Let's face the facts. Many of us never or rarely carry cash anymore. This is no different for clients and customers as well. Accepting mobile payments from credit cards opens up opportunities, even if it doesn't fit into the vision of your venture right now, it may in the future. You don't want to miss out on making money simply because the customer wanted to pay with an option you do not support. So where do you begin to find a solution to accepting mobile card payments? Right here.

There are several different companies summarized below. Full disclosure, I do not currently use any of the companies listed. I am also currently researching which provider would be the best fit for my needs. I would suggest you research these and other companies if necessary so you find the best fit for your venture.

Companies:

• Square - Cost: Per Swipe - $0/month 2.75%/swipe - or - "Monthly $275/month 0%/swipe** - The phone dongle is small and sleek. The user interface is clean and easy to use. Square also offers some other products such as an online store and register integration as well. Square was one if not the first breakout company focused on taking credit cards via smartphone.
• PayPal Here - Cost: $0/month 2.7%/swipe - The phone dongle is fairly small but a bit more awkwardly shaped than Square's. Its user interface also seems fairly intuitive. You also have PayPal as the backbone which has a great history as an online payment service. You will also have access to things like live customer support by phone and adding multiple users to the account.
• Intuit GoPayment - Cost: Pay-as-you-go - $0/month 2.75%/swipe 3.75%/keyed - or - Monthly - $12.95/month 1.75%/swipe 2.75%/keyed - The phone dongle is essentially as wide as the phone. The user interface is relatively clean and uncluttered. Intuit also allows multiple users (up to 50) so more employees can take payments. Intuit also provides taxes done by geolocation and it can sync with QuickBooks.
• SpotPay - Cost: $8.95/month 1.99%/transaction - The phone dongle looks like it would be as wide as the phone in this case as well. The user inteface seems a bit clunky, based on what I could see. There seems to be some footnotes regarding the transaction fee, so you may want to closely review that information.
• PayAnywhere - Cost: $0/month 2.69%/swipe - The phone dongle is the width of the phone. The user interface is simple and clean. This company seems to offer a lot for being a lesser known company, at least to myself. Auto calculates taxes based on location, offers 24/7 live support, makes tips and custom discounts easy. There is even integration with register and point of sale (POS) systems.