No cell phone signal issue/best credit car swiper for phone

We have had trouble with lack of cell signal in remote festival locations and so have used the old knucklebuster for credit card payments for years but I'm tired of the monthly fees and the yearly compliance charges. So I'm looking into switching cell service providers (to Verizon) and getting a swiping device to plug in to a smart phone.

I read on another forum here (can't find it again) about a vendor that when selling in a place with no cell service, would use her knucklebuster just to record the card info and then enter it by hand later digitally when she had access to cell service. The fees are higher to do that (3.5% vs 2.7% with the Paypal Here). And like the knucklebuster, you still have to trust the customer.

We've had cards declined only 4 times over the last 6 years and was able to get payment out of 2 of them (we always get a phone number but it's not always a REAL phone number).

Have you found solutions to the no cell phone signal problem?

Which card reader do you like best?

I'm leaning toward Paypal's because the fee is a little lower and we already use them for our custom orders.

Jennifer

We are using Payment Jack (formerly Roam Pay) through Total Merchant services. We have the option to switch to offline mode if cell data signal is weak. Discount fees are less than Square, Encryption is better, but the fees for cards with points or debit cards make it slightly more expensive than Square. However, the store and forward option we feel more than makes up for not having to manually enter cc info.

We do have Square as a back up on an AT&T phone, plus we take AMEX on this option to avoid the extra monthly fee on Payment Jack, our Payment Jack is on a Verizon phone and we've only had issues at indoor shows in locations with very solid roof structures or in remote mountain areas (think Mammoth Lakes CA).

With either option the money is in our account within 2-4 days.

Replies

Ruth Finkenbiner June 7, 2013 at 1:12am

We are using Payment Jack (formerly Roam Pay) through Total Merchant services. We have the option to switch to offline mode if cell data signal is weak. Discount fees are less than Square, Encryption is better, but the fees for cards with points or debit cards make it slightly more expensive than Square. However, the store and forward option we feel more than makes up for not having to manually enter cc info.

We do have Square as a back up on an AT&T phone, plus we take AMEX on this option to avoid the extra monthly fee on Payment Jack, our Payment Jack is on a Verizon phone and we've only had issues at indoor shows in locations with very solid roof structures or in remote mountain areas (think Mammoth Lakes CA).

With either option the money is in our account within 2-4 days.
James A Veenstra June 3, 2013 at 11:08pm

I haven't used the service yet, but have been evaluating various options. I found a nice comparison at the following link: http://iphone-card-reader-review.toptenreviews.com/

and a good summary of the number one ranked service (Flagship Merchant Services) at link:

http://credit-card-processing-review.toptenreviews.com/mobile-credi...

Flagship had lowest overall cost (1.58% for swiped cards). Can also handle store and forward for times when poor cell coverage. I'm going to check it out and probably pursue it further. If anyone has or is using them, would appreciate hearing from you.
- Jen Mu > James A Veenstra June 5, 2013 at 12:43am
  
  Thank you everyone for the suggestions.
greta anthony May 31, 2013 at 9:52pm

Instead of Verizon think about going with pageplus cellular they use the verizon towers but are a prepaid service. I'm paying $30 a month using a droid x2, that gives me 1200 voice minutes, 3000 texts & 250 mega bites of data. Which is more than enough to handle 3-4 shows a month. I'm using square the funds are in my account the next business day, with the new update I'm able input an inventory into the app which is really nice.
Jim Parker May 31, 2013 at 7:17pm

You don't really even need to swipe the card -- write the number on the sales slip, get a phone number, make sure to write the CVV down. Blank out all but the last four digits of the cc number on the copy you give them, or better yet, separate the bill of sale from the cc receipt. Knuckle buster makes this easier, but not necessary to make the transaction. (If they call you with a credit card over the phone, you do the same thing). Then manually enter after the show.

Or get a store & forward wireless machine. One of the phone card readers does do store and forward in software too, but I cannot remember which one. It's not Intuit, and it's not Square. Maybe someone else here will remember. Or you can do a search in the archives.
Elle Heiligenstein May 31, 2013 at 6:37pm

I have been using Intuit Go Payment and I am not happy with them. They hold your money for 30 days if you go over your weekly limit. At a good show, it is normal to exceed 1250 a week in cc transactions, it has happened to me twice and I had to jump through major hoops to get the money. In one case it took two and a half weeks to get the money deposited into my account. I have switched to ProCharge Mobile through my bank. They underwrite each account and there is no limit. Hopefully this will be better. Good luck to you!
- Kale Van Leeuwen > Elle Heiligenstein June 3, 2013 at 11:34pm
  
  Glad to know that about intuit. I have never had problems with square, but I know others have. Square is usually in by the next business day or sooner.

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