"Equipment Choices Are Plenty"
POS Computers, Software, Credit Card Terminals, Check Readers, Pin Pads,
Printers, Cash Drawers, Cash Registers and etc.
Making the decision on which type of equipment you should use can be another way to add stress to your day. There are several questions that need to be answered.
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Is it worth it choosing a Provider that
offers free
equipment?
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What kind of equipment do you need, do I choose someone who has free equipment and if I do where do they make up the expense they had to pay for the machine? Most of the time if someone is offering you free equipment, believe me they are making up the expense in the fees you will be paying. Every business has to make a certain amount of profit margin just to stay in business, this is the law of money. A provider that is offering free equipment may also have good rates but they will be charging you for customer service each time you call or sacrificing other back end services or programs, they may sign you up for a maintenance fee which is just like leasing the terminal but in this case the payment never ends or it could be refurbished equipment and/or very old models. It is always best in our opinion to pay for what you expect to receive, good equipment, trouble free merchant account for processing, and back end services like customer service and tech support. There are more ways than this to recover the expense of giving away free equipment. If you purchase equipment you should pay between $199 to $499 depending on the technology level, if you have an integrated printer and/or check reader, if you are looking for refurbished or new and if you are going to use it for more than just credit card processing.
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I know I will be using a POS Computer
System, how do I know
I am receiving what I
need?
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A POS Computer System is a much larger investment than a credit card processing machine and a cash register. One of the questions an equipment provider should be asked is whether his computer equipment is residential or industrial grade computers system. When you invest several thousand dollars into a point of sale computer system you should be looking for an industrial grade system. In your business your POS system will be on and running up to 15 hours a day. Your system is need reliability and the proper support for tech support. If you choose to buy a system from Ebay or Dell or any where else on your own then you will not receive any support for the equipment. We think it is very important that you purchase your POS computer system from the same people you purchase your POS software and/or credit card processing programs. If you do this you will be able to receive the proper customer service and tech support that you need for the whole system. If your hardware breaks down and you have to purchase new equipment you have to either install the POS system on the new equipment or pay your provider to do so. If the provider supplied the POS hardware and software then they will do anything for free or it will be covered in the annual maintenance fees. Yes, the annual maintenance fees is worth $1 a day. If you purchase 1 POS computer station you should pay between $1,100 to $2,500 depending on the technology level and if you are going to use other programs such as check services, gift cards and etc.
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What kind of credit card terminal do I
need?
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There are some where around 75 to 100 different kinds of credit card processing terminals on the market today and that number grows every day with manufacturers developing new technology along with Visa and MasterCard ever changing regulations. So how do you choose the right terminal for your business? The answer is somewhat simple. You can choose any terminal you want with the merchant account providers we research. The issues you need to think about is how much space do you have for equipment, how fast do you want the customers to check out, do you want to keep credit card information on hand just in case you have a problem with a transaction.
Space is sometimes not a big issue but may need to be addressed. If you do not have a lot of space then you should think about a smaller machine like an Omni 37xx series, Verifone Vx series, Nurit 8320, 3020, Hypercom T7Plus, or the Ingenico 710 or 712 will all do very well. Each one will offer different functions and program loads. These credit card processing terminals should cost between $395 to $699 depending on the technology level, if you want to process over the internet, if you have an integrated printer and/or check reader, if you are looking for refurbished or new and if you are going to use it for more than just credit card processing.
If you need a wireless unit then you should consider the Verifone 610, Exadigm 2000, or the Nurit 8000. The wireless units can be program for GPRS, any cell phone network, and other wireless networks that may or may not be available in your area. Wireless credit card terminals should be priced between $895 to $1,200 depending on the technology level, if you are looking for refurbished or new and if you are going to use it for more than just credit card processing.
There are also quite a few multi lane or signature capture terminals on the market for a store that has several check out lanes. This is also an option for the merchant who wants the customer to swipe the card, and input the information into the terminal with a stylus. With multi lane terminals you should pay between $900 to $2,100 depending on the technology level, you want the units wireless and if you are going to use it for more than just credit card processing.
What ever you need, the
merchant account provider will be able to help with the proper
equipment for your situation.
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What other type of equipment will I need
different from the credit card processing
terminal?
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If you want to accept checks without any risk of a hot check and still get paid for the full face value of the check then you will also need a check reader. It is also best to purchase a check reader that will create an image of the check and send it to the bank with the transaction deposit. This way if the check does not have enough money in the customer's checking account you will still receive the full face value that the check is written. The check processing company will worry about retrieving the check amount not you. Check Readers should be in the price range of $199 to $495 depending if it is new or refurbished.
If you want a cash register then we can help you make a decision there also. Cash registers, in conjunction with a credit card terminal is an inexpensive way for a small retail business or restaurant to accept any type of payment from their customers. The cash register can be integrated with a cash drawer and a customer pole display (optional). Cash registers can cost between $199 to $800 depending on the amount of functions you want in your cash register.
Almost any program whether it is credit card processing, gift cards, check readers or anything else can be integrated into one unit and is more expensive, usually around $900 or $55 for a four year lease.
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