[Linz]

Hi Everyone,

I am starting a new catering/foods business (I've been in catering before and get asked all the time so I'm jumping back in). I want to be able to accept credit cards as a form of payment but I'm not totally sure how to get set up to be able to do this. Does anyone know? Any tips or advice on accepting credit cards from other business owners?

Any help or tips are appreciated!

Thanks,
Linz

[Teacup3]

Yes, I do. I used to own and operate a 1 Hour Photo lab. The way it worked for me as much as I can remember, it's been awhile, was like this.

When you file for a DBA your information gets out there. You should begin to start receiving a bunch of mass mailings for credit card machines.

Once you find one you want to go with, they walk you through it.

I do remember that who ever you go with will not only charge a fee, but also a % of each sale.

How I received my weekly cc transactions was monthly. Once a month the cc company I used sent me a statement. That statement explained how much was sent to my bank account. How much they got from each transaction.

They also provide all inventory you need as well.

You get charged each month the fee whether you receive charges that month or not.

This is how it worked for me. It's been over 18 years and I am trying to recall from that long ago. I just remember it was a hassle for my small business, but a necessary part to run it smoothly.

The one thing I wish I had gotten along with being able to accept cc was being able to run checks through the scanner to automatically deduct the amount from that person's account.

That would have saved me some hassels...

[jilah7]

Sams has a great program, if you open a business account at suntrust they have a cc program that is cheapest by far. Sams is the next best price we have found. We own a restaurant. We have been with 3 different companies trying to find the best deal. HTH

[Teeeldee]

I know Costco and Sam's Club offer Merchant Credit Card Processing to their members, if you have one of these nearby.
You can find their fees on their websites.

[Linz]

Thanks for that info! I appreciate all the help.

[itsbelong]

I accept CC and I went through the bank...

[katjim00]

Don't know if this would pertain or not, but AMEX charges MUCH higher fees than Visa or MC to accept their card. That's why alot of places don't take it. I want to say it may have been a full 2% higher than the others....