Which card reader

Craft Talk
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Hi!
I’m thinking I need to have a card reader for my craft fairs, but I wonder if anyone has any advice on which to get. I’m a total wimp with technology- don’t have internet on my phone or even telephone banking, but aim to change all that and go for it. I do have a smart phone though so that is a start! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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I have a Zettle one - I’m not the greatest with technology either (and my smartphone is pretty ancient) but I found it pretty easy to use. They have occasional special offers where you can get a big discount on the card reader, so it’s worth looking out for those! And yes, you definitely do get more sales if you can take cards, especially now that many people have got out of the habit of using cash.

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I have sumup & I’m not great with tech either. I use a tablet with my card reader as I don’t have a mobile phone.
I find the sumup machine really easy to use & the reporting function on the dashboard takes care of registering your sales so you don’t need to take a pen & paper with you.

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Sumup here too.
I googled card machines when my PayPal one went and it gave pro’s and con’s to each types, and Sumup came out good for my needs.
Also watch as they sometimes have offers to purchase the machines on, so shop around.

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Thanks that’s good to know. Do you just connect your tablet with the nearest wi-fi?

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Thanks, I have looked at Zettle as it uses PayPal. Fees seem to be slightly higher than some of the others though. I like the idea of simple to use though!

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I’ve had a SumUp air for about a year now, low purchase cost (on offer at the time at Rymans) and low transaction fees swayed me! It serves its purpose well enough through my phone data at events, never tried using wifi. It works well with contactless too

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That’s great, thanks Mick.

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Me too. I am totally technology illiterate, but my Sister only had to walk me through it twice🙃

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I have a SumUp3G device, which is a card reader with it’s own mobile phone chip, so you don’t need a smartphone. It’s connects to any available network, and has been wonderful for years.

However, Vodafone are dropping their 3G service this year, and it may be that other networks follow soon, so I’m waiting to hear any news from SumUp.

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I have moved over to Square, can’t fault it and the fees are half what I was paying on PayPal here.

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Thanks for all your replies. I feel I’m really getting to grips with it now.

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I have a Square card reader too, and very happy with it.
Good luck with it all @Chrishaywoodart - there are so many options!
Helen x

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Be sure that wherever you use your tablet does have wi-if - many halls don’t. One of our regular venues does have Wi-Fi so we use our iPad - the other does not so we use our iPhone - we have both connected to our Zettle card reader which we find excellent and reliable. Very good stock itinerary, lists of the sales we have made and reports by the day, month or year.

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Thanks it’s useful to know about the wifi availability. Will need to check before booking to see if they have it!

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You’re welcome. Even in the hall where there is internet available, we always still have our phones available as the signal can be a bit iffy sometimes.

Anne

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Got an email from PayPal today confirming that my PayPal Here facility is ceasing in April. They are suggesting Zettle (of course since Zettle is part of PayPal).

Has anyone used both Zettle and an alternative (eg Square or SumUp), and which did you think was better?

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Had Zettle never got it to connect properly. Now have SumUp and brilliant.

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I have been a square user for years now. Their cheapest device is below £20 (buy a used one from eBay/Facebook market for even cheaper) and you just need your phone or a tablet. Their processing/transaction charges are below 2%, which is one of the cheapest in the market. SumUp is another good option, as their device comes with a small display screen unlike square reader, I don’t know about their processing/transaction charges though. I hope this helps.

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Another one for Izettle, I have 2 accounts, but only one card reader, no problems, it has good reporting and you can see straight away what the commission is on each transaction

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