GeoSpectrum
- Posts: 2152
- Joined: Fri 01 Oct, 2010 11:49 am
- Location: Lincolnshire
- Organisation: Ashcraft Framing
- Interests: Family, x-country skiing, wine, art, Jazz
- Location: Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
- Contact:
Re: Mobile POS card readers
I’ve tried iZettle and it is useful for the occasional person who want to pay by card, most are happy with cash or cheque. I have found the reader to be a bit unreliable (rather the Bluetooth link between the iPad and the reader) which seems to be charge (battery) related.
Alan Huntley
Ashcraft Framing
Bespoke Easels and Self-assembly tray frames
http://www.ashcraftframing.co.uk
Ashcraft Framing
Bespoke Easels and Self-assembly tray frames
http://www.ashcraftframing.co.uk
-
- Posts: 252
- Joined: Sat 12 Mar, 2011 4:22 pm
- Location: United Kingdom
- Organisation: Anything Framed
- Interests: Custom Framing, Hand Finishes and Multi Aperture Mounts.
- Location: Peterborough
- Contact:
Re: Mobile POS card readers
I've started to use the mobile paypal one for the odd card payment, very happy so far.
Money is available instantly and I have a paypal access mastercard linked to it.
The reader works very quick and easy, just make sure you have WiFi, Bluetooth and location turned on before starting the app.
Turn on the reader, open the app, input password and then the card with the sales amount. Customer inputs pin and we get the choice of text, email or no receipt.
Other than that make sure you keep the card reader charged via normal smartphone charger.
Thank you Paypal
Money is available instantly and I have a paypal access mastercard linked to it.
The reader works very quick and easy, just make sure you have WiFi, Bluetooth and location turned on before starting the app.
Turn on the reader, open the app, input password and then the card with the sales amount. Customer inputs pin and we get the choice of text, email or no receipt.
Other than that make sure you keep the card reader charged via normal smartphone charger.
Thank you Paypal
Anything Framed
-
- Posts: 37
- Joined: Thu 12 Jun, 2014 9:30 am
- Location: Worcestershire
- Organisation: Frames By Design Ltd
- Interests: Football, Computers, Art
Re: Mobile POS card readers
i know it's going back to June but ................... we use PayPal and use their PayPal Here card reader and associated app on an ipad or iphone. It's fine as long as you get a reasonable 3G signal and yes no monthly fee just 2.75% per transaction
Re: Mobile POS card readers
Thanks for that. Network conception won't be a problem as I intend to use it mainly in the workshop over the wife.
-
- Posts: 58
- Joined: Tue 08 Jan, 2013 4:25 pm
- Location: Dorset
- Organisation: Blue Sky Framing Ltd.
- Interests: Running, travelling, running, furniture making, running.
- Contact:
Re: Mobile POS card readers
I've just cancelled my contract with retail merchant services and elevon due to having a few...um...lively disagreements...with regards to certain fees they were charging. Anyway, i now use izettle with my smartphone and i love it. I bought a pos printer and the recommended cash register and I sold my till as I didn't need it anymore as izettle does everything. Much easier to keep a track of the finances, no stupid fees and a lot of my customers have commented about how simple and sleek and modern it is. Also it'll save me nearly £40 a month
Matt