I have been asked to look at providing a voluntary association with advice on the desirability of adopting a card processing solution. Here as ever, are my notes and links. …
- https://www.practicalecommerce.com/11-Credit-Card-Apps-Swipers-for-iPhone-Android-and-BlackBerry
- https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/credit-card-reader
- https://sumup.co.uk/
I looked at “paypal here” because it seems to obviate the need for any infrastructure, other than the card reader. (Does it need a phone? Yes! It needs an account and thus an account administrator, who must be on the internet.)
They all charge, “Paypal Here” maybe between 2.7% (swipe) and 3.5% + 15c (manual).
Sumup also requires a phone.
The solution Tap2app claims not to charge, which seems odd, but I used a picture from it as the basis of my featured image. I wonder if it’s still around? It would seem not, wonder who bought them, but they’re not in wikipedia.
Some further thoughts …
- Is this a payment for something we don’t need?
- Does the turnover justify the cost?
- Does the solution place constraints and barriers on becoming an officer? i.e. who pays for the phone and how frequently do we change officers and thus the details of the contract?
- What is the physical security solution for the device?
- Does the solution require additional banking services? What is the effort/financial cost of running these?
- What are the GDPR/Data Protection implications for using means other than cash?