Where do you get a credit card machine from???

[Anastasia Vasic]

Hi everyone!
Need your help. I want to get a credit card machine for my small home based business. So I have a few questions for you. Is it expensive to run? Are they all the same price? Where do you go to get it? I'm so confused, there are so much information in the net, but I can't understand which one will be the best for me.
Thanks :hug:

 

[number1kitty]

First contact your local bank as they supply them, or find silverpay on the internet as you can get a machine off them too although they are a little more expensive.

kate x

 

[Cathie!]

I think it really does depend how much you are going to put through on your card machine. Most charge a fee per debit card transaction, up to 35p per transaction and a % for credit card transactions, up to 3%. Add to that the machine rental fee, from £15 per month plus VAT and some also have a minimum service charge too, so if you don't put enough through, you still have to pay a minimum charge. Then there's maybe a set up fee too and minimum contract term.

I looked into the service where you are not actually the merchant, the service provider is the merchant and I thought their charges were exceedingly high. From memory, machine rental was £50 per month and fees were 5% whether debit or credit card.

IMO, you need to be putting at least £1500+ per month through merchant services to make it worthwhile, otherwise you would need to alter your treatment prices upward to compensate for the monthly charges you will be paying for the privilege of taking cards.

HTH

 

[Nimue]

Hi,
I have just got a visa machine and am really impressed with it. I got mine via tthe FSB (Fedaration for Small businesses) which if you are not a member already I would recommend it. It cost £120 for the year for the FSB but their are many many benefits. Free banking mainly.
So it has taken about 3 months from joining to having the actual machine, but if you are a member they write off the set up fee and get discounted rates. So it cost about £150 to set up (i.e. receipt rolls, a mobile carry case, installation fee blah.blah,blah) and then about £70 per quarter for the service, then a percentage of each payment. Something like 1.94% on credit cards, and 32p for a debit card. I have been paying cash and cheques into Barclays for the last year and they were charging me about £80 per quarter for the privalige, so I am much better off with free banking and the visa charges.
Also there is the times when your client will spend more because they are 'only putting it on the card'. Everyones a winner.
Sorry if this is all a bit garbled, I am just going on guestimates, but if you want me to find out actual figures I will. Let me know

Good Luck

Nimue

 

[Anastasia Vasic]

Thanks a lot to everyone.
I'm based in Dublin, so don't know if they'll want to work with me, I'll find out.
Thanks a lot.
Does anyone know if there are any good deals in Ireland?
xxx:hug:

 

[Lynne Baker]

The fixed terminals are much cheaper than the wireless/mobile ones. Unless you're going to people's homes, or shows you only need a fixed one.
I got mine with FSB. First 3 months rental is free, and you get much beter merchant interchange rates with them too.
Check out whether there is an FSB in Eire, and if there isn't there's this Small Firms Association

Even if they don't offer something similar there is a forum there which could point you in the right direction.

 

[Curly Bamboo]

I got my card machine setup last month.

I also got mine through FSB. The process took a week to get signed up. They give you a temporary membership number so that you can call Streamline to arrange for a merchant ID immediately.

Streamline comes to visit you and check your ID/business banking details. It took 5-7 days for my merchant account to be setup.

I needed a GPRS terminal so I went with 123 Send. This took 5 days before the terminal arrived and I was ready to go.

When I did my costings for 12/24/36 months, i factored the FSB membership cost in and it always came out slightly cheaper than other deals.

As I am a new business, I also calculated what it would cost me if I had to terminate at 12 months.

Do ask about termination charges as it will vary depending on what your legal business structure is.

I also found that many vendors give you different answers which was very frustrating, so you may have to call twice and double check again before you sign anything.

 

[bombini]

http://www.salongeek.com/biz-geek/77895-card-machine-yes-no.html

I have a mobile terminal which is quite expensive but the benefits probably outweigh the negatives.

I couldn't have a static terminal as I use the hair salon line for bookings and they already have a card machine in there so needed a mobile one which are not cheap at all.

One of the main benefits for me is that there isn't a lengthy contract, I could cancel at anytime. All of the ones I looked into had a minimum 18 - 36 month contract which I didn't want to commit to, its possible to get out of the contract but not without paying a hefty cancellation fee

From what I have read the FSB have one of the best packages and also the Guild have a good package available to members.

 

[Exquisite Touch]

I have a mobile terminal

even though im salon based i do occasionally go to others houses. I got mine through retail merchant services Credit card terminals, Merchant card services, Accepting credit card payments, low cost credit card processing, - Retail Merchant Services there is a minium spend per month which is £20 (this is per transaction each transaction is something like 25p this should mount up to £20)
If you dont reach the £20 they make it up to £20
customer service is good and they are quite cheap No set up cost either

 

[july]

I m just in the process of taking up a card terminal with Natwest, they offered £10 plus vat for a static one plus 40p on credit cards and 2.75% on debit cards with £175 setup fee.
But what I ve just realised reading this is that the minimum charge of £10 is actually made up of their charges, not mine, is that right?? So, have to do that 40p up to £10!!! They haven't explained that! Argh, you feel like they re trying to get me to sign it without proper understanding!
Jules
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Kim Lawless]

I just got my 123 Send machine which is totally mobile. The min spend on transactions to Streamline is £5 per month and the transaction charge for debit cards is only 27p. The monthly rental is about £29. I love it. xx

 

[wowbb]

I think this thread offers very good advice and I would have suggested the FSB and merchant banks but another thing to ask your bank is that you can set up what is called a MOTO (mailorder/telephone order) merchant account which means that you dont actually need a terminal but you can put the orders straight into the banking system online.

This is basically what is behind e-commerce or online shops but you can have it on its own too. Try Protx they offer a set up where you dont actually have to commit to a monthly charge which is extremely helpful when you dont quite know how much you are going to put through the machine plus they are very helpful!

 

[lancashirelass]

I am presently looking into taking card payments but not sure what charges I will have to pay for using them.

I offer a hair extension service and to me it would be easier for me to take card payments as when somebody pays me a deposit with cash I then have to go to the bank to deposit the money, its such a pain, but on the other hand would a card machine give me less free hassle and I would I obviously be paying more.

When someone pays by card how do the charges work as I have no idea but some advice would be good.

 

[Curly Bamboo]

No offense but have the read the replies to this thread because it will have the answers you are looking for.