Post by Kimberly Johnson
This is a post to try and help those with the Square Credit Card Processor. There are many choices of processors to pick from and this does not apply to any others. Here are just a few of the many options available and each has it’s pros and cons.
- Square: by far the most popular I’ve seen at shows for the last 7 years. Simplest to use and I’ve never seen anyone have major issues at a show. Connects to websites as well as terminals for shows.
- Clover: I’ve seen lots of people unable to connect using this one but I don’t know much about the back end.
- Paypal: I’m not a fan but it is popular, it can be used on your website as well but it’s not usually a clean transition.
- Venmo: I don’t even have an account to weigh in on but it looks interesting and they do talk about it connecting to your website.
- Crypto Currency: This is a very hi-tech option that I really don’t recommend the typical user offer unless you are really into the crypto world.
Website: www.Squareup.com They have different service packages on their website starting at well FREE, but you can add on different features that you need as you go depending on what you need/want. They currently are at 2.6%+.10 per transaction which is fairly typical.
STEP 1:
If you have a friend who uses square ask them for their referral code, this can help you and your friend save on processing fees for a short time! (If you don’t have any friends mine is https://squareup.com/i/HPMONTANA1) it’s great to help each other out!
STEP 2:
Chose your hardware, they typically give you a free swipe adapter when you sign up (be sure you get the one that works with your device - iOS vs Android), but you can choose a register, stand, terminal or chip/contactless. They discuss the options on their site at https://squareup.com/us/en/point-of-sale
most people stick with the free swipe reader or the bluetooth contactless chip reader but some want the ability to print receipts or have a checkout station with a stand. This one is totally up to you! You can even get barcode scanner if you want…I love all the options!
STEP 3:
You will need to link your bank account to receive payments, you’ll find this under Settings>BusinessInformation> Bank Accounts. You can pay extra to get your payments faster but I typically get mine next business day.
STEP 4:
Add square to your website for your online orders. This can be a bit more complicated, each website platform has different ways to do this, but Square has the option to have them handle your website. The beginner plan fees are 2.9%+.30 but it could be worth having them as your website if you never
plan to leave them as your credit card processor…If you do leave them for another processor in the future you would have to start your website all over again.
STEP 5:
Go check your settings…there are lots to go through! Don’t get overwhelmed here, most of this is just personal preferences but you want to make sure you have your business info on the receipts (which can be emailed or texted directly to people at a live show). Square can track inventory for you, handy if you’re using their website builder or have it connected to your wordpress/woocommerce website. Also if you want ultimate inventory tracking the barcode scanner may be great for you as well.
I use Wordpress with WooCommerce because I didn’t want to be tied directly to Square if their fees change over time! But you can check out more there: https://squareup.com/dashboard/sites. One bonus of using Wordpress with WooCommerce is that they sync back and forth with your products.
One of the many features I love is the ability to take credit cards offline, so when I’m at the Swan Lake Huckleberry Festival or the Celtic Festival, once I get back in cell range I can process all the cards on my way home! Another thing to note is that 1 full charge of the Chip/Contactless device can last several days.
There are really a ton of settings and add-ons (some of which cost money) which make it a great tool and I highly recommend Square to everyone I meet!
Need more help?
Do you still have questions about how to get started? No worries. As a group we have lots of people who can help so feel free to reach out to any of us either through the Facebook page (ACF Members) or email me directly and I’ll see if I can help clear things up for you. But if you need help at a show feel free to come find me and I’ll see how I can help before we get started!