Can my Small Business Accept Mobile Credit Card Payments?
You’ve probably already heard about the benefits of accepting mobile credit card payments. It’s faster, safer, and more convenient, both for businesses and customers. But from a small business perspective, it can seem expensive. This is not true.
You can start accepting mobile credit card payments at little to no cost. It all depends on your payment processor. Depending on where you are in the credit card journey, you might know how this works. In case you don’t, for a business to accept credit cards, it has to sign up with a third party company called a payment processor. Payment processors can link your customers’ bank to yours in order to process their credit card payments to you.
Free application
Some payment processors have lengthy (and pricy) application procedures, so look for one that approves accounts faster and doesn’t charge for application. They may have other free services, like virtual shopping carts for your online store, programing for various card networks, and smartphone payment apps. Some merchant processors will provide POS (point of sale) terminals at no additional cost, in the form of portable electronic keypads. Customers use these to swipe their cards.
For your purposes, a smartphone app can be the most important aspect of your account. You can download onto all your staff’s phones, allowing them to receive payments from customers from anywhere.
Onboarding the unfamiliar
Part of the appeal of small businesses is their intimacy with customers. You may know your customers by name and interact with them regularly. So, take an extra step and start a loyalty program. Accepting credit cards allows you to automatically link your customers’ credit cards to your loyalty program. All they have to do is sign up–which means you’ll be able to contact them with news or promotions that will help bring them back to your store again and again.
For more information on accepting mobile credit card payments at your small business, or to sign up for a merchant account, please call (888) 924-2743 or go to Charge.com.
