Taking credit card payments

[boosta]

Hi all, i have recently decided that I really need a credit card machine for attending shows and events.

Does anyone have any recommendations regarding which company to use? Ideally I would like a company that sorts the merchant bank account out for me too.

Cheers :-)

[Kimkie]

I'm interested in this too. I am loosing customers by not having that facility.

[caroleallen]

I only have experience with Adelante. What I like about them is that when you ring, you get to talk to an actual person with a name. You don't end up with some automated message. I've been with them for about 5 years and if I get a problem (like I did this week) they sort it out quickly. I don't know if they're the cheapest but I don't think I'd change.

[pearlescence]

I use streamline...have done for years. The machine works well most of the time (sometimes no signal either due to remoteness of location or overloaded station) and my hand machine needs a new battery but I've never had a problem with transfer of money
And, again, when you ring you get a person
You are right, you will be losing sales. Most people carry a bit of cash these days and their cards.

[Patstone]

Yes, I have noticed that, a lot of people at the last craft fair asked if I had a card machine and I dont. I think that a lot of people wouldnt have enough cash on them to purchase jewellery apart from the cheaper things, I know I dont carry much cash and these days you expect people to have machines when you buy something. I will have to get one soon I think, thanks for the info.

[ps_bond]

I rarely carry much cash, so I'd tend to assume potential customers don't - I feel that being able to take CC payments is pretty much essential now. Cheques aren't something I'm happy with without suitable guarantee cards, although additional (addressed) ID like a driving licence can probably cover that (in the event of it being bounced).

One caveat... At the Romsey show, someone I know hired a CC machine to use for the day. It processed 2 transactions before refusing to play ball due to network traffic; the provider was, I'm told, completely uninterested in the problem. Make sure you've got a) backup and b) a clear idea of what happens when it goes FUBAR! In this particular case they were lucky - they have a fixed terminal at their shop, so were able to phone in payments and send out the receipts by post.

[Dennis]

At IJL this year, two gemstone companies refused credit cards , causing me to make two separate journeys to the cash machine outside. Had I not found something that was unavailable elsewhere, I should not have bothered.
Most people no longer carry cheque books and I have read that bank cards no longer guarantee cheques anyhow. From personal experience, once someone’s cheque bounces, they will do their very best not to pay. It’ a hassle you can well do without. Dennis.

[ps_bond]

At IJL this year, two gemstone companies refused credit cards , causing me to make two separate journeys to the cash machine outside. Had I not found something that was unavailable elsewhere, I should not have bothered.

Well, I know those weren't Wards or Marcia Lanyon... I'd have to have been really taken with the stones to trog off to a cashpoint.


Most people no longer carry cheque books and I have read that bank cards no longer guarantee cheques anyhow. From personal experience, once someone’s cheque bounces, they will do their very best not to pay. It’ a hassle you can well do without. Dennis.

Oh yes. If the cheque bounces, you're probably going to have to go to the small claims court to rectify it.

[art925]

Over here in the Netherlands, the monetary system is very much different to my UK experiences. Credit cards are not widely used in personal finance, however we have used debit card and PIN machines with PIN code for much longer the in the UK. Although it is uncommon for a shop not to have a pin machine, I do not, and have never lost a sale through it.

I allow customers without cash to transfer directly from bank account to my bank account, it is a highly secure system similar to all banks and reduces banking fraud immensly. I take their name, address, phone number and ID number, and the insurance on this is much less than the bank payments for having the PIN machine and receiving transactions this way. It means I also carry less cash, and negates the additional charges for depositing cash at the bank.

[pearlescence]

At the International Trade Show in Hong Kong last month nearly everything is in cash, so people are wandering round with huge wads of dosh in every currency possible. it is amazing how good one can get at working between USD, HKD and GBP in a couple of days of mental maths.
Everything is priced in USD, I paid in GBP and got change in HKD.

[Patstone]

I am new to this type of thing so dont really understand how it all works, are we talking state ID system. I have asked customers to pay by Pal-Pal and as soon as the payment clears I send off the stuff to them, but you still have to rely on them actually doing the transfer. By the time they have seen all the other stands and walked around for half an hour, they have probably forgotten all about you. Most of the venues I go to exhibit is in (at the moment) a field somewhere, normally with a tent overhead, so using any type of electrical appliance that has to plugged in to the mains is not an option. Most of my stuff is ranging from about £20 - £80ish at the moment due to lack of funds, but people dont take that sort of money to a local craft fair, I know that I dont. The next step is to invest in a card machine I think.

[pearlescence]

A card machine will indeed work in most fields, provided the base station does not have the hab-dabs at the sudden traffic overload. But they do allow you to get the money (a nd provide a comedy break as you hop around waving it in the air to get a signal!)

[caroleallen]

You may find it easier to use the MobilePos system through Adelante, which works with your mobile phone.

[pearlescence]

That is a possiblility but I feel some will baulk at putting details into a mobile phone. I've encountered and used many terminals (and have one myself) but I would probably not want to put my details into someone's mobile...

[ps_bond]

As I've said before, I'd be in that camp - I'll use Paypal from my own PC, but won't rely on others. If your customer has a smart phone, they can do it - but if not... I still think the POS (Point Of Sale, not the other one) terminals are the best solution; it's just which route to them is optimal. A week's rental for one or two days doesn't seem desperately viable.

[Patstone]

Hahaha I can just imagine me doing that, what a laugh. My daughter and I have just got back from London, been to the Assay office and got our hallmark now, how exciting is that.

[pearlescence]

Getting your own sponsor's mark is amazing, isn't it. I got mine many years ago and I can still remember sitting in Goldsmiths hall somewhere and picking the shape etc. Now you really will be making your mark.