Technology and the credit card processing industry have finally

given us the options that we need to process cards in all situations

and environments. Mobile credit card processing has been largely

ignored for a couple of decades, but in the last few years it has

become a more viable option.

Unfortunately, even though this type

of processing was possible, the equipment required to perform this

function was typically outdated, and almost always very bulky. Often,

they failed to work properly, if at all, when we needed them to work

the most. Business owners lost countless dollars in lost sales, even if

they had done everything that they could to accept credit cards outside

of their place of business.

Today, we have much better, more

reliable options available to us when it comes to mobile credit card

processing. Not only are there devices available that are small and

lightweight - yet still full featured, but we can also accept credit

cards using our mobile phones and blackberries. Often the same

companies that sell terminals for mobile use will also sell software

that can be used in place of a terminal, and the software can be

downloaded using your mobile phones web browser.

Of course, you

must consider the fees charged by your mobile phone company for

processing orders. The orders are still processed through your

processing company, but your phone company will charge your normal

rates for connecting you to the processing company via your mobile

phone. If you expect a lot of business, you want a mobile phone plan

that can cover your processing needs as well.

There are two

drawbacks to using phones and blackberries for mobile credit card

processing. The first drawback is that your customers cannot swipe

their cards. They must hand you their cards, and you must enter their

information. Some customers may balk at this, since they are not sure

that their information is safe if it is being transmitted over a mobile

phone. The information is safe because the highest standard of

encryption is used - but your customers may not trust this.

The

second drawback to using mobile phones and blackberries is that

depending on the capabilities of the mobile phone and the software, you

may not be able to store the information for later transmission - known

as store and forward. If you are in an area where you are not getting a

good signal from your mobile phone service carrier, this could be a

problem. You must also consider the fact that you typically cannot

print out a receipt from a phone or blackberry.

With all of that

said, however, in some situations, the use of mobile phones and

blackberries to process credit cards is a viable solution. If it isn't

right for your business, however, there is still a wide array of

options available to you for Mobile Credit Card Processing. You need to

work with a company that offers a variety of options, and a sales

representative that is has a great deal of knowledge concerning those

options.

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