“Weird” Places to Use a Credit Card
Accepting credit and debit cards provides many advantages to businesses. For example, with real-time transaction authorization, merchants have the peace of mind that they will be paid for the goods or services they provide. With innovations in technology making card processing solutions more easily accessible and affordable, there are even fewer places to go where cards can’t be used. A recent article highlighted ten “weird” places to pay with credit cards; as of only a few years ago, no one would have ever expected to want to or even be able to use a credit card at these places.
With it getting harder for merchants to operate in a cash-only environment, the advantages to card acceptance are just too great to ignore.
Merchants have numerous options for processing credit cards, from standard POS (Point-of-Sale) devices, to complete integrated solutions. Recent popular credit card acceptance methods include:
Virtual Terminal: Cloud-based credit card transaction processing via a secure website. The best Virtual Terminals allow businesses to process sales in-store, on-line through eCommerce, and through mobile applications or mobile browser-optimized sites. The influx of mobile solutions has enabled businesses to accept payments any time and at almost any location.
Mobile Credit Card Acceptance “Payment in the Field”: Although mobile and wireless solutions have been in existence since the early 2000s, the advent of the iPhone exploded mobile credit card acceptance. From app development to new mobile acceptance devices, businesses now have more options with greater flexibility and expense reduction.
Due to the oft changing styles, footprints and configurations of mobile handsets, card readers built for a particular version of a phone may not be able to easily adapt to new models. As such, some mobile solutions have attempted to resolve the issue with card readers that connect through the headphone jack of the phone or via Bluetooth.
Move forward with a provider that offers adaptable solutions. With how quickly technology changes, your business should have flexible payment solutions, designed to maximize your sales and leverage new technology; without having to start all over each time a new phone model comes out.
