How to Accept Credit Cards Over the Phone

Most businesses process credit cards in one of three ways. Customers can swipe cards on a portable electronic keypad, swipe it on a card reader attached to a cash register, or input their card details on a secure website. To facilitate these payments, a business needs to open a merchant account with a payment processor.

Good payment processors will integrate all these card processing options into a single unified portal. This allows ease of cash management. It also speeds up transactions, which boosts sales and encourages buyers to spend more.

Make your card payments mobile

There’s a fourth payment option that is also important. Many customers prefer to make their payments using their phones. The most obvious way to do this is to call a store and give them your card details over the phone. But nowadays, paying with your phone can also mean using the features of a smartphone to pay automatically.

Mobile payments offer some security advantages, because some mobile card transactions add an extra step where the customer has to input their PIN or digital signature to approve the payment. It minimizes the chances of fraud because the customer retains their card throughout the process. It never leaves their hands, and some mobile apps have more security features than a standard card reader.

Getting started with phone payments

Some businesses prefer to develop their own payment app from scratch, but this is expensive and time consuming. It’s much better to select a payment processing company that already offers these services. Some processors offer apps and web-based software at no extra charge, which allows you to accept telephone payments whether by voice or electronically. These mobile payment portals are compatible with multiple credit and debit cards.

With the right payment provider, your business shouldn’t need to buy any extra equipment or even separate phones. A mobile payment app or web-based software can be accessed by any Internet-connected mobile phone, including a salesperson’s personal line. The salesperson will simply use company credentials to log into the company account and use it to accept the customer’s card.  By accepting cards in this way, the salesperson will never gain access to the customer’s personal credit card information, even if the salesperson’s phone is used for the transaction.

Processing payments by phone is more convenient for both customers and businesses. The customer feels safer and more secure, because mobile payments are more immediate and transparent than other forms of payment. For a business, mobile payment saves time and money while portraying them as modern and technologically advanced.

For more information on accepting credit cards over the phone, or to sign up for a merchant account, please call (888) 924-2743 or go to Charge.com.