Joined Nov 2005
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Forum Thread
Easiest card reader
April 17, 2023 at
04:48 PM
Thread Details
I'm the (new) treasurer for a pool and tennis club. Basically the way the club works is that members pay a fee for (seasonal) access, plus a bond (deposit). These fees are billed ahead of the season, and since they are large and few, they are invoiced through Quickbooks.
There are other misc fees during the season - fees for having guests, fees when events are put on, etc, and typically less than $100 (guest fees are $5/ea for example). These fees are typically charged at the event itself although for some events, due to the logistics of the event (headcount), we have been trying to get fees ahead of time. Since these fees are so numerous and relatively small (as singles), the existing treasurer has been invoicing them with the NEXT year's dues. Obviously this presents an issue if people just refuse to pay, or don't want to be members and don't pay. The club does not have the resources to chase people for $100 fees.
To simplify fee collection and in an effort to make it easy for everyone to capture the fees, I've been looking into a POS card swipe system. In an ideal world, it wouldn't be a real POS, as the fees are simple - e.g. people walk in with 2 guests? $10 please.
Are there systems that are that simple - employee (we do have employees) types $10 on keypad, swipes card, charge goes through, sends receipts, etc. Also, what are the general costs of these various options?
There are other misc fees during the season - fees for having guests, fees when events are put on, etc, and typically less than $100 (guest fees are $5/ea for example). These fees are typically charged at the event itself although for some events, due to the logistics of the event (headcount), we have been trying to get fees ahead of time. Since these fees are so numerous and relatively small (as singles), the existing treasurer has been invoicing them with the NEXT year's dues. Obviously this presents an issue if people just refuse to pay, or don't want to be members and don't pay. The club does not have the resources to chase people for $100 fees.
To simplify fee collection and in an effort to make it easy for everyone to capture the fees, I've been looking into a POS card swipe system. In an ideal world, it wouldn't be a real POS, as the fees are simple - e.g. people walk in with 2 guests? $10 please.
Are there systems that are that simple - employee (we do have employees) types $10 on keypad, swipes card, charge goes through, sends receipts, etc. Also, what are the general costs of these various options?
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2.6% plus 10 cents
2.6% plus 10 cents
You could look at people purchasing a punch card for 50.00 with 5 10.00 punches the person buys the card gets the card punched and then you just punch it as they go.
You may still need a POS but how do you process stuff now?
You could look at people purchasing a punch card for 50.00 with 5 10.00 punches the person buys the card gets the card punched and then you just punch it as they go.
You may still need a POS but how do you process stuff now?
It's haphazard right now, but that's really because we're not really a business, meaning we don't have such volume of things that it's required a more professional approach.
I've found a few. Seems the Zettle from Paypal is the cheapest, and we also have a PP account but that device is OOS (of course). Clover has devices, but the cheapest "pad" style is like $500. The next lowest requires a separate device (e.g. phone/tablet) which isn't a deal breaker but the idea here is simplicity.
https://www.squareup.co
You don't even need a physical reader or to spend any money to take credit card transactions - https://squareup.com/us/en/paymen...l-terminal
Everything can be done through a computer by manually typing in the card and purchase information to authorize each transaction.
....
But honestly for mobile transactions where you are out and about, and when you get enough transactions in a year to make it worth the effort, a swiped card reader for free at minimum + prepaid cell phone with cheap data plan.
https://squareup.com/us/en/hardware/reader
https://www.tracfone.co
You do not need a ton of data, and as long as you're not using the phone to play games, watch videos, etc, you can get by with very little data. (Make sure the phone and app store updates are on manual so they don't gobble up data endlessly.)
...
Eventually, credit cards won't come with mag stripes as the industry phases them out, so you'll need to transition to a chip reader.
https://squareup.com/us/en/hardwa...hip-reader
You might need to do this sooner than later if all the members only use their phones to pay by tap.
https://www.squareup.co
You don't even need a physical reader or to spend any money to take credit card transactions - https://squareup.com/us/en/paymen...l-terminal
Everything can be done through a computer by manually typing in the card and purchase information to authorize each transaction.
....
But honestly for mobile transactions where you are out and about, and when you get enough transactions in a year to make it worth the effort, a swiped card reader for free at minimum + prepaid cell phone with cheap data plan.
https://squareup.com/us/en/hardware/reader
https://www.tracfone.co
You do not need a ton of data, and as long as you're not using the phone to play games, watch videos, etc, you can get by with very little data. (Make sure the phone and app store updates are on manual so they don't gobble up data endlessly.)
...
Eventually, credit cards won't come with mag stripes as the industry phases them out, so you'll need to transition to a chip reader.
https://squareup.com/us/en/hardwa...hip-reader
You might need to do this sooner than later if all the members only use their phones to pay by tap.
We wound up going with Zettle/Paypal for a few reasons:
- the terminal is cheaper, $200 or so. The other options were more $$.
- we actually need a terminal, not just a phone/app with a reader. The key with this is going to be ease of use and idiot-proofing. I worry with adding a separate device we'll have issues with connectivity, apps acting up, etc
- we have an established relationship with paypal - we currently accept member fees through them, have quite a bit in the account, and it's easy
- PP's fees also tend to be the lowest, although this was a bonus criteria and not so much a determining factor
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We wound up going with Zettle/Paypal for a few reasons:
- the terminal is cheaper, $200 or so. The other options were more $$.
- we actually need a terminal, not just a phone/app with a reader. The key with this is going to be ease of use and idiot-proofing. I worry with adding a separate device we'll have issues with connectivity, apps acting up, etc
- we have an established relationship with paypal - we currently accept member fees through them, have quite a bit in the account, and it's easy
- PP's fees also tend to be the lowest, although this was a bonus criteria and not so much a determining factor
https://www.paypal.com/us/business
Just make sure it's a business account with hopefully better support if/when the account gets blocked by accident. Unblocking personal accounts and regaining access to funds is a PITA.
(Thus, higher fees elsewhere for better customer support is a consideration.)
I definitely wouldn't keep a business critical amount of funds in PayPal - always move it out frequently.