If you have a small business and use a PayPal card reader, you may have recently received an email that PayPal is discontinuing its card reader and replacing it with Zettle (not Zelle). They want you to purchase the Zettle card reader for about $80.

There are alternatives to this.

I have been using the Square card reader for six years and find it extremely easy to use. Like PayPal, you can access your funds immediately. The square fee for standard card processing is 2.6% + 10 cents. PayPal’s fee is 2.9% + 30 cents.

Square has many options for processing hardware:

• The basic card swiper that plugs into your smartphone is about $10. You can buy this from Square, or even pick one up at Walmart.
• The chip card reader is $49 and offers extra security for chip cards.
• If your customer has a contactless tap symbol on their card (shown at left), you can simply tap it to your smartphone screen!
• If you’re more of a brick-and-mortar business, there are the Square Terminal, Square Stand, and Square Register.

One other thing I love about Square is the checking account. All card sales that I process are deposited into my Square checking account, plus I have arranged for 10% of my sales to transfer directly into my Square savings account. That automatic savings helps me save up for special purchases. I have a beautiful white debit card that I can use anywhere to access those funds. And I received $1,000 in free processing just for signing up for the checking account!

If you sign up for a Square account using this link, you’ll receive your first $1,000 in free processing too:

https://squareup.com/i/PAMELAMUR1

I am confident that Square will be the perfect fit for your business.