# How many of you guys take credit cards?



## firefighter1406 (Nov 6, 2008)

I am just wondering. I do construction in the summer and then plow in the winter. I can see the benefit of taking credit cards and the expense of it through Bank of America is really reasonable on m y IPhone. Just wondering how many of you guys take credit cards and how much you use them?


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

I used to. It depends on your clients ,if your doing a lot of commercial work they still pay by check. Homeowners like cc's for points. And for the little it costs in bank fees you'll make it up in volume. Just check with the bank on the rate,Some charge more if your under a dollar volume.Also check with to see all their fees in WRITING don't take their word for it.


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## THEGOLDPRO (Jun 18, 2006)

i take credit cards on my iphone, its worth it to me.


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## Turf Commando (Dec 16, 2007)

Check, cash been doing it for years..


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## basher (Nov 13, 2004)

We do/ If you take CC and get a card number before you send a truck then you know they will not flag someone else down as they have already paid you for it.


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## MIDTOWNPC (Feb 17, 2007)

THEGOLDPRO;1276699 said:


> i take credit cards on my iphone, its worth it to me.


please share Im very interested.


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## firefighter1406 (Nov 6, 2008)

If you have a Bank of America you can use a app on your phone to enter in the cc information into and it will charge the persons cc. It cost $9.95 a month and then a 2.3% charge for the total amount charged each month, and 20 cents pr transaction. So the guy told me for a $2000 dollar month you would get charged like 43 bucks. It is worth it to me to have my money now. They guarantee the money in my checking in 24 hrs. There might be other banks that offer the service on the iPhone too.


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## Longae29 (Feb 15, 2008)

the credit card machine guys call all the time. never had a customer ask if we take credit cards....but we deal with almost strictly commercial


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## CGM Inc. (Dec 15, 2008)

To expensive IMO and not o many cients ask about i.


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

I have been asked 1 time in all my years plowing if I take cards- this season, and it was a flag down while I was plowing my client- his neighbor. It was a $20 charge- mid storm- he shoveled all of the drive except the dot berm at the end...I told him he could catch me next storm, which he did a week later, had me do it again and paid cash. If you need cards for your business you already accept them, if not don't do it just for snow.


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## THEGOLDPRO (Jun 18, 2006)

MIDTOWNPC;1276848 said:


> please share Im very interested.


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## THEGOLDPRO (Jun 18, 2006)

i do roughly 1k a month in credit cards, i had a few people ask me in the past years if i take credit cards, it wasnt until i started offering it that it picked up and gained interest. i find it helps me land the bigger landscape jobs where people would rather put it on a credit card and pay it off later then come up with a few grand cash on the spot.


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## firefighter1406 (Nov 6, 2008)

That is a cool video. But my bank guy said that I don't even have to buy the card swipe thing shown there. I is all don't thru a secure website.


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## windrowsnow (Aug 31, 2008)

had to take credit cards for lowes, very nice money in three days. but no other customers pay with em, they just send us a check. i wont be renewing when the contract is up in july since lowes does there lawn maintenance in house now.


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## kcress31 (Sep 20, 2009)

We will be adding credit cards in a few months. Costco has a reduced rate program that also allows you to sell your own gift cards as well. The gift cards would be a great stocking stuffer or an good promotional give away to get a customer to try your service, especially if you are looking for more residential to tighten up your routes.


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## firefighter1406 (Nov 6, 2008)

That is a very neat idea. I think I am going to try it for a while this summer and see how it goes.


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

firefighter1406;1277240 said:


> That is a cool video. But my bank guy said that I don't even have to buy the card swipe thing shown there. I is all don't thru a secure website.


Buy a mag stripe reader- the secure website thing looks shady to the customer since you have to go to the website, and manually type in the customers information... plus you get hit with a higher rate because it is a keyed charge not a swiped charge.
We run cards where I work day job and I have been working with my boss for 2 years about a remote CC setup for when we are out of the shop instead of having to call the shop to run a card. 90% of our business is mail/online order, but for in person we set up an additional account with a stripe reader - better rates and looks much more professional (considering he's been in business 20+ years...)


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## firefighter1406 (Nov 6, 2008)

Just me,

Do you know how much the card swiped attachment is?

Seth


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

Depends on the phone- for Iphone, through Apple store $$$ but there this thing https://squareup.com/ plugs into most smart phones- unit is free. We got one for the laptop, cost under $100 (like 60 I believe but it is a commercial unit just like many retail stores have attached to their counter when they don;t have the sig pad units)

BTW- you need more than a bank account to process cards- you need a merchant services provider who actually handles the card data and routes it through one of the major processing gateways (first data for example is a major gateway) who charges you the fees, then sends the money to your bank. Very few banks offer merchant services. (BOA does). Flagship merchant services is pretty good. The link above - they give you the reader and act as your merchant services company - their rates are reasonable compared to what we pay.


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## swtiih (Nov 30, 2008)

I don't take them but I know someone who does and they charge an extra 3% to the customer.


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## CHasselberger (Jul 10, 2010)

I use the "Square App" for the iPhone and it works well. If I swipe the card the rate is 2.75% and if I type the number in it's 3.15%+ 15c. It will deposit it right into my account


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## Tubby's Snow Plowing (Dec 13, 2009)

Credit cards are too much hassle and too much overhead.


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## Meezer (Apr 3, 2010)

Anyone use Paypal?


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## Bajak (Nov 12, 2008)

Nothing but cash, gold and silver.


Actually cash and transfers are worthless.

I like to weigh in,....Where is the popcorn?


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## Premier (Nov 20, 2007)

Meezer;1284419 said:


> Anyone use Paypal?


we use paypal works good for the 2 customers that want to use cc's


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## Wayne Volz (Mar 1, 2002)

*Think about it this way*

We have taken credit cards for several years now. It's not always about who's asking if you accept credit cards.

What about the clients that you sell because you do accept credit cards. Promote the fact that you accept credit cards and your CC sales and CC clients will increase. We have many commercial accounts that pay by credit card and they were glad when we started accepting them.

This is one of those things that isn't wrong or right, but what works best for your company. Our residential sales went up when we began accepting CC's as well. People will charge the landscape work or at least a portion of it when they could not otherwise afford to get the work completed.


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