Need to take payments over the phone, but not sure which virtual terminal to choose? Quite a few payment providers in the UK offer virtual terminals, but only few are truly good value for a small business. Compared to card machine payments, manually typing card details is [...]
Regardless of what business you're in, taking payments over the telephone is becoming increasingly important if: You offer delivery on your products. Your business is mobile or operates on the go. You sell a service and require deposits in order to secure appointments or make a reservation. The fact [...]
Security is a major consideration for most small business, and liability for fraudulent activity could come back to bite you if you don't meet the strict standards of the Payment Card Industry. But with the right security processes in place, taking payments over the phone is extremely safe for [...]
Simply put, a virtual terminal is a secure web page in your internet browser where you can process card payments online. It is called "virtual" because it functions like a credit card terminal, but through a non-physical software application rather than physical terminal. Usually, the virtual terminal is embedded [...]
Although PayPal doesn't offer the cheapest fees, if you already have a PayPal business account, it can be the easiest way to get started with phone payments. Are account holds and poor customer service deal-breakers, or is there a good reason for PayPal to snap up market [...]
Crudely speaking, there are two ways to process card payments: electronically through chip, swipe or contactless, and through keyed entry. The latter is also called card (or cardholder) not present payments, even when the card is physically in front of you. The keyed options for businesses are mainly virtual [...]
Square's Virtual Terminal is straightforward to set up and use immediately. And then you only need to key in basic details for each payment. Square customers automatically have access to a virtual terminal when they log into their account in any browser. The payment process is extremely simple [...]
Two of the most popular options in the UK for accepting card payments over the phone are PayPal and Worldpay. With these providers, you don't need any equipment to accept cards over the phone - only a laptop or PC with an internet connection - because you'll be using [...]
Our rating Worldpay is getting more flexible and offers better options for seasonal and small businesses. Fees are still not transparent and they're open to negotiation, but overall, Worldpay is easing up. The interface works despite its outdated look. New for 2017 is the pay-as-you-go option. [...]
Payleven has merged with SumUp since this article was written. Payleven no longer accepts new customers, so details in this article are no longer updated. SumUp offers their own virtual terminal, which you can apply for only if you use SumUp's card reader for face-to-face payments too. PayPal might [...]