credit card acceptance

[KevinL]

Anybody use innovative through quickbooks? Any drawbacks? Anything better?

 

[Guest]

Quickbooks is too expensive. We process over the phone with Wachovia bank.

We stopped Discover and AMX. Too much in fees and too high of a percentage rate. Most people who have discover or AMX have mastecard and Visa.

When I explain to people that i gotta charge more to cover the fees, they understand completely.

 

[KevinL]

Thanks for the fast reply Chris. Don't you have some work to do?

 

[Guest]

yeah, so?
Somebody's gotta be here to keep this place from turding into bob's board.

 

[Kevin B]

Quickbooks is too expensive. We process over the phone with Wachovia bank.

We stopped Discover and AMX. Too much in fees and too high of a percentage rate. Most people who have discover or AMX have mastecard and Visa.

When I explain to people that i gotta charge more to cover the fees, they understand completely.

I agree, discover and amx are rediculous fees. You could get terminated or sued for charging more to accept the cards. I pay like 1.215 percent, its not going to break me.

 

[Becker]

I use QB to process all my CD sales.

I accept all cards, V, M, D, A.
Amex does have higher fees, but not like 10 years ago.

I used a terminal for years to enter sales, now I use QBs and have for 3-4 years.

I really like it. Fast, unless the fees really spiked I'll stick with QBs.

 

[Kevin B]

Rates are as follows - 1.72 on swiped rate, 2.44 on keyed rate, and 3.27 on non qualified rate(miles cards). 17.95 monthly fee and another 5.00 fee if you have no commissions.

That is WAY higher than what I am paying now. Money is money. Mine is easy, I do it on the road.

 

[Guest]

Quickbooks is the best! and simple, I guess when your charging .65 a sqft at 1.8% it get expensive to accept credit cards

 

[TimP]

I punch them in through my in-laws business. I only have run about 3-4 transactions this year so it's not much. I think to run it over the phone and punch it in is like 2.5%. Better than not getting paid and having a happy customer. I don't mention I take them though unless I they ask. If I was going to take more cards I'd definitely find something with at least 1.5% for swipes and do a swipe in the customers home, and probably run it through their phone line or something of the sort.

 

[joey895]

I use quickbooks. You can find cheaper but for no more credit cards than I run the difference in cost is negligible and it's super simple. I don't encourage people to pay with credit card, but I clean a lot of vacation/rental properties where the owners are out of town and when we discuss payment options I get them to pay me with credit card so I don't have to wait weeks to get paid.

 

[Kevin B]

Its 18 dollars a month...You don't have to pay that much, and none of them are complicated.

 

[Rescue]

Can someone send me a link to this Credit card stuff?

 

[duckster]

Anybody use innovative through quickbooks? Any drawbacks? Anything better?

I use it. And I have the credit card reader. So my laptop is a POS (not a Piece of **** but a Point of Sale) machine.

 

[John Watson]

We do not normally accept credit cards. But I have worked out a deal with a friend in the past. If the clients wants, we will add 5% to the ticket, I will then call my buds office and they run it through and the 5% is theirs for the convenience and it covers the cost of a non swiped transaction and my client gets their miles or what ever.

Anyone who has a CC agreement can not legally charge a surcharge or extra percentage to cover he cost. I can cause I have no agreement.

We only have done this a couple of times

 

[encapman]

Want to save some money???

Try SkipJack and US Merchant Services.

http://www.skipjack.com/solutions.aspx? ... %7C2685241

http://www.usmerchantservices.net/

It's a cheaper way to accept cards and still link to QuickBooks.

 

[duckster]

It is my understanding that a surcharge on a sale for using a credit card is against the merchant account policy and can result in a loss of the merchant account on a permanent basis. I am just saying you might want to be careful with your friendly credit card processing friend.

Maybe Paypal would be a good alternative?

 

[John Watson]

Duckster,

I don't believe there is a problem. I am making the purchase authorized by my client for an agreed on fee that enables them to use this service which I do not subscribe to. My Friend is not charging me I just reimburse him for his costs and troubles.

 

[duckster]

John,

I won't debate the point with you although I ran the merchant account for a company doing millions every month and might have a bit more experience than anyone here in dealing with Visa and Mastercard.

But I will reiterate, to do what you are doing places you friend's merchant account in jeopardy because:

1. He is not permitted to allow you to run charges through on his merchant account
2. No merchant may charge a surcharge for purchases if the customer selects a credit card as the payment method

What you are doing is not illegal however I am sure your friend will enjoy his relationship with you even more when an customer of yours who turns angry goes to his credit card issuer and tells them that either he/she was charged more for using a credit card or that he/she has never done business with the merchant and declares the charge to be fraud in which case your friend is either losing his merchant account, charged a few thousand dollars in a large non-refundable deposit, made to pay higher fees or has a higher reserve set for disputes meaning the next few sales of his are not remitted to his bank. One dispute and the red flag goes up and he is now the subject of an intense investigation.

Your friend will have no recourse against your customer, he gets to sue you and collect from you as you placed the charge. You see, he never had any business dealings with your customer. He would need to prove that he sold your customer something or admit that he is participating in a credit card fraud scheme whether intentionally of due to ignorance.

You really do need your own merchant account to become a reputable and respected merchant. Sorry, there is no candy coating the improper use of merchant accounts. It is not a question of rather or not you and your friend will be found out. It is simply a matter of when.

 

[John Watson]

Sure glad you didn't want to debate it....

Ifn youse did yous be a Master debater!!!!

 

[brite n clean]

For my business it wouldn't be wort the hassle. Maybe if I start getting more requests to take them, I'll look into it.

 

[Rob Lyon]

Have to take them here,lots of clients not there when we do the job!!
It's worth it to get paid immediately!


All The best, Rob

 

[Ken Snow]

The duckster is absolutely right John and I would even ask Mike or an admin to delete your posts. We process millions a year through credit cards (we take them all) and the merchant account agreements are very clear about not doing what you and your friend are doing. You may think you are entering into an agreement with your customer but as far as your friends credit card company is concerned he is breaking his agreement and could be subject to all that duckster said.

Disregard at your and your friends own risk, or better yet, explain all this to your friend and then let him/her decide if they want to risk thousands of for your convenience. That would at least make you honorable to you friend in this situation.

Ken
Ps I am not trying to debate or judge you only giving out friendly advise (unasked for I realize).