Anyone that has visited an Apple store recently will quickly notice that credit card transactions are completed through iPhone or iPod touch devices that each Apple employee holds. With a swipe of a card and a signature from a customer a transaction is complete and ready to go.
I’ve often wondered why these employees didn’t use iPads for completing these transactions. Signing on a small touch screen is often cumbersome and a larger screen would make the entire process easier. My guess was that an iPad is too large and heavy for Apple employees to cary around all day. They also require both hands and don’t allow the Apple employees to have their hands free while working with a customer. I think this may change with the iPad Mini. The smaller size but larger screen than the iPhone will make a perfect mobile payment system.
Mobile Payment Systems for Everyone
Accepting payment on your iPhone or iPad isn’t limited to just Apple employees. There are a number of different ways that a business can use an iPad mini to accept credit card payments. Two of the most popular options are devices and applications from Square and or Paypal.
Square
Square is a new payment processing company that created a small device that attaches to your mobile phone, iPad, or now, the iPad Mini. After installing their software on your device and registering for an account, you’ll be able to quickly and easily accept mobile payments anywhere you have an internet connection. Square is quick and simple to use and charges a percentage for each transaction used through their service.
PayPal
PayPal is no longer just an internet payment network. Now, the company also has a device similar to Square that lets users accept payments everywhere. If you’re already built heavily into PayPal for your other business options, using this device may make a lot of sense. Dealing with PayPal however is a significant pain for many merchants. I know of a number of individuals that have temporarily lost access to their funds while PayPal reviewed the transactions going through their network.
Other Options
If neither of the options listed above seem to fit your needs, you may want to look at other payment processing options. Given that the iPad Mini can connect to the internet anywhere there is an LTE signal, a traditional credit card processing company may be a perfect fit. You may need to enter credit card payment by hand, but the process still allows you to accept payments while out on the go. Individuals in lines of business with higher financial risk may also want to consider a company like HighRiskPay.com to help with their mobile credit card payment processing needs.
Mobile payment processing is being used more and more by merchants and small businesses everywhere. There is no question that many of these business owners will be using the iPad Mini to help them manage their financial transactions. How do you accept credit card payments for your business?
