Taking card payments over the phone

[Trader82]

Hello,

I'm currently on the lookout for a system/service provider that can offer a
virtual terminal to accept credit card payments over the phone.

I have one or two quotes but it all seems very expensive, I've come across huddlebuy, which claims to be free (only pay for what you use).

Whereas paymentsense want around £100 is this standard across providers or can anyone recommend an cheaper alternative?

Thanks

 

[TotalWebSolutions]

If you just require a Virtual Terminal for accepting credit and debit cards over the phone (Customer Not Present) then there are many solutions available. For example, we offer a Virtual Terminal from just £10.00 per month including 300 transactions per month.

As with most payment gateways you will also need an Internet Merchant Account to have the transactions paid into your chosen bank account but the processing costs are likely to be significantly less than if you were to use a bureau service. It is worth considering trying an independent Payment Service Provider (such as ourselves) as they will usually have rates agreed with the banks that you wouldn't see if you approached the banks directly yourself.

Feel free to drop me a PM or call the below number if you would like me to look into this for you.

Thanks,

Simon

 

[Trader82]

Thanks Simon, I have sent you a PM.

 

[ThePublisher]

I've been very happy with Payatrader Lite. Charge 2.5% on debit/credit card payments but that's all. No monthly fees or startup fees.

I only take a few payments by card now, most of my customers pay online, and Streamline, then PaymentSense standard charges were way too high for me to justify staying with them.

Edit: I've just realised the huddlebuy link above is the same as the one I used to get Payatrader. Been using it now for 16 months and it's fine. You get paid the week after your transactions, usually on a Thursday, so not as fast payment as some other providers, but worth it in my view.

 

[Trader82]

Thanks for your reply, I just had a look at the website for this provider and it says there is an initial one off payment of £99.

I've got some more quotes pending, but will definitely keep payatrader in mind.

 

[ThePublisher]

There's no fee if you go for the 'Lite' service

https://www.huddlebuy.co.uk/deals/free/payg-virtual-terminal

I take card details over the phone and key them on my computer, no need for a terminal.

 

[ThePublisher]

The other advantage of Payatrader is there is no PCIDSS compliance to complete, unlike with Streamline or Paymentsense and many other merchants. As a small business with no 'IT department', you only have to go through the misery of completing that once, answering questions you don't understand, to know you never want to do it again.

 

[Trader82]

Ok so if you apply through Huddlebuy it's free, I looked at payatraders website which is definitely asking for a joining fee of £99.

With regards to the free option (through Huddlebuy) this was asked about in my OP.

It just seems to good to be true which normally means that it is!
Thanks

 

[ThePublisher]

Well I can assure you I didn't pay £99! I've got no association with them other than as a happy user. I was fortunate to be recommended to them by somebody I know and trust so didn't have the 'this seems too good to be true' issue to go through.

 

[Trader82]

I'll have another look, thanks again.

 

[Sam Bircumshaw]

worldpay, £7 a month and 0.38% on debit

 

[Trader82]

Worldpay it is...

£7.50 per month (can cancel at anytime) and no set-up fee

Thanks again for your reply's

 

[Nochexman]

"I take card details over the phone and key them on my computer, no need for a terminal."

The other advantage of Payatrader is there is no PCIDSS compliance to complete, unlike with Streamline or Paymentsense and many other merchants. As a small business with no 'IT department', you only have to go through the misery of completing that once, answering questions you don't understand, to know you never want to do it again.

If you take card payments over the phone and then key them on to your computer then you do need to be PCI compliant. Payatrader's compliance will not cover you for what you are doing, I'm afraid.

 

[Jayser100]

I have switched from Worldpay to Sagepay because their Gateway interface is way better, both in terms of customer experience and also your experience when you log in. You can take moto payments over the phone using the interface as well. I have mine coupled with a Barclays merchant account. In total my savings this year will be around £600 when compared to Worldpay / Streamline. I probably could have gone to Worldpay / Streamline and negotiated a better deal to stay, but I much prefer the service I am getting from Barclays, who are easy to deal with. You also get your own account manager to help when you need them - never had anything like that with Worldpay. The thing to remember is, whilst the cost of service is important, so is the experience your customer has when they use your website to make a purchase. A poor quality gateway might put them off before they complete.