It is pretty obvious that if you want to start accepting credit cards at your place of business, you will need credit card machines. Now that this is settled, we can get into the more complicated stuff!
There are various credit card machines that a business owner can use to process credit and debit cards. Some of these terminals include POS PIN Pads, Stand-Alone Terminals, Wire Terminals and Wireless Terminals. The challenge arises when you must determine what terminal you should purchase (or lease) and why.
Today, we will look at the good and the bad of bluetooth terminals for business owners. This will hopefully assist with the process of selecting a credit card machine for your company.
What’s Good About Bluetooth Terminals?
- Bluetooth terminals work perfectly within a 60 meter radius of its base station. This means, if you are the owner of a business such as a restaurant or retail store that wants to bring the terminal to its customer to pay, then Bluetooth credit card machines are a good idea.
- Business owners can also sync up seven terminals with just one Bluetooth base station. As your business begins to grow, and your lineups become too long to handle, you can improve your wait times by adding one more terminal.
- Bluetooth terminals are also one of the safest and most secure terminals on the market today. They are PCI EMV compliant which reduces fraud and merchant liability tremendously. This means if fraud does occur at your place of business, you will not be liable for the associated costs due to fraudulent activity.
- Best benefit for last. Bluetooth terminals are typically less expensive when compared to terminals that operate on cellular networks. This is because every time a terminal connects with the credit card company over the network, data charges apply. This makes your per transaction fee, and your credit card machines, that much more expensive per transaction. Bluetooth terminals do not have variable fees associated to processing.
The Downsides of Bluetooth Terminals
- Limited mobility is the biggest downside for Bluetooth credit card machines. Even if you are a restaurant, and want to bring the terminal to your patrons, you will not have sufficient range to bring Bluetooth terminals on the road for delivery. If you wanted to do this, you would need a wireless or mobile device that can accept credit cards.
- Overall speed of Bluetooth terminals tends to be slower then other wireless options. It is not drastically slower, but during peak hours, it may be noticeable for your more astute customers. Typically, this does not affect customer satisfaction, especially if they do not have another option to compare it with. However, it is still important to point out as one of the downsides to Bluetooth terminals.
Credit Card Machines and What You Need to Know
Although we have presented some benefits and some downsides to Bluetooth terminals, it is important to note that you must to right by your business. If, for example, you do not offer a delivery service, then Bluetooth is definitely the way to go. On the other, if deliver is a integral part of your business, you would want to consider alternative options that can service all your needs.
What pros and cons would you add to these lists for business owners who have used Bluetooth terminals before?
If you need help selecting a terminal, feel free to get in touch!
