If you accept credit cards, your business will bank more sales. If your business extends beyond the confines of brick and mortar, you will be taking payments at client locations or open-air markets. If you can take credit cards from any location where there is mobile service, you will do more transactions. Your cell phone plus a mobile credit card processing service will give you real-time validation and payment processing, low rates and fees for each transaction, online account management and the ability to send email or text receipts. For more information we invite you to read articles about mobile credit card processing, especially our reviews of Flagship Merchant Services ROAMpay, Leaders Merchant Services and Intuit GoPayment.
To discover the best overall mobile credit card processing solution for your situation, consider the following criteria, which we provide as a checklist.
Pricing
Several fees determine the real cost of using any credit card processing service. Aside from setup fees and monthly service fees, there are also fees each time you process a credit card. The per-transaction fee is typically composed of two elements, the base rate and the processing rate. These vary by the payment gateway and merchant account you use. While one service may have a low per-transaction fee, the authorization rate may be high. Calculate your average sales to find out which combination is the best for you.
Hardware & Compatibility
Most credit card processing apps work with any popular mobile phone. You can also use optional mobile card readers or Bluetooth printer/reader combos. These additional devices are portable and can let you take advantage of lower swipe-transaction fees.
Transaction Features
Accepting credit cards with your cell phone isn’t just portable, it also facilitates a number of additional features. With the right phone, network and service, you can capture signatures directly on your device, calculate sales tax, accept tips, manage customer info, and email (or text) receipts to customers.
Processing credit cards from your phone is remarkably simple; it's more intuitive than learning to use most credit card terminals.
Every service we reviewed uses SSL encryption to make sure sensitive information is secure. The individual apps are often password protected and include additional safety measures in the event of theft or loss of the device. Credit card information is never actually stored on the phone. Credit card payments via phone are actually safer because the card never has to leave the customer's sight, and you won’t have paper imprints of credit card information lying around.
Whether you’re looking for the best mobile credit card solution that will work with your current payment gateway, or looking to start from scratch, our comprehensive reviews of mobile credit card processing services will help you find the best one for you.
At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™
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10-9 Excellent
8-6 Good 5-4 Average 3-2 Poor 1-0 Bad
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Flagship ROAMpay | Leaders | Intuit GoPayment | Merchant One | MerchantWARE Mobile | Chase Paymentech | Pay Anywhere | Square | E-Commerce Exchange | Merchant Anywhere |
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| Ratings | 10.00 | 8.20 | 7.50 | 6.30 | 5.00 | 4.50 | 4.00 | 3.75 | 3.60 | 3.50 |
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0.38-1.58%
1.36-2.56%
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0.49-1.59%
1.99%
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1.70%
2.70%
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1.59%
2.05%
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1.69%
2.19%
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1.59-1.79%
2.10-2.50%
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2.69%
3.49%
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2.75%
3.50%
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1.49-1.70%
1.99-2.70%
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1.69%
2.20%
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| Additional Fees | ||||||||||
| Per Transaction Fee | $0.19 | $0.10-$0.30 | $0.10 | $0.19 | $0.21 | $0.18-$0.24 | $0.19 | $0.15 | $0-$0.27 | $0.30 |
| Mobile Credit Card Reader | Free | Free | Free | Free | Extra Cost | Extra Cost | Free | Free | Extra Cost | Extra Cost |
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| Credit Card Info Not Stored on Phone | ||||||||||
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