Do You Accept Credit Cards?

How many times has this happened to you while working at a craft show:

Someone wants to buy something from you but doesn't have the cash on hand. They ask if you accept credit cards and you sadly shake your head no. You lose a sale. It's happened to me so I am so absolutely excited about the newest, easiest, cheapest way to accept credit cards. It's a must-have for any of us who ever sell at handmade events. (It's even fabulous for your teenager who babysits or mows lawns or for selling items on Craigslist!)

Ok, let's get down to business.

It's called Square and I am so stoked. Now you can accept credit cards anywhere you are! It's this little square card reader that plugs into your phone. The only catch is it only works with iPhone, iPad, and Android. But chances are that if you don't have one, your spouse, business partner, or good friend have a phone you could borrow for those few times you need to accept cards.

The details are simple.

You sign up for a FREE account at squareup.com. They send you a FREE card reader. You download the FREE app on your iPhone orAndroid. You accept credit cards! For every payment you take there is a 2.75% fee. If you need to manually enter the credit card number it costs a little extra. Your customer signs on your phone and you have the option to email them a receipt right after the transaction. The email address is not stored on your phone or your account--it stays private. You get daily deposits into your bank account!

You can sign up as an individual or through your business.

Either way, you must give your social security number and as a business you must use your tax ID number. They must be able to identify who you are. The first time I signed up I used my tax ID number, along with my social security number as the business representative. However I was declined. They weren't able to give me a specific reason, other than they couldn't properly verify my identity. It could be that I just inputted the incorrect information, like transposed the numbers, but you aren't allowed to go back and fix your application. Since I've been moving around some lately, I'm figuring they didn't like my business ID# (Indiana based) with the address I gave (in Arizona). I decided to try again as an individual. I had to use a new email address. I was told that all information is linked to that email address. Once I tried with a new email and only my ss# I got approved right away and my card reader arrived a few days later. Just be careful when inputting your information.

Are you ready to sign up? Have you already signed up? Leave your comments with your experiences using Square. Do you love it, hate it, what about your cusomters? What do you use it for?

--Margot @ slightlyaskew