Accepting Credit Cards

100% go PayPal! Seriously. It is much better to pay for internet access than the privilege of using that credit card machine...

I went to my local bank and we accept cards. They charge us $5.00 a month and then 3%of the total of each ticket. i do not have a swiper or terminal of any kind. My husband does a/c work and he has to be able to process in the field so he uses his cell phone to call in the card info. to automated # and he gets a reference 3 back that lets us know it processed and we have client sign work order ticket. the other business, he teaches concealed handgun permit classes and we process them the same way only under the other business's name. I just have them sign the sales receipt as a charge. So far i haven't had any problems with it. We can take visa mastercard and discover and any debits with those logos on them. i bank with Prosperity bank here in Texas. Hope this helps. Oh and while not technically approved by VISA, we add a "cash discount not earned fee" for all credit charges and it amazingly is 3% of the total of the sale. :) This is technically not approved by VISA but it is a loop hole to their rules of not charging a fee for using a credit card. Since our is a not using cash fee, it is just a technicality but most people understand and don't mind paying it for the convenience.

I'm not sure what the charges are, but the business I work for recently set it up to accept them through Quickbooks. It came with a little swiper to hook into the computer.

I just wanted to add to Sara's advice. I definitely would get with Quickbooks with whatever cards you get. I took a college course on quickbooks and it is awesome for businesses. I believe you could use paypal with it as well, the same account linked to paypal and quickbooks.

A good place to start would be to contact your current bank and see what they have to offer.

Definitely check with your bank. Yes, AmEx does charge more than everyone else, but with our bank, Discover is pumped in with MC and Visa so it doesn't cost us more.

Check out Costco merchant services. Our little company is paying much less since switching. They are reliable and service-oriented.

It depends on whether you want go use it at a storefront, or if everything is done electronically (selling on a website, etc.)

We go through PayPal.. it gives people the option to pay with credit cards also. They charge 3% of each transaction, but I was able to set it up in just a few minutes. I'm also able to set up payment plans on our most popular packages, so clients don't have to pay for everything up front. You can see examples of some of my buttons here: http://familyeguide.com/advertising.html

I use ProPay through my Mary Kay business. I bill all of mine online, but they offer card readers as well. As you might imagine, depending on the selling price of your items, you will want to be cautious when accepting checks or credit cards, so you want to investigate the liability and coverage of any service you use. ProPay is available for any type of businesses as far as I know. There is also another company that I found out about through the Shepherd's Guide that offers card readers and the like.

I would NOT accept American Express. I was told it has the highest fees.
I have heard similar complaints about Discover. Master Card and Visa are the most popular and many debit cards have the logos on it.
Just make sure you check ID and don't accept it as payment if it is declined. You will have to eat the fraudulent charges and anyones that were over the limit if someone convinces you to rerun it later.

Also, there are several stores who do not EVER give cash refunds, even if I have the receipt and paid cash yesterday. I hate that and asked them why.
They get charged for returns and sales and are not allowed to charge more for credit cards so they don't allow returns. I quit shopping at those places.
Even though I want to support local and family businesses, I am not going to put up with that.