Pro's And Con's Of Taking Credit Cards?

Tiger

Good advice here.

In service you should accept credit cards.
You don't need a terminal.
Total fees are in the 3-4% range.
Don't attach it to your main account (thanks for that reminder Mr. Plumber)
I've heard that only AmEx will side with the cardholder and refund even on a completed, signed contract. I don't know if it'd true, but that's why I don't accept AmEx. I had one client try to stop payment on a completed contract with a Visa or MC and the merchant asked me to fax the invoice. The charge went through with no problems.

I'm using Intuit Merchant Service now and so far so good. It works directly from QuickBooks and if you're considering this please contact me. I'll get a referral bonus which I'll split with you.

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www.TigerElectrical.com

Giftcard

I don't like accepting credit cards but its a big part of my business.

Zinsco

I no longer take credit cards and I'm much happier. Not worth the added drama. Suddenly raising fees, mysterious charges, unexplained transactions, it's always something when you have a merchant account. I won't come to your house and hang a ceiling fan or replace a GFI, if I thought that was a good use of my time, I would probably need to take credit cards, but I run my business lean and mean and as a result, don't take cards.