Credit Card Readers & POS Equipment

Dial-up credit card machines are perfect for the small business owner who is on a tight budget. This solution is one of the most inexpensive payment processing terminals to use. It will work with any working phone that has an open dial tone out.

The dis-advantages are they process transactions little slower and require the phone line it is hooked up to be open, so that's means you can not speak on that same phone line at the same time. If you have voice mail you will also have to clear your messages before using the credit card machine because it will not work if your line is giving a voice mail signal of "beep, beep, beep".

Other than the above these Point of Sale Terminals are very reliable and usually come with all the normal bells and whistles (tipping, clerk ID's, report in real time, etc.)

High Speed Internet Credit Card Machines are really obviously the future. This Terminals are ofter referred to as IP POS Terminals or Broadband POS Terminals (POS meaning Point of Sale).

They have all the options a regular Dial-up credit card machine would, but have the added benefits that come along with high speed internet connection.

SPEED being one of them - with a IP terminal you can process transactions in just a few seconds. It is what the Wal-Marts and Beer Stores use. It is a perfect unit for fast turn around businesses that have multi check out stations.

Another big benefit to an IP credit card machine is that you can run multiple machines off one internet connection which can save some businesses a ridiculous amount of money.

In the past you had to use a Dial-up hardware unit, you had no choice because there was no broadband at the time. So, for example, let's say you had a 6 check out stations in your business, so first off your transactions took longer costing you money from slower turn around time, but you also had to have a dedicated phone line for each POS Terminal costing you anywhere from $40 - $70 a month for each additional business phone line. That's like saving around $3500 every year!

But other then the above benefits a IP Credit Card Machine is pretty similar to what a Dial-up Credit Card Machine can do.

Many people think a wireless machine means it allows them to be mobile, but what they don't realize is that there are two types of wireless machines.

One that allows you to go just about anywhere and that is known as the Cellular credit card machine. Then there is the wireless credit card machine that performs more like a cordless phone. It will only work up to a certain distance. Depending on the make and model it is usually around 200-1000 feet. This unit is connected at the base by either a phone line or high speed internet.

These Point of Sale Terminals are most widely used in the bar and restaurant business. It allows the businesses to bring the units to the table. This unit is not only used by the hospitality industry, dentists, massage therapists, auto detail, etc have all utilized the benefit of this credit card machine.

This POS Terminal allows the business to complete the service with a high touch service of bringing everything to the client/customer. Certain high end retail locations have their sales people carry a unit too, for two reasons:

1. They don't want their high end customer to ever have to wait in line.
2. They say they make more sales by being able to strike while the iron is hot!

A Cellular Credit Card Machine is for the businesses that are on the go. Deliver type businesses, mobile pet salons, Tech repair, general contractors, plumbers, tutors, mobile massage therapists, ice cream trucks, snack trucks, etc.

Basically if your business is never in a fixed location then you are a perfect candidate for getting a cellular point of sale terminal.

These terminals run on the cellular phone networks, usually on the GPRS Data network. Most major cities have a very good signal strength, but if live in a remote area or plan on doing business in a remote area then you may want to verify the signal strength before investing in Cellular POS machine.

The only problem with these machines are they tend to be the most expensive payment processing solution. The hardware is more and you have to add in air-time from the cellular network on top of all your regular fees. The good news is it allows you to process debit transactions (PIN based) and allows you to qualify for the card present rates which usually cut down on costs.