Small retail establishment wants to start taking credit cards

October 22, 2017 7:58 AM

I'm looking for a point-of-sale solution that can take credit cards -- and does not involve a monthly fee.

The business is currently in the red, so cost is a very big factor here. Historically, all sales transactions have been done in cash, with purchases being totaled manually (i.e., either "in your head" or with a desktop calculator). We'd like to move the business into the 20th century. I've started doing on-line research, but there are so many different options that it's all making my head swim.

I know that tablets (particularly iPads) are popular for this purpose, but they're too expensive. I'd need two terminals, and I currently have two Windows 7 machines that are available for this purpose. My ideal solution would involve a touch-screen monitor (like this one, which is only $155 on eBay). I suppose I'd need a small receipt printer, too, for the credit card transactions.

I have some leads on free, open-source POS applications, so I'm actually more interested in finding a merchant services provider that has no monthly fee and can work with a Windows 7 desktop (as I said, I'd like to avoid tablets or phones, if possible). Our credit card transactions would be low-volume (maybe one per day), so even a small monthly fee would kill-off any profit from those transactions.

I'm prepared for the possibility that nothing like this exists. If not, I think we'll implement the POSes without the credit card feature, and we'll wait for the business to become profitable (hopefully) before any more cash outlays.

posted by JD Sockinger to Technology (8 answers total)

Square? It's easy to use, will work on any tablet or phone, and it's a flat 2.75% per transaction. It's used in a ton or indie retail establishments I visit, and we use it for events and are very happy with it.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:14 AM on October 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: @DarlingBri -- thanks, but per my specs, I would like to avoid tablets / phones. Looking for a Windows 7 desktop solution, if possible (because I have the hardware on-hand already).
posted by JD Sockinger at 8:18 AM on October 22, 2017

Yes, you can use Square through your desktop - you don't have to use the free swipe reader they send you for use on a phone or tablet. But the transaction rate is slightly higher if I remember correctly, as it's counted as a card-not-present transaction.
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 8:26 AM on October 22, 2017 [6 favorites]

Best answer: For the volumes you're looking at (1 transaction per day?), you're unlikely to find a solution cheaper than some form of tablet that will be workable. There's a reason this kind of setup has become ubiquitous in retail/service applications; it's the cheapest, best solution for small (and even medium) volume credit card processing.

Square works with a bunch of android devices, many of which are way less than the $155 you're already looking at. Just as an example, the LG G Pad 7.0 sells used/refurbed for as little as $40-50. Two of them are going to be cheaper than the solutions you're already looking at.

The advantage of using square is that it can also just act as your POS system for cash transactions, as well as being a credit card processor. They also have numerous other modules that you can grow into. As you grow, you won't have to re-do everything when you hit a stride.
posted by furnace.heart at 9:39 AM on October 22, 2017 [4 favorites]

I was trying not to argue with the premise of the question, but I agree with furnace.heart that you are not going to be able to enter for $0. You can buy an Android phone for $50.
posted by DarlingBri at 12:33 PM on October 22, 2017

Response by poster: OK, furnace.heart is probably right. An Android tablet seems like the way to go here (though another reason I preferred the monitor is that I have bad eyes, and I was hoping for a larger screen).

Thanks.
posted by JD Sockinger at 4:33 PM on October 22, 2017

Best answer: interested in finding a merchant services provider that has no monthly fee and can work with a Windows 7 desktop

If you need to just manually enter the information off a credit card every now and then, the administrative interface of Stripe might work for you. There is no monthly fee, although there is a small fee per transaction. It's intended for online payments, but you can manually enter payments too.

I spent a LOT of time trying to find a merchant services provider that wasn't awful, and I've been super happy with Stripe. We do a bunch of transactions over a three month period each year, and then occasional ones in between. It has worked great for me for both types. I also like that it shows me stats about the payments, and keeps track of them for me. Any refunds also refunds your fees, which is a HUGE bonus from traditional merchant services, where you end up paying one set of fees for the charge and then another for a refund.
posted by gemmy at 8:23 PM on October 22, 2017

Best answer: though another reason I preferred the monitor is that I have bad eyes, and I was hoping for a larger screen).

I defer to others on credit card questions, but android allows for adjustment of fonts and display sizes under the accessibility settings specifically to accommodate for easier reading of text.
posted by Karaage at 4:24 AM on October 23, 2017