Virtual credit card terminals are becoming increasingly popular as some small business owners are finding 
applications that allow real time processing of credit cards and debit transactions. Anyone on the move, sales people or mobile executives who spend a lot of time traveling, will find this application a great addition to other credit card stations. Processing credit card or debit transaction will only require Wi-Fi network access, and of course, the application itself.
iSwipe
Everyone’s heard about the sleek new iPhone and all of the wonderful applications or ‘apps’ that help to improve the overall usefulness and functionality of the device. There is one app that is particularly useful to those who want to be able to accept credit cards on their phone … the iSwipe Credit Card Terminal allows you to accept credit card or debit payments on your iPhone or BlackBerry. This is a great idea for the small business owner or for sales reps on the road or while at trade shows. This application accepts any major credit card (American Express, VISA, MasterCard etc) as well as debit card transactions. With the app and approved gateway you simply enter the customers credit card number and voilá, all done. At appninjas.com they display a convincing short (30 sec) video of how easy it is to process a customer’s card.
For business teams, one iSwipe app can be installed on several iPhones tied to the same merchant account, providing consistent tracking of all sales. The biggest hurdle identified was from Canadian users that were unable to use this app.
MerchantWARE
Not to be outdone, the people at MerchantWARE have designed an easy to use credit card station that allows real time credit card connections directly on your Blackberry or iPhone. With this application you can run sales transactions, refunds and even void sales if necessary. One advantage is that unlike other real time credit card solutions MerchantWARE is offered free and no additional gateway fees for running this app.
To provide peace of mind to MerchantWARE customers, all the data used in the transactions are stored on the Merchant Warehouse’s secure servers and not on the mobile device itself. With no additional cell fees or gateway fees, MerchantWARE’s transaction service is a great addition for on the move sales reps and delivery personnel.
With the MerchantWARE app end of day batch processing and review feature you can quickly tally the sales and income for the day.
New Kid on the Block – Square
Jack Dorsey, Twitter co-founder, has developed a new phone app that could help consumers eliminate the use of an actual cash transaction. In a step forward from other credit card applications, Square can process credit card information without having to manually input the card information. Square provides a unique square gadget that can read the magnetic strip payment information from any phone or device with an audio input jack.
For customer safety and privacy concerns, none of the data is stored on the Square device itself. It is encrypted and transmitted to Square for processing. There are no subscription fees required for a merchant account with Square either.
Cash or Charge?
With the ever increasing use of cell phones and the wide variety of apps available it seems that anyone can set up an account and use a credit card app. Next time you try to collect on a bet and they say, “I don’t have any cash on me”. With Square, you can say, “I take MasterCard”, and whip out your phone and they can make good on their debt.
Priceless.
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I would like to introduce "Billing" a Credit Card Terminal app for the iphone, ipod touch and the new ipad. Our app includes signature capture via touch, tip functionality and many other features. If you are looking to accept credit cards anywhere your business takes you please take a look at "Billing Credit Card Terminal" app.