how do i get a credit card machine for my house?

3 comments

1. 

   EnviroDude on February 6, 2010 at 4:39 am

   Find a local credit card processor representative and set up an account.

   We use Nova Info Systems (North American Business Services) at our business. The unit costs about $400 and then monthly fees and their cut of the transactions.

   You will need a business and a commercial checking account to route payments and withdrawls from. There are also some online firms that eliminate the need for a reader.

2. 

   Sarah N on February 6, 2010 at 4:39 am

   Depends why you want a credit card machine.

   If you have a small home-based business and you want to take credit cards and do a relatively small amount of sales per month, PayPal has something called Virtual Terminal. For Virtual Terminal you will not need to get a machine (called a POS, or point-of-sale, terminal), but they charge higher fees per transaction than a traditional merchant account.

   If you want an actual machine, I recommend RBSLynk. My merchant account is through them. It runs me about $30-$50 a month depending on what transaction volume I do, and I also rent a POS terminal from them. They have a month-to-month lease on the terminal so when I’m ready to buy my own, it’ll be easy to terminate the lease. Don’t sign a four-year lease for a POS terminal.

   Also if you are a Sam’s Club or Costco member, you might want to look into their merchant services.

3. 

   D.C. on February 6, 2010 at 4:39 am

   THE EASIEST WAY IS WALK INTO THE BANK WHERE YOU HAVE A ACCOUNT ( CHECKING OR SAVINGS ) . TELL THEM YOU WANT A COMMERCIAL CHECKING ACCOUNT AND DO CREDIT CARDS FOR PAYMENTS . THEY WILL WALK YOU THRU IT . IF YOU THINK WHAT THEY ARE CHARGING IS TOO MUCH CALL A FEW OTHER BANKS IN YOUR AREA . YOU MUST HAVE A COMMERCIAL ACCOUNT , THEY WILL NOT USE A STANDARD CHECKING ACCOUNT TO MAKE DEPOSITS IN. THE BANK WILL GET YOU SET UP WITH THE CLEARING HOUSE WHO PROCESSES THE CARDS . MOST BANKS $ 250 - 300 OR LESS IF THEY ARE RUNNING A PROMOTIONAL . FOR SMALL TIME USE GET A KNUCKLE BUSTER TYPE IMPRINTER NOT A SWIPE TYPE ( FAR CHEAPER )