Card Scanner App

The best credit card reader for small business depends on whether your business does in person sales or online sales. Credit card scanner app for online sales generally has higher rates.

Brad Nakase, Attorney

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Happily, there are several credit card scanner apps for small business owners to consider. Each comes with pros and cons, so it is important to understand one’s options and how they might suit one’s business. The following is a discussion of each of the major credit card scanner apps, so that a business owner may make an informed decision for their company and customer base.

In this article, our small business attorney in San Diego highlights the 10 best credit card scanner apps in no particular order.

  1. Costco

Costco is known for its low prices for products and services, including credit card scanning app. Costco teamed up with Evalon to provide small businesses with credit card scanning for as low as 1.10%. For online sales, the credit card app rate is 1.90%. You can pull up the app on your mobile device and hand the device to the client to complete the transaction.

  1. Square

Square, a square-shaped plug-in card reader, was founded in 2009 by the co-owner of Twitter. The reader works with both Apple and Android devices. It charges 2.6% for ever swipe payment, plus an additional 10 cents. For online transactions, there is a 2.9% charge, as well as an additional 30 cents per transaction.

  1. Stripe

Stripe allows a business owner to customize his or her credit card scanner to fit their specific business needs. One of the benefits of Stripe is 24/7 customer service and fraud detection. In terms of cost, Stripe charges a fee of 2.9% and 30 cents for each online credit transaction. There is a 2.7% and 30 cent charge for in-person credit card transactions.

  1. PayPal Here

PayPal offers a credit card scanner called PayPal Here, which may be used for merchants and online shoppers. A business owner will need to have a PayPal business account and profile in order to use the app. The app provides the ability to have customizable receipts. It charges 2.7% for every swipe transaction within the United States.

  1. Shopify Lite

Shopify, the eCommerce behemoth, launched this card processing app, which does not have any application fees and supports payments from PayPal. The app allows business owners to send invoices and directly accept payments from shoppers. There is a $9 per month fee in addition to 2.7% for each in-person transaction. Also, there is a 2.9% charge, plus 30 cents, for online transactions.

  1. Helcium

Helcium Commerce, offered by the Canadian company Helcium, offers Customer Relationship Management (CRM), recurring payments, online invoicing, and a virtual terminal that lets a business owner link credit card transactions with their computer. The app costs $20 per month, in addition to processing fees that begin at 1.92% and 8 cents for each transaction.

  1. Clover

The Clover app has a few unique features in the form of inventory management and reporting. It also allows a business owner to save customer’s card information as well as other data at the time of sale. The basic plan costs $9.95 a month, in addition to 2.7% and 10 cents per in-person transaction. The fee is raised to 3.5% and 10 cents for online transactions.

  1. Fattmerchant

Created in 2014, Fattmerchant is a good choice for businesses that handle a high volume of credit card payments. Their payments are typically processed the next day, but they can be processed the same-day if the business owner pays a little extra. Fattmerchant charges $99 a month for businesses that process less than $1 million per year. It charges $199 a month for companies that process more than $1 million per year.

  1. Payanywhere

This app is owned by Wells Fargo, and it includes features such as digital receipts, barcode scanning, an inventory library, and refund processing. Using Payanywhere Inside, the central merchant hub, a business owner can get sales reports, manage disputes, and study trends. This app charges 2.69% for every swipe, chip, or contactless payment.

  1. SwipeSimple

A product of Payment Depot, SwipeSimple is a mobile credit card reader with a lot of features. The company offers receipts via SMS and email, an item catalog, invoicing, and inventory tracking. The basic plan is $10 per month, as well as 2.6% and 10 cents for every transaction.

Conclusion

A business credit card scanner app is a great way for a business owner to stay up to date with customer trends and habits, as well as to become more efficient and grow their business. However, before deciding on an app, a business owner should be sure to try out a few different ones to see which fits their business best in the long-term.

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