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I'm wondering how many LMT's take credit cards in their private practices? If you don't take credit cards, do you feel it impacts your bottom-line. If you do take credit cards; how long were you in business before you began accepting credit cards and how much did it increase your bottom-line after paying the fees involved with taking credit cards? Are there any providers you recommend to start up the process? LAST BUT NOT LEAST how many of you began taking credit cards to charge for the no-show/no-call client?

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I use a virtual terminal that runs through my computer at the office and is super easy to use. I can't remember the exact name but if you want to call me tomorrow afternoon, I will be in the studio around 2pm and can get that to you.
My cell is 720.833.8908

Julie:  I use Square on my I phone - squareup.com

It was the best solution for my business situation...  portable, simple, cost-effective, secure, and customer-friendly.


I was just reading up on this and there is a flat rate per month and then there is a per centage charge, plus 99.00 to get started.
Marissa Macias said:
I'm using cellcharge. I have not had any problems with the company and it's a flat rate service. You call in your transactions. Taking credit cards is not as scary as you may think. It will increase your income. I actually pay for all business expenses with the credit card income.
Awesome!  You go girl!

Stacey Barrett said:

I do not take credit cards because of the amount you pay...the percentage plus monthly plus yearly...refused to do it.

 

I take cash, debit & cheque (small town)

 

I am fully booked, have recently hired my 3rd RMT...and growing.

 

My answer to your question is NO it does not harm your bottom line.

I found the one I am going to use. Intuit....I trust this name.....see some of the conditions below....that I copied and pasted. This Intuit is partners with TurboTax....so I trust them.....I have been researching all of them and now I have found the one I want....

Save Money - No set up fee, enjoy low rates
No contract required - Cancel anytime
Easy to Use - Simply login and charge
No hardware or software required
Lowest, card swipe transaction rate -
All credit card company processing fees included
.

I did take credit cards in my private business in Florida.  Elavon was the merchant recommended by my bank.   I have to say as for convenience and the possibliity of clients being willing to spend a little more money on an impulse, it is a good thing.  However, the monthly fees and charges as well as early termination fees (as we never know where the wind might take us/$295 after 1 year and $195 after 2 years) is just not worth it to me now.  It took several calls to get my 'SIC' code changed (or even understood) and to be able to add a tip line...then there is the yearly PCI compliance issue which can also run into excessive charges if you are not in compliance or their website doesn't acknowledge the 3 times you complete the survey.  As I said, the convenience was very good for my clients but for me it became very near a nightmare.

I may take them again at some time in the future, but I will do alot more research on the company, fees and long and short term impact on me personally and on my business.   They are very good for your clients, and you...but do as much research as you possibly can before you decide on a merchant.

 

Over the last 10 years, debit cards have become the norm for paying.  Refusing to take cards will hurt you in the long run.  Does it cost? Yes, but not much, and you'll score "convenience points" with your customers for taking cards.  When they are checking out, you can easily ask if they need any gift certificates, or upsell anything else in the office (biofreeze) that they might not have planned for the cash to purchase. 

I've never charged someone's card for a no show, federal rules make keeping someone's full card # on file without serious encryption a real problem.  I give someone 1 free no call/ no show per year. Stuff happens, and I allow for it. Second time (without a darn good reason) gets them a warning, and I let them know that if they do it again, I won't book them again until they pay for the session they've missed.  What you don't want to do is charge someone's card for a no show and get a chargeback.  They yank the money right out of your account plus about $60 in fees.  Even if you can prove that they knew bout the policy, and re-instate the charge, those fees don't get refunded, and by the visa/mastercard agreement, you cannot go after the customer for it. If you start getting chargebacks on any sort of a regular basis, your processor will drop you, and you'll have one hell of a time getting another processor. Trust me, you don't want to even think about the outrageous rates they charge for "high-risk" businesses.

PayPal can be a good option, especially for a someone out of state who wants to get a gift for their friend who is your client, but their rates are high. I'd just get the account and take cards. Besides, you get to write it off as office expense.

Credit card processing use to be too expensive for me to do.  I heard of square through a friend and thought about trying it but the card reader was too flimsy and she said sometimes took 3 or 4 swipes to read the credit card.  I looked around at other mobile processors and am using http://payanywhere.com/ .  It does the same stuff square does and the fees are reasonable since they only charge you processing.

Hi Jenn,

I was told that sqaure likes to hold your money and is not secure at all. I'm currently looking for something. 

Stephanie

Jenn Richards said:

Credit card processing use to be too expensive for me to do.  I heard of square through a friend and thought about trying it but the card reader was too flimsy and she said sometimes took 3 or 4 swipes to read the credit card.  I looked around at other mobile processors and am using http://payanywhere.com/ .  It does the same stuff square does and the fees are reasonable since they only charge you processing.

Jenn,

How do you like the payanywhere? The reviews kind of suck :( But sounds like a great program

Jenn Richards said:

Credit card processing use to be too expensive for me to do.  I heard of square through a friend and thought about trying it but the card reader was too flimsy and she said sometimes took 3 or 4 swipes to read the credit card.  I looked around at other mobile processors and am using http://payanywhere.com/ .  It does the same stuff square does and the fees are reasonable since they only charge you processing.
I like it it is easy to use and the customers are interested in it.  The only problem I have is calling customer service but then again I can't say that it a bad thing since most big corporations and business are the same way.  I took the chance with it because there wasn't an early termination fee so I figured if I wasn't happy with it I'd just cancel my account and send the reader back.
cool I will be calling this afternoon to set up an account. I need something pronto because I have been getting backlash from other business people that I still use Paypal. My client base is 80% other business owners.

Jenn Richards said:
I like it it is easy to use and the customers are interested in it.  The only problem I have is calling customer service but then again I can't say that it a bad thing since most big corporations and business are the same way.  I took the chance with it because there wasn't an early termination fee so I figured if I wasn't happy with it I'd just cancel my account and send the reader back.

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