So, you've found a service for processing your credit cards, and

they are offering free mobile credit card terminals. On the surface,

this may seem like a fantastic deal, since really good terminals can be

rather pricey, but when you start digging a little deeper, you may

discover that free has a rather high cost. Here are some things that

you need to be aware of.

• High Transaction Fees - Often, when

  the equipment is free, the service may also be advertised as free,

  meaning that you do not have to pay standard monthly fees for the

  service. However, this never means that the service is totally free,

  and typically, you can expect outrageous fees per transaction, or per

  batch of transactions, as well as additional fees that are not

  considered 'monthly' fees - even though they are.

• Proprietary

  Equipment - In most cases, when a company offers mobile credit card

  terminals as a free gift for signing up with the service, the equipment

  can only be used in conjunction with their processing services. Should

  you change services at some point that equipment will no longer be of

  any use to you, meaning that you will have to purchase new equipment.

• The

  Contract - The contract that you may be required to sign when you

  accept this free gift may not work in your favor. In fact, it may work

  against you. Read every word of any contract before signing on the

  dotted line, and make special note of anything that you aren't entirely

  clear on so that you can get clarification before signing. Make sure

  you read the small print as well. Again, it cannot be said enough, make

  sure that you understand what that contract says, and you have a full

  understanding of the fees and cost of the service, your

  responsibilities, and the rights of the company, as these contracts are

  almost always in place to protect the company more than they exist to

  protect you.

• The Quality of the Equipment - If mobile credit

  card terminals are offered for free, they may not be high quality

  terminals. In some cases, they are rebuilt terminals. Because they are

  free, they may not have the most up-to-date features, or the features

  that you really need. Really examine the equipment closely before

  making a decision to go with the service, and compare the cost of

  equipment that you pay for with another service to the cost of the

  overall service that is offering free equipment.

• Why is the

  Equipment Free? - This is a question you should always ask before

  accepting any free gift. In most cases, it is free because the company

  wants you to use their overpriced services, and this is their only way

  of convincing you to do this. Ask the question, and take the answer

  with a grain of salt.

As you can see, free seldom is

free, and this applies to Mobile Credit Card Terminals as well. There

is always a cost somewhere, and it is up to you to discover what that

cost is, and determine whether this is the right decision for you.

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