It has been more than a decade since the first credit card machine became widely used in small businesses. At that time, the merchant process was simple: insert card, lay carbon paper over top and slide. The behind-the-scents processing was far more difficulty, involving multiple gateways, verifications and transfers of funds. As technology improved, it became possible to electronically facilitate the complex process of the credit card system. Consumers enjoyed the convenience and merchants embraced the change.

Not much has changed in the processing system until recently, when a new and truly inspired process hit the small business credit card processing marketplace. The process uses mobile technology and the device is called a “card swipe.” The card swipe is a small plastic accessory that plugs into a mobile device audio jack. When installed, it has the ability to read the magnetic strip. Specifically, the devices go by names like Square Card Reader, Intuit GoPayment, and Verifone PAYwhere Mobile. they all use similar technology, similar apps and have similar card swipe devices. However, each company offers different pricing structures and packages.

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