Second Square hitch

[Samster]

The October 2012 issue of PC World reviews and ranks the 4 top mobile payment systems.

 

[gillumhouse]

The October 2012 issue of PC World reviews and ranks the 4 top mobile payment systems..

How did they rank Square? Or did they?

 

[Copperhead]

The October 2012 issue of PC World reviews and ranks the 4 top mobile payment systems..

The October 2012 issue of PC World reviews and ranks the 4 top mobile payment systems.

Could not find the 10/12 article online but this one was done in May 2012 and updated in July.

 

[EmptyNest]

The October 2012 issue of PC World reviews and ranks the 4 top mobile payment systems..

How did they rank Square? Or did they?
.

I looked all around and could not find the article: Maybe you can:
http://www.pcworld.com/

 

[Samster]

The October 2012 issue of PC World reviews and ranks the 4 top mobile payment systems..

How did they rank Square? Or did they?
.

I looked all around and could not find the article: Maybe you can:
http://www.pcworld.com/
.

It's not online yet...you have to get the actual print magazine. Whowoodathunkit?

 

[Anon Inn]

For all the extra work you are having to do to use square is it worth it? You like taking the time to call and ask for the 3 digit code for every reservation? My time is so short I would pay an extra $100 bucks a month to not deal with it! I love the fact that when someone makes a reservation, it charges the card automatically! Square is good for having a garage sale! But all the extra work you are doing is it worth it?.

For all the extra work you are having to do to use square is it worth it? You like taking the time to call and ask for the 3 digit code for every reservation? My time is so short I would pay an extra $100 bucks a month to not deal with it! I love the fact that when someone makes a reservation, it charges the card automatically! Square is good for having a garage sale! But all the extra work you are doing is it worth it?

Don't blame square, it is the reservation prgrm they are using. I get the v-code on mine. I have to admit swiping an intl card with no additional fees made me do the happy dance.
.

I will put up with having to make that extra call until switching to a new reservation program or until I find another work around

Our fees and such put our overall charges in the five percent range. And I hated the surprise-what-the-heck-is-that-fee. When the last mystery and ridiculous fee was $99, that was enough. "Oh, we'll waive that fee for a year to keep your business". Thanks for waiver. It gave me time to find a better and more predictable way to take the plastic.

 

[Copperhead]

Received my Square reader late last week and have now used it for 2 transactions. First one was done on Sat, without any issues and the money was in my account first thing Monday am. I told the couple (elderly) bare with me this is new, she looked and said 'oh, that is Square isn't it!' She had seen the ads on TV!
The second one done yesterday morning with a German couple. A couple of hick-ups. Swipe took 3 attempts, I guess I held my mouth wrong with the first 2 attempts. Then the guy had trouble signing with his finger, nothing but one loop appeared and he attempted to redo but nothing worked. Then he had several errors before his email address was in correctly. He blamed it on his large fingers, which he had, but since this is on my phone it did not help matters. A tablet would be nicer - now added to my wish list.
For the time being I am keeping my traditional merchant account as well. Since I take deposits with card not present, the fact that Square may retain some of that $ for a month has me questioning going fully with it. I do understand their reasoning as they issue these readers to any Joe wanting one and keyed in sales are red flags.

 

[gillumhouse]

Received my Square reader late last week and have now used it for 2 transactions. First one was done on Sat, without any issues and the money was in my account first thing Monday am. I told the couple (elderly) bare with me this is new, she looked and said 'oh, that is Square isn't it!' She had seen the ads on TV!
The second one done yesterday morning with a German couple. A couple of hick-ups. Swipe took 3 attempts, I guess I held my mouth wrong with the first 2 attempts. Then the guy had trouble signing with his finger, nothing but one loop appeared and he attempted to redo but nothing worked. Then he had several errors before his email address was in correctly. He blamed it on his large fingers, which he had, but since this is on my phone it did not help matters. A tablet would be nicer - now added to my wish list.
For the time being I am keeping my traditional merchant account as well. Since I take deposits with card not present, the fact that Square may retain some of that $ for a month has me questioning going fully with it. I do understand their reasoning as they issue these readers to any Joe wanting one and keyed in sales are red flags..

Thursday morning's guest had a problem with signing the screen - but none of the others have. Any ideas anyone? I key in the e-mail addresses they give me so I get that right OK.

 

[OnTheShore]

Does anyone offer a stylus to sign with, rather than a finger tip? Guests might find that easier to use.

 

[scrambled_eggs]

I have figured out the problem with signing the screen. Guests were trying to sign and nothing was showing up and it is because the screen does not like fingernails. Even if the fingernails are short. The guest needs to not use the tip of the finger but the flat part right under the tip. It just needs to be angled right and it always works.
I don't sent the receipts right away unless they want it text messaged to them. I usually have their email on file from the reservation so after they check in I go back and put the email address in and send it. Trying to type in the email address correctly while they are standing there was hard and I didn't want to make an error so I just do it later. You can also just go into the main square website and pull up the charge and enter their email address there.

 

[JBloggs]

Received my Square reader late last week and have now used it for 2 transactions. First one was done on Sat, without any issues and the money was in my account first thing Monday am. I told the couple (elderly) bare with me this is new, she looked and said 'oh, that is Square isn't it!' She had seen the ads on TV!
The second one done yesterday morning with a German couple. A couple of hick-ups. Swipe took 3 attempts, I guess I held my mouth wrong with the first 2 attempts. Then the guy had trouble signing with his finger, nothing but one loop appeared and he attempted to redo but nothing worked. Then he had several errors before his email address was in correctly. He blamed it on his large fingers, which he had, but since this is on my phone it did not help matters. A tablet would be nicer - now added to my wish list.
For the time being I am keeping my traditional merchant account as well. Since I take deposits with card not present, the fact that Square may retain some of that $ for a month has me questioning going fully with it. I do understand their reasoning as they issue these readers to any Joe wanting one and keyed in sales are red flags..

Since I take deposits with card not present, the fact that Square may retain some of that $ for a month has me questioning going fully with it.

What money for a month? Square doesn't retain money, it is a processor and it is in your account within 48 hours.

 

[JBloggs]

Does anyone offer a stylus to sign with, rather than a finger tip? Guests might find that easier to use..

Does anyone offer a stylus to sign with, rather than a finger tip? Guests might find that easier to use.

I use an ipad so it is a larger screen than an iphone or android. I hand it to them and say "Finger paint your signature here" and most try to get right on the line, but the ENTIRE BOX is the area to sign. I might use a stylus if I had to use a phone, DH uses square on his phone if I am not here.
I ask if they want a credit card recpt, if they do I let them enter their email address while they have it in their hand still.

 

[Arks]

Does anyone offer a stylus to sign with, rather than a finger tip? Guests might find that easier to use..

Does anyone offer a stylus to sign with, rather than a finger tip? Guests might find that easier to use.

Most Palm-style styli don't work with the iPhone since the capacitive screen reacts, not to being pressed, but to the conductivity of skin. That's why the screen doesn't like fingernails. Nails don't conduct electricity.
But there are some styli that do work with iPhone. You just have to get the right kind.
http://lifehacker.com/5277112/make-a-diy-iphone-stylus-for-precision-greasy-fingers

 

[Copperhead]

Received my Square reader late last week and have now used it for 2 transactions. First one was done on Sat, without any issues and the money was in my account first thing Monday am. I told the couple (elderly) bare with me this is new, she looked and said 'oh, that is Square isn't it!' She had seen the ads on TV!
The second one done yesterday morning with a German couple. A couple of hick-ups. Swipe took 3 attempts, I guess I held my mouth wrong with the first 2 attempts. Then the guy had trouble signing with his finger, nothing but one loop appeared and he attempted to redo but nothing worked. Then he had several errors before his email address was in correctly. He blamed it on his large fingers, which he had, but since this is on my phone it did not help matters. A tablet would be nicer - now added to my wish list.
For the time being I am keeping my traditional merchant account as well. Since I take deposits with card not present, the fact that Square may retain some of that $ for a month has me questioning going fully with it. I do understand their reasoning as they issue these readers to any Joe wanting one and keyed in sales are red flags..

Since I take deposits with card not present, the fact that Square may retain some of that $ for a month has me questioning going fully with it.

What money for a month? Square doesn't retain money, it is a processor and it is in your account within 48 hours.
.

Since I take deposits with card not present, the fact that Square may retain some of that $ for a month has me questioning going fully with it.

What money for a month? Square doesn't retain money, it is a processor and it is in your account within 48 hours.

The following is copied from Square website once you are signed in. I did miss read it and there is a limit of ~ $2000 for each 7 day period (not each 30 day period as I thought) and you can ask for an limit increase if need be. But if you do go over the limit, it is held for 30 days! I don't think this will be much of an issue for me after all as I would rarely get over this in a given week (

)
From the website: (under the Deposit tab, right colum, then hit learn more under the How much money will Square deposit? section:
When businesses accept payments by swiping cards with the Square card reader, we deposit all funds to your linked bank account each evening, except for Saturdays. Learn more about specific deposit times.
For manually-entered payments (payments for which the card is not swiped), there is a $2,002 weekly deposit limit. This limit does not affect the amount you can accept by manually-entering transactions and does not apply to swiped payments. To request an increase to your payout amount, please begin the application process here.

Manual entry (card not present)
How much will Square deposit for businesses?
$2,002 deposit limit*
(During any trailing 7 day period)
Deposit initiated within
36 hours (first $2,002)
30 days (remainder of payment deferred)

* You can accept more than $2,002 in manually-entered payments during any trailing seven day period, though Square will defer depositing the amount in excess of $2,002 for 30 days. To request an increase to your payout amount, please begin the application process here.
* This limit does not apply to swiped payments.
Note: Your $2,002 limit for manually-entered transactions is cumulative across any mobile staff accounts you have associated with your Square account.
If you foresee yourself or your staff primarily processing manually-entered transactions, please begin the application process here.
Please note that if you are subscribed to Square monthly pricing, your subscription applies to swiped transactions less than or equal to $400 and $250,000 annually. If you swipe a transaction larger than $400 or above the annualized limit, you will be charged the 2.75% fee. Also, manually-entered transactions are still charged a 3.5% + 15¢ fee per transaction with Square monthly.

 

[Anon Inn]

Does anyone offer a stylus to sign with, rather than a finger tip? Guests might find that easier to use..

We provide a stylus. Works well.

 

[Samster]

Received my Square reader late last week and have now used it for 2 transactions. First one was done on Sat, without any issues and the money was in my account first thing Monday am. I told the couple (elderly) bare with me this is new, she looked and said 'oh, that is Square isn't it!' She had seen the ads on TV!
The second one done yesterday morning with a German couple. A couple of hick-ups. Swipe took 3 attempts, I guess I held my mouth wrong with the first 2 attempts. Then the guy had trouble signing with his finger, nothing but one loop appeared and he attempted to redo but nothing worked. Then he had several errors before his email address was in correctly. He blamed it on his large fingers, which he had, but since this is on my phone it did not help matters. A tablet would be nicer - now added to my wish list.
For the time being I am keeping my traditional merchant account as well. Since I take deposits with card not present, the fact that Square may retain some of that $ for a month has me questioning going fully with it. I do understand their reasoning as they issue these readers to any Joe wanting one and keyed in sales are red flags..

Before you invest a bunch of money in a tablet, got to a store like Bes t Bu y and buy a stylus for your smartphone. Might work better for you....

 

[Penelope]

Received my Square reader late last week and have now used it for 2 transactions. First one was done on Sat, without any issues and the money was in my account first thing Monday am. I told the couple (elderly) bare with me this is new, she looked and said 'oh, that is Square isn't it!' She had seen the ads on TV!
The second one done yesterday morning with a German couple. A couple of hick-ups. Swipe took 3 attempts, I guess I held my mouth wrong with the first 2 attempts. Then the guy had trouble signing with his finger, nothing but one loop appeared and he attempted to redo but nothing worked. Then he had several errors before his email address was in correctly. He blamed it on his large fingers, which he had, but since this is on my phone it did not help matters. A tablet would be nicer - now added to my wish list.
For the time being I am keeping my traditional merchant account as well. Since I take deposits with card not present, the fact that Square may retain some of that $ for a month has me questioning going fully with it. I do understand their reasoning as they issue these readers to any Joe wanting one and keyed in sales are red flags..

Before you invest a bunch of money in a tablet, got to a store like Bes t Bu y and buy a stylus for your smartphone. Might work better for you....
.

Before you invest a bunch of money in a tablet, got to a store like Bes t Bu y and buy a stylus for your smartphone. Might work better for you....

Got three gel styluses (styli?) for 87 cents from Amazondotcom.

 

[Proud Texan]

Some very late arriving guests triggered the " I will now charge the card, and send the "We have charged your one night deposit, per the policy you agreed to at booking " response, only when I went to retrieve the card information in order to do the 'card not present' charge, I found I could not access the three digit security code the guest had entered into the online booking system. With Square, that code is needed. I contacted the online booking representative who told me I would not be able to retrieve that number as it is illegal for them to keep it. This is not really a Square hitch, but an incompatibility with our online booking system, which is set up to use with Authorize dot net.
I will have to find a way to work around this, or phone each guest with an "In order to complete your reservation, may I have the three digit code from the back of the card you used to book?".
I was loving Square, and loving my online booking company. Now I have a potential problem. I've only had to charge a no-show once, and the late arrivals did make it, so no harm this time, but I need that security. Any ideas?

Don't use Square. ReservationKey stores the information, including the CVV, at least until the reservation has been completed and for a few days after in case you need to run additional charges.
If you're using Authorize.net, then you can run the charge on their virtual terminal. All that is required there is the zip code that is associated with the card's billing address.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

Some very late arriving guests triggered the " I will now charge the card, and send the "We have charged your one night deposit, per the policy you agreed to at booking " response, only when I went to retrieve the card information in order to do the 'card not present' charge, I found I could not access the three digit security code the guest had entered into the online booking system. With Square, that code is needed. I contacted the online booking representative who told me I would not be able to retrieve that number as it is illegal for them to keep it. This is not really a Square hitch, but an incompatibility with our online booking system, which is set up to use with Authorize dot net.
I will have to find a way to work around this, or phone each guest with an "In order to complete your reservation, may I have the three digit code from the back of the card you used to book?".
I was loving Square, and loving my online booking company. Now I have a potential problem. I've only had to charge a no-show once, and the late arrivals did make it, so no harm this time, but I need that security. Any ideas?

Don't use Square. ReservationKey stores the information, including the CVV, at least until the reservation has been completed and for a few days after in case you need to run additional charges.
If you're using Authorize.net, then you can run the charge on their virtual terminal. All that is required there is the zip code that is associated with the card's billing address..

I just started using Auth.net yesterday with ResKey. Got my first reservation and was great to not have to hassle with inputting the cc info. I also chose to use the CIM which allows me to just click a button and charge the balance when I'm ready.

 

[Arks]

Some very late arriving guests triggered the " I will now charge the card, and send the "We have charged your one night deposit, per the policy you agreed to at booking " response, only when I went to retrieve the card information in order to do the 'card not present' charge, I found I could not access the three digit security code the guest had entered into the online booking system. With Square, that code is needed. I contacted the online booking representative who told me I would not be able to retrieve that number as it is illegal for them to keep it. This is not really a Square hitch, but an incompatibility with our online booking system, which is set up to use with Authorize dot net.
I will have to find a way to work around this, or phone each guest with an "In order to complete your reservation, may I have the three digit code from the back of the card you used to book?".
I was loving Square, and loving my online booking company. Now I have a potential problem. I've only had to charge a no-show once, and the late arrivals did make it, so no harm this time, but I need that security. Any ideas?

Don't use Square. ReservationKey stores the information, including the CVV, at least until the reservation has been completed and for a few days after in case you need to run additional charges.
If you're using Authorize.net, then you can run the charge on their virtual terminal. All that is required there is the zip code that is associated with the card's billing address..

I just started using Auth.net yesterday with ResKey. Got my first reservation and was great to not have to hassle with inputting the cc info. I also chose to use the CIM which allows me to just click a button and charge the balance when I'm ready.
.

I just started using Auth.net yesterday with ResKey. Got my first reservation and was great to not have to hassle with inputting the cc info. I also chose to use the CIM which allows me to just click a button and charge the balance when I'm ready.

Yep, it's great. Not cheap by any means, but a worthwhile expenditure for the business.