Credit card machine - beginner questions

[TheBigCheese]

Hi guys

We're looking at getting a credit card machine so we can take payments when customers come to us (chip and pin) but mostly for customer not present transactions from internet orders where we have taken the details over the phone.

I'm not quite sure what setup we would be looking at and would be very grateful if someone could set us straight, and point us to the cheapest setup which is still reliable!

I phoned the merchant services which are provided with FSB membership and the lady there was very helpful, prices etc. seem to be very good with no hidden costs.
However she said there could be interference with the machine and broadband so check with my broadband provider.
I did that as we have broadband and VOIP along with a standard landline going down the one phoneline. Our broadband provider said it should be fine as long as the machine had a microfilter on it.

I then rang BT to check if everything would be fine with them as we use Featureline Compact and I wasn't sure if that would make any difference to anything...the (rather abrupt ) guy said that using the credit card machine would block up the phone line completely (i.e. kill the broadband) and we wouldn't be able to use the phone if we needed to get an authorisation code etc., however I also had the feeling he had commission in his sights so I came away for further investigation.

After that rather rambling intro (I'm tired), my questions are...

Do you need to have a dedicated (or at least two) phone line when having a credit card machine?

Is there anyone cheaper and / or more reliable than the provider with the FSB?

If we do use the FSB merchant services is there an additional charge as it dials the bank?

If I do have to get a second line would FSB Telecom be the best option? (they seem very cheap)

Many thanks in advance for any replies, I've been chasing my tail over this for a couple of days and I'd just like to get it sorted and back to being productive!

 

[nish]

Paypal offers virtual terminal service, you only pay for transactions; no monthly commitment.
https://www.paypal.com/uk/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_vt_hub-outside

read above for more info
Nish

 

[Mattonella Tile Studio]

We have one phone line here. Plugged into that is telephone, broadband, fax, card machine. All of them work fine together. Yes it's true that the phoneline is engaged when the card machine dials the bank but it's not exactly a long call.

 

[TheBigCheese]

Thanks very much for the replies

I hadn't heard of the Paypal system before, I don't think it's something that would appeal to us though, I know some people that have had rather difficult times with Paypal on eBay transactions so tend to steer away from it mostly.

Of a more practical concern though would be that our customers that come to pay in person would probably be rather worried by us asking to enter their details into a computer rather than an instant chip and pin solution they are used to.

Mattonella, how does your system work if your machine asks you to ring the bank for authorisation?

 

[Mattonella Tile Studio]

It never has asked us to ring - it rings through itself for automatic authorisation. I guess on a very rare occasion you may need to make a code 10 call (suspicious activity) and could need the machine line too. In that case I'd just use my mobile phone to call. It's not happened in a year though.

 

[basil40]

Hi,
We used the FSB/Streamline package for sometime, and didn't find any issues with broadband, though I guess it depends on your local exchange and the quality of the lines etc.

Overall, the savings more than justified joining the FSB, and the annual membership fee. Streamline are as helpful and professional as you would want, I've asked some daft questions, and always had good answers!:redface:

We're still with FSB/Streamline, but now rent a portable machine from 123 Send, (they also have preferential rates for FSB members) as our needs dictate a portable machine, and 123 are a little cheaper than the streamline offering. 123 send have been 'OK', though they don't have tech support at weekends, so if your machine dies on a Saturday, whilst you are 'out and about' you're back to manual card swipes!

We also use FSB/Streamline for our online processing, again good rates and service, but they don't have a cost effective on-line gateway for small companies, so we use a 3rd party for that.

 

[Christiane]

I also use a mobile terminal as my business phone is voip, hence no where to plug a standard terminal. The mobile terminal with 123send uses a vodafone sim. Might depend on your signal strength.

 

[willitbe]

Paypal offers virtual terminal service, you only pay for transactions; no monthly commitment.
https://www.paypal.com/uk/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_vt_hub-outside

read above for more info
Nish

It isn't free though, it cost 20.00 a month

 

[AndyP]

It strikes me that most poeple here are a bit hooked up on physical terminals...the OP has said that for the most part his terminal will be for processing telephone orders/payments from his internet site.

As Basil has mentioned the FSB/Streamline package is good, robust and hard to beat in terms of the figures and reliability. You don't need a physical terminal.....you need a virtual terminal - then you will not have any issues with additional phone line requirements, broadband issues (they BT guy got the wrong end of the stick as they usually do) etc.

Its almost plug and play....customer calls you to pay, you log in to your virtual terminal online by simply opening your browser, take the details, click "go" and there you are, all done....and if somebody walks in to pay you can do exactly the same thing....it really isn't an issue.

Of course, if you have a physical shop then you will most likely need a physical terminal but if you are a mail order/internet retail business with the occasional real person caller then they will understand that you are not a shop with a till and that transactions are processed in much the same way as a web order.

 

[robinbarber]

It might be worth having a look at a company called adelante.co.uk. They do virtual terminals and chip and pin but with only short term contracts. That way if you make a wrong decision or need to terminate the agreement you arfe not committed for a long time.

 

[jhon123]

I know one credit card service provider who provide free credit card terminals
intlcardservices com

 

[cjd]

One line plus a broadband connection will be fine especially if you use VoIP for your telephony and the line for your terminal (if you actually need a physical terminal)