The use of credit cards as a form of payment has come a long way since its advent. People are now able to purchase goods and services through the Internet and pay with their credit or debit cards. Consumers with valid cards can also do purchases in stores and use their cards to pay for their merchandise. If you run out of cash, you can also drop by the nearest ATM and get a cash advance. These activities have brought the purchasing power of computers to a different level.
When you own a business, isn’t it more profitable if you are able to accept various forms of payment aside from cash? When you have alternative forms of payment, your business will be able to cater to a wider audience. People who do not have some cash ready can easily grab their credit cards and use them to pay. In addition, customers that rely on credit card use can benefit a lot from your service; that in return will gain you more profit.
USB credit card readers are the new breed of business machines that can help an establishment handle credit card payments in no time. A card reader is typically composed of a magnetic stripe reader, display screen, and numeric keypad where amounts that need to be paid are inputted. A computer, receipt printer, and the card reader is all that your business needs to conduct an instant sale. Most restaurants and department stores are already equipped with this technology making their services faster and reliable.
The peripheral, or simply the card reader, is integrated with a software application that communicates to the credit card company every time a transaction is made. Once verified, funds will then be transferred to the business account as payment for the service or merchandise rendered to a customer. This application is referred to as Point of Sale (POS). A single swipe of the credit card to the machine can conclude the transaction. This is another product of technology that lessens complex tasks and brings forth effective and accurate accounting.
Once a transaction is concluded, a receipt containing information about the payment will be printed. This will reflect the amount deducted from the customer’s account and other information, but not the whole account or card number to preserve security.
Unlike card readers connected to the computer through serial ports, USB credit card readers are faster in terms of processing input and are far more advanced. The difference in the processing speed can be minimal and many may not notice it through direct view of the application, but for businesses running multiple payments at a time, this slight difference in processing speed can mean a lot.
On the other hand, card readers are no longer limited for use by businesses, and are often very portable. Newer USB portable card readers are now designed to work for a more personal purpose. A newly developed technology is taking its share of popularity by offering a secure way of purchasing products online through the use of credit or debit cards.
This new USB credit card reader needs to be connected to the computer before a user decides to purchase anything online. When everything is set and the website asks for the credit or debit card information, all that a user should do is simply swipe the card to the reader and information is directly added to the system. This provides a secure and sound online shopping.