credit cards or not?

[joe d]

Renee,
My website is certainly not perfect, but it only costs me $7.95 a month.
You can even upgrade to have your own domain name and not use the
iwantamassage.com part.

Most of the subscribers at iwantamassage.com have not done much
with their websites, but I have tried to do as much as I can with the templete they provided.

At least it is cost efficient until you can afford the website you really want.

http://iwantamassage.com

 

[Loretta K]

I say YES to accepting cc.
I don't know how you cannot in this day and age.
It also makes your business more professional and
I found I lost out on some business when I did not
offer them. Especially if someone wanted to purchase
a gift certificate. Oh, and don't forget holidays.

It does not cost that much and you should weigh that
cost on how much possible income might be losing
because you do not accept them.

It also allows clients from across the country to purchase
gift certificates from your website for family and friends.
I think it's a must.
I can process cc at home, at my place of business and anywhere over my cell phone. LOVE IT!!!

I agree with Sandy on this subject 1000%. There are some who don't want to accept credit cards and complain about the cost.

Compared to retail establishements, service based businesses are really making out on credit card transactions. If a retail establishement processes a $50 transaction for merchandise, they need to consider they had to pay for the merchandise. A $50 transaction might only be a $25 profit if they are lucky. For an indy MT, your profit on a $50 service is much higher than $25 in most cases. So, yes, the roughly 2% you pay to process that credit card is still $1, but keep in mind, your expenses based on that service are usually not half of the cost of the service. I estimate my expense per session to be roughly $8 per hour session, not including any taxes. I am taking rent, electricity, oil, and sheets into consideration. If I pay my employee, then I estimate my expence per session is roughly $30, and the more massage she does, that cost goes down.

 

[ShoppingBandGeek]

I started taking cards because I was going to do a few events away from the office and knew that not everyone brings their checkbook or change to an event. I have never looked back.

While I never had a client balk at cash-or-check before I took cards, I know my simple volume of calls has increased since I began advertising that I take them. Not only is the convenience totally worth it to me (a la Breathe and Pete), it turns out it is also kind of a selling point. It just makes the business look a little more up-to-date somehow.

I don't encourage or discourage a particular method of payment with my clients. Just to me personally, when I patronize a business that COULD take my card but they tell me they'd rather I pay check/cash -- it makes them look small, a little nickel-and-dimey. When a merchant asks me to be concerned about their business affairs like that, it makes me trust them a little bit less, like they're asking me to worry about their bottom line for them. I don't know if this is true for everyone.

 

[weddingdress_xtryan]

I checked with my bank and it costs about $49/mo (48 month lease) plus .15 cents and 2+% per transaction. I don't know. To me that seems like a lot for convenience. Am I just cheap? Most people on this thread are acting like accepting credit cards only costs the % that is taken off of each transaction. But to me the monthly payment looks like it will cost more than the perceneforum.xxxe on my cc transactions.

I think cellcharge, at $10/mo with 3.9% is a better deal. And it's even cheaper for ABMP members.

Do most of ya'll use cell charge, or your bank? If you use your bank, does it cost similar to what I wrote up there, or is it cheaper?

 

[Leafsfan29-Go Canada Go]

I say YES to accepting cc. I don't know how you cannot in this day and age.

In my area, massage therapists don't generally accept credit cards. For that reason, clients expect to pay by cash/check, and it's no impediment to building a business. I have a full practice now, and all of my clients are used to paying by cash/check, so I have no reason to add credit card expenses at this point. However, if I was just opening my practice & having difficulty building up my clientele, I would definitely consider taking credit cards, to give me a competitive edge.

Just to me personally, when I patronize a business that COULD take my card but they tell me they'd rather I pay check/cash -- it makes them look small, a little nickel-and-dimey. When a merchant asks me to be concerned about their business affairs like that, it makes me trust them a little bit less, like they're asking me to worry about their bottom line for them. I don't know if this is true for everyone.

This doesn't bother me at all. A local restaurant put a sign by their register, letting their customers know that they pay on average $1,000 per month in credit card fees. Rather than raise their menu prices, they were asking customers to pay by cash/check if possible. Rather than being offended, I felt connected to them as part of our local community, and I happily paid cash instead.