Square Up Credit Card Processing

I can check another item off my New Years Resolution list, I can now accept credit cards at shows, or anywhere with my new Square Credit Card Reader.  Above is the box you can literally find just about anywhere, it is free to get started.  I got my reader at Radio Shack but have seen them at Best Buy, Target and Wal Mart.  You sign up online and you are ready to take charges anywhere, anytime.

With this can my newest toy The New Ipad (add swooning here).  This combo has really taken my show experience to a new level, the words "why didn't I do this sooner" have passed through my head many times.  Though I do remind myself it was a building and learning process to get to this point, so while I am not disappointed I had waited, really I could have and should have done this about a year ago. 

Why I waited and what I learned.  I waited because I did not have a smartphone, and I really did not want the expense of a 50.00 monthly data plan, plain and simple this is why I do not and did not have or want a smart phone.  Oh I was all set to get one last July but the realization of cable, DH smart phone and one for me just seem like an unnecessary expense.  So I watched my husband use his smart phone for a year and realized it really was the right decision for me to not have one, but I wanted a tablet of some kind.  I also wanted to process credit cards via this method, swipe and go.

As I got ready for a large show in the summer the final decision was that I would take my husbands phone and process that way.  That was about the time Verizon (our provider) introduced the new share everything plan and I could add a tablet to the plan for 10.00 a month, the decision became easy and obvious.  My husband was worried about battery life at the show, days were 10-12 hours and he thought no way his phone would hold out.  Since I had been wanting a tablet since the begin of the year, getting and adding an Ipad to our plan was the way I went.

I opted for the 4G/wi fi model, above is the first screen you will get when you log into your square app, which you will need to download to your device.  The second pic is Ipad with card reader in the head set jack. As you see in the left picture this would be where you could key in your total, I have tax added to mine, that is something you can set up as needed.  I still hand wrote all my receipts, even when a customer used cc.  I however entered my entire inventory into the square with my "stock photos". 

Here is a "page" of my inventory,  I had about 4 pages of stock sorted alphabetically, you could sort by a category but for me this worked best.  Also I was able to add options to items, on the top you see my carabiner coin purse, I did not need to add 3 separate items, but could differentiate between size/price.  If I hit carabiner, this window with 3 options pops up, just tap the one needed.

When you have added all your items you are ready to process, on top you can see items entered and tax calculated along with a total.  Swipe your card, when the card reader is first attached you will see the black reader box, this minimizes to below the white box, you will know it is correctly connected.  After card is swiped a box will pop up for customer signature.  They can use their finger though I had a stylus which I think worked better.

After signature a completed screen will appear, you will be given the option to enter an email or phone number for email or text receipts.  This info will not be saved for you, it is kept private for the buyer.

For my show I put up signs on every wall in my booth as well as on the outside so people looking in could see I could process credit cards.  I will say about 1/3 of my sales (in dollars) were credit card.