Wireless/Mobile Credit Card Processing

Mobile and Wireless Credit Card Processing is becoming a necessity for more and more merchants in our increasingly fast-paced business world. And, 1st National Payment Solutions has the right solution for you, from the high-volume Taxi/Livery and Package Delivery industries, right down to the independent contractors (plumbers, locksmiths, repairmen) who may only need to process one or two credit cards a day. 1st National also prides itself on being a credit card processing partner for the Arts and Craft Fair community which we have served for over twenty years.

The following sections offer valuable information in regard to the many solutions available for mobile, and wireless credit card processing.

Wireless

Our top-of-the-line mobile credit card machines allow you to connect wirelessly using Wi-Fi, GPRS or CDMA. These machines allow you to swipe credit cards quickly and securely from anywhere, with an immediate approval, as well as a printed receipt.

Generally speaking, wireless devices start at about $500 and require a monthly wireless fee of approximately $15. The premium, however, may be worth it for high volume mobile sales since the merchant is physically swiping the card. The rates for this type of transaction will be the lowest available.

Finally, GPRS and CDMA networks are not the same as your phone cellular network. Wireless processing networks have a much smaller cellular coverage area than traditional cellular phone networks. If you aren't familiar with the location in which you'll be processing, be prepared to use the devices store & forward feature, mobile phone processing, or manual imprinter process.

Store and Forward

Another great option for mobile merchants, especially contractors & delivery services, is our Portable Dial Up Store and Forward Terminals. These portable credit card terminals use a retail merchant account, have a rechargeable battery and a built in thermal receipt printer. The merchant swipes the cardholder’s credit card, debit card, or check card through the terminal and the unit can function in one of two ways.

• If a landline is available, the terminal can authorize the credit card right there on the spot via a toll free phone number.
• If a phone line is unavailable, the credit card terminal stores the data inside the unit and prints out two copies of a transaction receipt, one copy for the merchant and one copy for the cardholder.

At the end of the day, the credit card terminal is plugged into a phone jack and the transactions are uploaded and authorized and a receipt is printed for each detailing the transaction info and the authorization code. This option can save you the $200-$300 premium on a wireless credit card machine, as well as the monthly wireless connection charges. One downside is that the merchant does not get an immediate approval on the credit card.

Smart Phone Credit Card Processing

There are a number of players in the Smart Phone credit card processing market so you'll want to be careful that you select the most appropriate solution for your needs.

Some solutions, such as Mobile Merchant Pro®, are available as completely FREE downloads, and let customers of the popular Authorize.Net payment gateway user their iPhones, Droids, or Blackberries to accept credit cards. If you are looking for a solution that lets you accept payments on your website, by virtual terminal, or by keying the information into your phone, Mobile Merchant Pro® combined with an Authorize.Net gateway is a terrific solution.

For those of us who really want to push the limits of what our smart phones can do, consider the various PaySaber Products. With solutions for just about any kind of Smartphone, PaySaber products can provide features such as swipe and print, in addition to bar code scanning and inventory control. These are perhaps some of the most advanced solutions available today. For more on PaySaber Products and solutions, please visit 1st National Payment Solutions.

Using Your Computer

Another method of mobile credit card processing without paying for a wireless machine is to use your computer. We can set you up with an Internet Gateway account which allows you to process credit cards through a Virtual Terminal on your computer. This is perfect for people at Arts and Craft or Trade Shows, who are able to connect to the Internet wirelessly through their laptop computer.

The Virtual Terminal gives you full control over your transactions, with the ability to issue refunds, and to perform ‘Authorize’ or ‘Capture Only’ transactions. The only additional cost to the Merchant would be the $10-15/month for the Gateway service. This type of transaction will also be at the slightly higher ‘card not present’ processing rate, but will save you the expense of a separate credit card machine.

Imprinters

And finally, the lowest cost solution is to purchase one of our low-cost imprinters (manual or electric) and process the transaction manually. You can then enter the transactions into your credit card terminal when you return to your home or office. These imprinters are extremely cheap, and you have the added advantage of getting a signature on a credit card sales receipt, with the imprint of your customer’s credit card.

Of course, you will still need a regular credit card machine, and the transaction is charged at the slightly higher ‘credit card not present’ rates, but you will save on the monthly Internet Gateway and Wireless fees associated with the other mobile plans. Since these are so inexpensive, it's a great fall-back processing alternative should your normal Mobile Processing Devices not be available.

Final Thoughts

As noted in the sections above, you have a myriad of alternatives regarding mobile payment solutions. Each solution has it benefits, and it's disadvantages depending on your requirements. Also keep in mind that as important as the equipment solution itself, is the way in which your Merchant Account is configured. Are your sales high-volume, or low-volume? High margins or low margins? Are you primarily swiping credit cards, or taking orders over the phone? Because we understand the mobile processing marketplace as well as we do, we'll make sure you get the lowest processing rates available.

For more information about 1st National Payment Solutions, Mobile Solutions, and Merchant Accounts, please visit our website at http://www.1nbcard.com, or give us call toll free to talk to a mobile payment specialist:

866.499.5722