a community of practitioners

Accepting Credit/debit Cards?

I'm considering this. Any recommendations? Do you find it a profitable addition to your business, or do you find it best to only receive cash and checks?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Erica Olson on January 4, 2010 at 5:14pm

*chuckle* I had the business teacher at our school once tell us to make it as easy as possible for people to give you money.

Permalink Reply by silvana marroche on January 4, 2010 at 5:18pm

I totally agree. And if massage is anything like selling body products, i have noticed that most people use their charge/debit cards faster and more freely :)

Erica Olson said:

*chuckle* I had the business teacher at our school once tell us to make it as easy as possible for people to give you money.

Permalink Reply by Erica Olson on January 4, 2010 at 5:21pm

*nod* The only time I use checks is for paying bills by mail, rent, or when funds are tight and I need a day or two before a transaction will clear. Otherwise, it's debit all the way.

silvana marroche said:

I totally agree. And if massage is anything like selling body products, i have noticed that most people use their charge/debit cards faster and more freely :)

Erica Olson said:
*chuckle* I had the business teacher at our school once tell us to make it as easy as possible for people to give you money.

Permalink Reply by Misty Van Staaveren on January 26, 2010 at 10:22pm

I've been using Propay. It's a one time fee for a year and a small percentage on charges. I really like it. No monthly fees, easy to use. It's been great. I paid $35 but they have other plans available too.

Permalink Reply by Sanna Miller on February 5, 2010 at 2:49am

I've been looking at Propay lately. Do you get the card reader with the $35 annual membership? Or do you call in by phone. I can't tell exactly how their system is setup. Have you had any hassles with it? I always hate calling these companies for more information because it seems to invite daily sales calls!

Misty Van Staaveren said:

I've been using Propay. It's a one time fee for a year and a small percentage on charges. I really like it. No monthly fees, easy to use. It's been great. I paid $35 but they have other plans available too.

Permalink Reply by Misty Van Staaveren on February 5, 2010 at 12:36pm

With the $35 that I paid, the only way to inpu the card info is from their website. I got one of those old fashioned "swipers" and imprint the card then I just input the info into their site. It's the larger package plans that come with the phone calling. Also, I believe you pay an additional fee for their electronic swiper in addition to the package price. I haven't had any problems with them. What I really like is they are a member of the Better Business Bureau. I usually get my money in about 3-4 days. The percentage is a bit higher than most but you're also not paying a monthly fee, so for me, it's cheaper. So far, I really like it! And I love the flexibility of being able to accept credit cards.

Misty

Sanna Miller said:

I've been looking at Propay lately. Do you get the card reader with the $35 annual membership? Or do you call in by phone. I can't tell exactly how their system is setup. Have you had any hassles with it? I always hate calling these companies for more information because it seems to invite daily sales calls!

Misty Van Staaveren said:
I've been using Propay. It's a one time fee for a year and a small percentage on charges. I really like it. No monthly fees, easy to use. It's been great. I paid $35 but they have other plans available too.

Permalink Reply by Sanna Miller on February 6, 2010 at 4:12pm

Thanks Misty! That helps a lot. I didn't even realize it was still possible to get those imprint machines, but that seems like a great way to go. Much more professional than just a hand written receipt after calling in a card, and saves time too!

Misty Van Staaveren said:

With the $35 that I paid, the only way to inpu the card info is from their website. I got one of those old fashioned "swipers" and imprint the card then I just input the info into their site. It's the larger package plans that come with the phone calling. Also, I believe you pay an additional fee for their electronic swiper in addition to the package price. I haven't had any problems with them. What I really like is they are a member of the Better Business Bureau. I usually get my money in about 3-4 days. The percentage is a bit higher than most but you're also not paying a monthly fee, so for me, it's cheaper. So far, I really like it! And I love the flexibility of being able to accept credit cards.

Misty

Sanna Miller said:
I've been looking at Propay lately. Do you get the card reader with the $35 annual membership? Or do you call in by phone. I can't tell exactly how their system is setup. Have you had any hassles with it? I always hate calling these companies for more information because it seems to invite daily sales calls!

Misty Van Staaveren said:
I've been using Propay. It's a one time fee for a year and a small percentage on charges. I really like it. No monthly fees, easy to use. It's been great. I paid $35 but they have other plans available too.

Permalink Reply by Erica Olson on February 6, 2010 at 10:54pm

So where does one get one of those ratcheting finger-eating . . . err, credit card machines?

Sanna Miller said:

Thanks Misty! That helps a lot. I didn't even realize it was still possible to get those imprint machines, but that seems like a great way to go. Much more professional than just a hand written receipt after calling in a card, and saves time too!

Permalink Reply by Misty Van Staaveren on February 6, 2010 at 11:04pm

Knuckle busters is what I read them referred to when I was looking for them! You can get them pretty cheap off Ebay but I got mine free, complete with forms from our local Freecycle. You can also try Craigslist. I did a google search for knuckle buster and there are a lot of sites that sell them.

Misty

Erica Olson said:

So where does one get one of those ratcheting finger-eating . . . err, credit card machines?

Sanna Miller said:
Thanks Misty! That helps a lot. I didn't even realize it was still possible to get those imprint machines, but that seems like a great way to go. Much more professional than just a hand written receipt after calling in a card, and saves time too!

Permalink Reply by Erica Olson on February 6, 2010 at 11:05pm

You have no idea how much this makes me snicker. *grin*

Misty Van Staaveren said:

I did a google search for knuckle buster and there are a lot of sites that sell them.

Permalink Reply by Misty Van Staaveren on February 6, 2010 at 11:11pm

:) Yeah, me too! I'm glad you enjoyed it!!

Permalink Reply by Sanna Miller on February 6, 2010 at 11:11pm

I found this site that has them new starting from about $13 plus s/h. I also found a place that sells carbonless imprint slips, though they cost about 2x as much as the carbon copies. But it may be worth it to not fight off black smudges before the next client and probably better for the environment too!

Misty Van Staaveren said:

Knuckle busters is what I read them referred to when I was looking for them! You can get them pretty cheap off Ebay but I got mine free, complete with forms from our local Freecycle. You can also try Craigslist. I did a google search for knuckle buster and there are a lot of sites that sell them.

Misty

Erica Olson said:
So where does one get one of those ratcheting finger-eating . . . err, credit card machines?

Sanna Miller said:
Thanks Misty! That helps a lot. I didn't even realize it was still possible to get those imprint machines, but that seems like a great way to go. Much more professional than just a hand written receipt after calling in a card, and saves time too!