Verizon Wireless Debuts Mobile Credit Card Processing for SMBs

Verizon Wireless wants to give small and medium-sized businesses the ability to process credit-card payments on mobile devices. A new partnership with Intuit will do just that, as Intuits GoPayment app and pocket-sized credit-card reader are now available in VzW retail stores and through sales channels.

The card reader plugs into the audio jack of a smartphone of tablet that supports the application. You can then swipe a credit or debit card through the reader or enter it into the app manually. The transaction is processed right away and funds are automatically deposited into a users bank account within a few business days.

GoPayment works on most of the top platforms, including Android, BlackBerry and Apples iOS.

Depending on the types of goods and services sold, users can apply sales tax, add tips and send customized receipts via text message and email with a map of where the transaction took place. And its said to be secure credit card information is never stored on the phone. Data is encrypted, once via the card reader and a second time via the GoPayment app.

For those businesses using QuickBooks, GoPayment syncs transactions with recent versions of the program to save time by reducing manual data entry. GoPayment also supports up to 50 users on one account.

For Verizon Wireless customers, the GoPayment credit card reader is free with activation of a GoPayment account and a mail-in rebate for the $30 purchase price. The app is free and the basic service has no monthly, transaction or cancellation fees, also offering a 2.7 percent discount rate for swiped transactions. A paid version of GoPayment is also available for $12.95 per month and provides a low discount rate of 1.7 percent for swiped transactions. Intuit is offering VzW customers two months of free service when they select this monthly paid plan.

Those who buy a smartphone for their GoPayment use will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $40 per month. Tablet and smartphone users require a data package starting at $30/month for 2 GB of data.