On-Site Credit Card

[anthony_bridges]

<p>With previous events I've done, the price of photos has been included in the event fee or paid as cash per photo. Is there a relatively simple way for someone to pay for their photos via a debit or credit card?<br>

A recent client asked me if I do on-site credit cards and I said no. I'm wondering if on-site credit cards is becoming more of a trend. This particular venue should have wi-fi and it is a formal affair.<br>

Thanks,<br>

Anthony</p>

<p> </p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Hundreds of people, or dozens? Working alone, or with a team? The scale and pace of the operatino will dictate what you can get away with.<br /><br />Certainly credit card processing companies have equipment meant for portable use in the field - but it's a question of whether or not you want to get married to their service, month-to-month (and the accompanying costs) in order to support this one event. Would having this capability allow you to pursue other work you've not been going after?<br /><br />If you've got someone sitting at a laptop to do the cashiering, and have a decent internet connection, you could certainly crank this sort of thing through a PayPal business-ish account, and be able to handle a fairly decent pace. If you're shooting and cashiering and it's busy, you're going to have to get a card swiper of some sort. Are you also printing on the spot?</p>

[jason_young5]

<p>This iPhone app does it:<br>

<a href="http://springwise.com/financial_services/processaway/">http://springwise.com/financial_services/processaway/</a></p>

[irusan]

<p>Matt nailed it.</p>

<p>You basically have three options:</p>

 

<ol>

<li>Do nothing and don't accept credit cards. I know the purpose of your thread is to find out <em>how</em> to accept them but be prepared to discover that not accepting them may be an option. </li>

<li>After ensuring you have a business account with PayPal, sign up for their virtual terminal. It's super easy and very fast. Then, all you need is a laptop or other device capable of connecting to PayPal's site. The advantage to this is that there is no contract and you don't have to buy a terminal. The drawback is that PayPal does have a reputation of siding with the card holder and not the vendor in cases of dispute. Now, I never encountered that when I used Virtual Terminal. The real drawback for me was the $30/month fee. <br /> <br /> All processing companies have a monthly fee as well as transaction fees. PayPal's transaction fees were fine but their monthly fee was too high.<br /> </li>

<li>Go with a traditional merchant account. The fees are usually lower but you will need a terminal and, usually, a two year contract. Make sure the terminal can process offline transactions. Mine cost $250 but I paid more because I don't have a landline phone and needed a terminal that could connect with my processing company over my network. SInce these terminals are fairly new, I couldn't find any used terminals that met my need. <br /> <br /> The good news is that virtually every processing company will program your terminal for free (they all need to be programmed for you and for your processing company). So, if you have a regular phone line you can buy a used terminal for pretty cheap. Just make sure that the company can program that particular unit for you. Using a terminal presents the most professional front for you but, as Matt points out, there is an investment. At least with PayPal, it is month by month.</li>

</ol>

<p>If you are interested in the terminal with a merchant account, I use Midwest Transaction Group and love them! <em>They don't have a contract!!!</em> Now, that may be because I signed up under my PPA membership but it's worth giving them a call. BTW, I have no affiliation with them other than being a very satisfied customer.</p>

<p>Finally, regarding the app that Jason points to - before you spend the $20 to download it, notice that you still need a merchant account with authorize.net and that will also have a monthly fee. Accepting cards using an online method (like PayPal's Virtual Terminal and Authorize.net) carries higher transaction fees than being able to swipe the physical card.</p>

<p>For example, if I have the client's card in my hand swipe it through the terminal, I only pay 1.55% (plus $0.20 per transaction). With PayPal's Virtual Terminal, if your sales are below $3000 per month, the transaction fee is $0.30 and 3.1%. That's a 10 cent transaction fee increase and <em>twice</em> the percentage rate.</p>

<p>When I buy a car, the price is a small part of the decision making process. I do a lot of research on maintenance costs. With your merchant account, you need to do the same. Figure out what all the extra monthly fees are and any contract terms. That "great deal" may not be that great if, a year from now, you're no longer doing this but still have to pay $20 a month for another year.</p>

<p>So, my personal opinion is to search for a processing company that doesn't have a two year contract, buy a used terminal, and go!</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

[penn10]

<p>Take a look at <a href="http://www.weddx.com">Weddx.com</a>, it handles online credit card payments from clients online. All you have to do is to register for a free merchant account with either PayPal or Google Checkout.</p>

[sherijohnson]

<p>paypal, also has an option of a card swiping device that connects via a USB port on the computer that can be used with virtual terminal</p>

[anthony_bridges]

<p>Thanks everyone for the replies. These are some good suggestions. Didn't even think of Paypal.<br>

- Anthony</p>

 

[michaelchadwickphotography]

<p>This is an interesting development, and I've wondered how it would affect the wedding photography industry. Could it possibly be an asset?</p>

<p>https://squareup.com/</p>

 

[heather_p1]

<p>Payjunction.com seems to be another good option, unless anyone has a negative experience to share.  I'm considering creating an account.  You can accept cards through a Virtual Terminal, through your website card and wirelessly via your phone.  Rates are better than paypal's virtual terminal.  Just have to pay for the software and there was a discount on that.  It's pretty reasonable.</p>