By Chris Robley on CD Baby Blog
You’ve played a great show. Fans are lined up at your merch booth. You’re taking cash, making change, and signing CDs. Then a guy walks up and wants to buy a couple discs and a t-shirt — but he only has a credit card. Are you going to turn him away? No, you’re going to process his credit card transaction right then and there, in the sweet, dank, dark-lit, beer-soaked corner of a basement rock club.
Note: many of these credit card solutions are not available internationally, so if you live outside the US and know of a reliable way to accept credit cards in your country or region, please let us know in the comments below.
1. Square.
Probably the most widely-used solution amongst musicians for accepting credit cards on-the-go. Square will send you a mobile credit card reader that you just plug into your phone or tablet (iOS and Android devices). Swipe a card through the reader, push a few buttons, and the money will be in your bank account in 24-48 hours. Square takes 2.75% per swipe, and will process Visa, MC, Discover, and American Express charges.
2. PayPal Here.
Similar to the Square, PayPal will send you a swiper that is compatible with iOS and Android devices, and then take a 2.7% fee per swipe. One added benefit is that the name recognition of PayPal gives fans some added sense of security (or at least familiarity) when they they make a purchase. Plus, if you’re already actively using PayPal, this is a natural extension.
3. PayAnywhere.
With their free credit card reader, you can accept Visa, MC, Discover, AmEx, and PayPal — all for a 2.69% fee per swipe. One frequent complaint about PayAnywhere though is that they often hold funds for longer periods than competitors in order to reduce the risk of chargebacks/fraud/etc.
4. Flint.
The Flint Mobile App lets you accept credit cards WITHOUT a credit card reader. You just scan them with your phone, but no image gets saved on your phone (the transaction is encrypted within the app). Fees as low as 1.95%.
Is there another service you like to use for taking credit cards at shows? Let us know in the comments below.
You’ve played a great show. Fans are lined up at your merch booth. You’re taking cash, making change, and signing CDs. Then a guy walks up and wants to buy a couple discs and a t-shirt — but he only has a credit card. Are you going to turn him away? No, you’re going to process his credit card transaction right then and there, in the sweet, dank, dark-lit, beer-soaked corner of a basement rock club.
How to take credit cards for merch sales
Note: many of these credit card solutions are not available internationally, so if you live outside the US and know of a reliable way to accept credit cards in your country or region, please let us know in the comments below.
1. Square.
Probably the most widely-used solution amongst musicians for accepting credit cards on-the-go. Square will send you a mobile credit card reader that you just plug into your phone or tablet (iOS and Android devices). Swipe a card through the reader, push a few buttons, and the money will be in your bank account in 24-48 hours. Square takes 2.75% per swipe, and will process Visa, MC, Discover, and American Express charges.
Similar to the Square, PayPal will send you a swiper that is compatible with iOS and Android devices, and then take a 2.7% fee per swipe. One added benefit is that the name recognition of PayPal gives fans some added sense of security (or at least familiarity) when they they make a purchase. Plus, if you’re already actively using PayPal, this is a natural extension.
3. PayAnywhere.
With their free credit card reader, you can accept Visa, MC, Discover, AmEx, and PayPal — all for a 2.69% fee per swipe. One frequent complaint about PayAnywhere though is that they often hold funds for longer periods than competitors in order to reduce the risk of chargebacks/fraud/etc.
4. Flint.
The Flint Mobile App lets you accept credit cards WITHOUT a credit card reader. You just scan them with your phone, but no image gets saved on your phone (the transaction is encrypted within the app). Fees as low as 1.95%.
Is there another service you like to use for taking credit cards at shows? Let us know in the comments below.
