VeriFone Copying Square's User Agreement?

It's really pathetic when an established company like VeriFone attempts to steal it's user agreement almost word-for-word from it's competitor. When VeriFone was notified of this copyright infringement they took quick action to modify it and shaved down their user agreement quite a bit. As per Gigaom:

“When we said that Square made it easy to swipe, we meant credit cards,” said Square spokesperson Aaron Zamost. Sean Kane, a member of law firm Pillsbury’s social media, entertainment and technology team, said a company caught copying another firm’s legal user agreements or terms of service could be sued for copyright infringement. But that is rarely pursued when it comes to terms of service and user agreements. It is still an issue, said Kane, because companies who copy a user agreement or TOS could be accused of fraud if their service actually differs from the user document. That could be a problem now for VeriFone, which now has a slimmed-down user agreement that doesn't address many key points about the service.

The truth about Intuit Go Payment

The bottom line is this:


When things look to good to be true, they usually are.


Here is what an Amazon reviewer stated about Intuit Go Payment:

I got this app as it seemed to have more competitive pricing than Square. For a $12.95 monthly fee I am in the lowest rate program available: 1.7% for swiped transactions, and 2.7% for manually entered. However, I am always charged between 2.7 and 3.7% plus a transaction fee. The reason given is that the cards I am charging are "reward" cards of some type. So I get charged the low fee and at the end of the month every transaction I have ever made has at least 1% added to it. I know many of these card are not reward cards, although the vast majority of cards nowadays are. Customer service has been as pitiful as other processors I have used. 




These are just some of the reasons to use a reliable merchant service provider who will not hide fees and lock you into a contract.

Mobile Credit Card Processing: So Easy Even a Caveman Could Do It!

It amazes me that more people are not taking advantage of this fabulous new technology. There are applications that can turn your smart into a mobile credit card machine. This will allow many business to really get out there and pound the pavement and accept new business in ways they couldn't afford to before. It's really inexpensive and rates can be especially low  if you are swiping the credit card. You can now avoid having to lease or purchase a very expensive wireless credit card reader and also pay wireless fees. This technology is a must for people who accept credit cards on the go i.e. plumbers, electricians or even people who simply want to sell outdoors. You no longer have to carry a laptop either. This technology can be used on droid and Iphone, Itouch type phones. You do need to open a merchant account to get one but that's easier than opening up a bank account in most cases.

Another Mobile Credit Card Processing Unit Available

Yet another credit card reader to hit the market for iPhone for mobile credit card processing:


As per TMCnet.com

We already know there are a nearly unlimited number of applications for your iPhone , iPad or iPod Touch, but the good news is that if you are a merchant or a professional who works on the road or in clients’ homes, soon you can use any of these devices as a kind of cash register. Indianapolis-based company PhoneTransact.com this week begins shipping a peripheral device for iPhones, iPads and the iPod Touch that essentially acts as a credit card reader. The reader is designed to work with the company’s existing iPhone point of sale (POS) application, iMerchantPro.

Previous to the introduction of the reader, merchants could use iMerchantPro to type in card numbers and expiration dates. With the introduction of the company’s Credit Card Reader, which attaches to the device via a dock connector, the need to type in card numbers is eliminated and merchants can process payments quickly and more easily, much the way merchants in brick-and-mortar stores use card swipe devices linked to traditional cash registers. To meet security and encryption rules, the device uses 3DES (Triple DES) encryption mandated for the electronic payments industry. iMerchantPro is compatible with almost any merchant account, features bi-directional card reading and magnetic fingerprint technology to confirm the authenticity of a credit card and meets ANSI/ISO standards. Users must have a decryption-enabled gateway.

The company identifies the new card reader and its supporting iMerchantPro software as critical for merchants who frequently work on the road at festivals, flea markets and trade shows, and for professionals who do their work in private homes such as repairmen and contractors, private tutors or home health care professionals. The solution allows payers to add tips to the total charges. And here’s an extra fun detail: in case merchants miss the old-fashioned sound of a cash register, iMerchantPro can replicate it.

In addition to processing payments, iMerchantPro allows merchants to facilitate refunds, credits, voids, e-mail receipts, GPS map-enhanced receipts, multi-business environments, sales charts and statistics, password protection, audio feedback, fraud protection and recurring billing. The solution can be installed on up to five iPhone, iPad or iPod devices at no additional cost.

The new reader is debuting at a list price of $130 and begins shipping on August 15th.

Mobile Credit Card Processing: Written up in Information Week

Google Chrome Extension Powers Android-Based Payments

Android phones can now authorize transactions presented on a separate computer through the Chrome browser.
By Thomas Claburn
InformationWeek
July 6, 2010 05:20 PM

Google last week introduced an extension for its Chrome Web browser that enables computer-equipped merchants to complete Google Checkout transactions through Android devices.
The Android Payment Chrome Extension lets merchants with Google Checkout accounts generate a QR code image on their Google Sites-hosted Web store checkout page. When captured by an Android-based QR code scanning application, the QR code provides the Android phone with the necessary information to authorize the transaction.

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"While this payment method may not be perfect for all cases, we hope you find it useful for setting up a shop on the go and that it inspires further innovation in the mobile and payment developer communities," said Google Checkout engineer Peng Ying in a blog post.
Mobile payment innovation in the U.S. has been booming recently. Abe Solomon, CEO of Houston, Texas-based Prestige Merchant Services, says that mobile credit card processing is becoming more and more accessible. A year ago, he said in a phone interview, merchants who wanted a mobile credit card processing solution would have had to purchase ($500-$1,200) or lease ($60/mo or more) a wireless credit card processing device, and would have had to pay setup ($20-$50) and monthly access fees ($20/mo).

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Taking Enterprise Application Integration Into the Cloud
Now, he says, there are mobile apps for smartphones from several different companies that make it easy to accept credit card payments on the go. "It has greatly cut down on costs and made it much more available for the typical mom-and-pop store," he said.

While Google Checkout and PayPal may have some fans, Solomon argues that traditional merchant accounts remain a better option for most small businesses. "Most people realize that if you're serious about accepting credit cards, the traditional merchant account is the way to go," he said.

A Google spokesperson wasn't immediately available owing to a company-wide holiday. Google Checkout is used by hundreds of thousands of merchants in the U.S. and the U.K, according to the company.

PayPal in particular, said Solomon, has had trouble with customer service issues, alienating many merchants as a result. He claims that Google Checkout is more expensive than a traditional merchant account.

Google Checkout fees are: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for transactions less than $3,000; 2.5% + $0.30 per transaction for transactions from 3,000 - $9,999.99; 2.2% + $0.30 per transaction for transactions from $10,000 - $99,999.99; and 1.9% + $0.30 per transaction from transactions of $100,000 and greater. There are no gateway fees, monthly fees, or setup fees.

Solomon says that fees for merchant accounts vary, based on risk. Payment card companies, he said, consider mail-order or telephone-order transactions (MOTO in industry parlance) to be riskier since the physical card is not present, so they range from 2.1% and up, depending on the card. The risk for swiped cards is lower, so fees might be in the 1.69% range for credit cards or 1.49% for debit cards.

The issue that he sees among merchants is one of awareness. "The problem is that I think not enough people are actually aware that the [mobile payment] technology even exists," he said. "Most people I speak to say, 'Wow I didn't even know you could do that.'"

In June, Gartner said that it expects the number of mobile payment users worldwide to surpass 108.6 million this year, a 54.5% increase from 2009. Mobile payment users are expected to represent 2.1% of all mobile users in 2010, though in the U.S. the figure is expected to be about half that, at 1.1% or 3.5 million mobile payment users.

Processing Credit Cards on Your Cell Phone

It's unbelievable how many people are unaware that you can process credit cards on your smart hone.Mobile credit card applications are now available on the iPhone, iTouch, BlackBerry, Google Inc. Android and Microsoft Corp. Windows Mobile. Furthermore, while the service is obtained as a mobile download, it can be accessed through a Web portal on any computer, affording merchants a more encompassing view of reporting data than what's available on the tiny screen of a handheld phone. Merchants can also connect to the  gateway and conduct payments from desktop or laptop computers. The mobile application has a companion product in the MagTek Inc. encrypted card reader for merchants who want to conduct swipe transactions for even lower rates. For more information on accepting credit cards on your cell phone you can contact Prestige Merchant Services. This technology really affords people on the go, real affordable credit card processing options. Until recently you would have had to purchase a wireless card reader (cost-$499-$1200) and pay expensive wireless monthly fees ($15-20 a month) as well as set up fees ($20-50) or lease it ($60-100 a month plus wireless fees).