(12 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)
If you haven’t heard of Square, you will over the coming year. It’s the new mobile credit card processing app for iPhone and iPad, they are just over a month into their pilot program, and all news so far is they are onto something pretty amazing.
The app is simple, almost so simple your grandparents could be taking mobile payments straight off the new iPad your buying them! Apart from the app, it comes with a card reader that plugs into the headphone jack to swipe credit cards, debit cards and even gift cards where applicable.
I wonder how popular this will be? It’s new tech, so people will initially be weary of fraud, particularly from the guy selling those tacos from the old van, but I think once it catches on, it will create a new world of entrepreneurs on a more micro scale. Check them out here.
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April 8th, 2010 at 4:09 am
An easy and free way to accept credit cards using the iPhone as a terminal is to download the TransFS Credit Card Terminal iPhone App.
You’re not locked into a processor (like the ones mentioned in the article) but can choose whichever is most cost effective.
The app is open source, feel free to download it http://www.transfs.com/iphone
April 8th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
Very nice I hate carrying around cash but I hope they can get processors setup who will not rape the little guy.
April 9th, 2010 at 11:09 pm
Claus, so do I!
April 12th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
My company offers a free gateway service on the Iphone as well as blackberry etc… The big difference is our rates are much lower and we have no contracts or set up fees.
August 26th, 2010 at 6:17 am
Does anyone know if this item can be used if you don’t have a wireless connection? I’m looking for something that I can accept credit cards and then batch all the payments when I’m around a wireless signal? Any ideas?
January 7th, 2011 at 4:34 am
Beware of Square! This whole thing was cooked up by people who are already giants in the software world. It isn’t made for a small business owner and here is why. Square holds your funds if they exceed $1,000 and disperses them the next month. Everything is on a 30 day cycle. So, if you take in $5,000 in one month you are only going to get $1,000. The other $4,000 will stay in Square’s bank account. In 30 days they will give you another $1,000. But, what if you have now charged another $5,000? You now have $9,000 in Square’s bank and they are going to give you $1,000. This could go on forever and the money you need could just sit there. This is in addition to the high fees charged by Square. There are dozens of companies doing the same thing so do your homework first.
June 25th, 2011 at 7:26 am
What gives them the right to hold on the the money you earned for months while they are drawing interest on your hard earned money. That sounds like legal hwy way robbery.
January 5th, 2012 at 11:13 pm
as i independent distributor in sweden i could use this service, but does it even work in europe? i think square is kinda expensive, do you guyz have any idears how i can be able to accept credit cards for lower fees in europe? (sweden) thanx