Payment via Credit Card?

L

lightstand

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Wondering what others are using to accept payment via a credit card? This option is only going to be used sparingly so I'm not looking to hire a credit card service (like the ones that keep calling me). Right now I'm looking at PayPal and Square.

I always require a 50% upfront payment before scheduling the project and I could foresee the need to have payments made throughout a contract period.

Anything I should look for or be aware of? How safe for a person who doesn't have an IT/finance team watching over everything?

Thanks for any insights or advice.
 
Square or PayPal are best if you do not need ongoing, high volume transactions where a merchant account would be better. If you are in the US then Zelle is nice as well. I use it through my bank which is without any fees.
 
Last edited:
Bassman2003 said:
Square or PayPal are best if you do not need ongoing, high volume transactions where a merchant account would be better. If you are in the US then Zelle is nice as well. I use it through Chase "Quick Pay" which is without any fees.
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I was about to suggest Zelle, as well. CC's can be a hassle and then there's the percentage that gets taken off the top. In the past, I've had the client agree to cover the percentage lost, but I do so little, it's just not worth it to me to even mess with it anymore. I have a network client that I shoot for maybe once a year and one of their payment options is CC, but I just opt to go through PayPal with them. Talking to others, I think Zelle is really going to take off in this area.
 
Ive used both square and paypal. They take a similar
percentage but both work great. I don’t do enough volume
to have a merchant account but I’m doing more and more
jobs that clients want to pay with a CC. For air miles or whatever.
It’s just not a business (like a restaurant or store) where you are
doing hundreds of low cost transactions every day. I’m
doing higher dollar transactions but only a few per month so
I’m not going to pay merchant account rates.
 
Has anyone used ApplePay via iMessage, yet? I haven't looked closely at the details/fine print, but in theory, if there is no transaction limit, it could work the same since it's linked to a CC.
 
Just wanted to say thanks for all the responses. I looked into Zelle, and while it looks very good it doesn't take CCs seems like a great way to pay friends or individuals but I don't see an easy way for a corporation to pay using it. I feel this might be the same with ApplePay, do corporations use it to have their corporate CC on file?

I already have an account tied to PayPal so I guess I will try their free option - still prefer a company check.

Along time ago I tried out Google Pay only to find out the client cancelled the payment many months after. (maybe I missed an email from Google) It was a small licensing fee and felt it was more of a hassle to go after but still was dumbfounded to find out this was possible - I didn't find out until the end of the year review. Curious if anyone has experienced these services having an overly generous refund policy?

thanks again for the insights.
 
My use of Zelle is bank to bank. If the corporation uses one of the member banks you are set. My merchant account is with Sam's Club (First Data) and it costs about $60 a year + the other fees they make up. You only have minimum charges with wireless terminals. The transaction costs are a bit higher with Square or PP as they have to make up the difference for you not having a merchant account with them. No free lunch in this space! I am hoping Zelle can grow as credit cards are why the costs are there.
 
I have used Square and I like it because if you don't use it, there are zero fees. Virtually all merchant services charge a minimum extortion fee + terminal fee every month, so if you are an occasional user, it usually doesn't work out. But if you get into a scrape, don't expect much if any support from Square. Other services are equally as bad despite what they say in a sales pitch.

I will take charge cards when needed, but if a client can't afford my services and needs to use credit, I am always a bit suspicious up front. Some folks just like to use their charge card to get rewards which i pay for by accepting cards. Before quoting any pricing, I always discuss how payment will be made and terms. If credit is their choice, I build a few points into the pricing to cover the fees.

Grant
 
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