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Have you setup your business to take money from plasitic cards anywhere?

Did you know that your clients will be more willing to part with £64 via their card than to part with £20 in cash – that’s astonishing!!!!!

You to, should join the increasing number of small businesses who never miss the opportunity to gain a sale and instead take advantage of the ability to take secure card payments via their mobiles or tablets.

The new breed of Debit/Credit mobile reader devices allows you to Accept credit card payments on your iPhone, Android or iPad with our easy to use credit card reader. No monthly fees or long term contracts.  There is no more excuse for you not to generate income on the move and here’s why.

WorldpayZinc mobile card reader

The Benefits:

• Never lose business by giving customers the opportunity to say ‘oh I haven’t got enough cash on me’ and then lose them because you were not able to take a cashless payment.
• Card readers and your mobile phones are portable, so wherever you go, so does your business.
• Nowadays customers expect to pay by card! No more walking around with large wads of cash or scraping about in your purse for change to give your clients

Here’s how it works:

• Make an application to a bank/payment service provider like WorldPay Zinc, Paypal and Intuit for a Merchant Account. (Check around for who are offering the best rates and set up fees) They will need to know your current or projected sales per month. (Make sure you have your business setup as set out in our previous blog)
• Request a card reader and download the App to use with the card reader. There will be useful tools in the App to help you manage your account and its transactions.
• Some providers offer free readers but you may need to purchase or lease one (approx. £50). The device works by reading your client’s card and asks the cardholder to enter their PIN on the device. The device Bluetooths the information to your phone; then, via the App on your phone, the clients details are sent to your merchant account where the payment is authorised or denied. As long you have an internet connection, you are good to go.

What you need to know:

• Most providers charge a set-up fee and you will also be charged for each transaction and in most cases for refunds. 
• You won’t receive the money from transactions instantly but typically, you can expect for the money to reach your account within a week.
• You are not liable for card fraud if you get a chip and pin device versus a chip and sign device. That said, to avoid fraudulent transactions, it does not hurt to ask for identification from your clients before accepting a purchase (you can write this into your terms and conditions )
• Ensure your provider is compliant with the global Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). This Authority is designed to protect your business transactions and your customers from fraud. Also ensure you keep customers financial information/receipts locked away safely as you are responsible for protecting their data.

So you can now make your mobile phone work for you and spend less time hassling about cash and more time collecting payments for your services.