Credit Cards?

[SilverSabre25]

Would you (or do you?) accept credit cards using something like Square with your smartphone or tablet?

I'm really tempted to raise rates by ~$5 to cover the fees, then start REQUIRING electronic payments via one form or another. And if I pay the fees even through raising rates, i can claim them on taxes right?

[TwinKristi]

I believe you can use the expenses on your taxes for a service, like my dh pays $12.95/mo through Quickbooks for his business so we can accept credit cards, we need to cancel that actually. LOL but the fee we pay from the payment itself I don't think can be written off as an expense. Maybe it's considered a bank fee and you can? I don't know for sure on that part.
I accept PayPal but don't have a reader. It's through the PayPal website/app and only one parent has ever paid me that way but it's not anything extra I have to do, I've had the acct for ages and always will so it's just an option I have.

[Meeko]

I just recently discovered Venmo. I have two parents using it (one of them told me about it) and want the others to use it too! No fees of any kind and payment is instant. You can either keep the money in your Venmo account, or "cash out" to your bank which is deposited the next day. AWESOME!

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I don't do credit cards, but I do use childcarepay.com through Minute Menu Kids and there is a $1 attached to each payment (my parents pay bi-weekly). It automatically adds it to my tax write offs in the accounting section of Minute Menu Kids. So, I am going to assume any fees for a CC would be a write off as well!

[MotherNature]

I use square and charge $5 to use it. I've only had to use it a couple times..parent forgot the check book or didn't stop at bank.

[AmyKidsCo]

I don't do credit cards but if I did I'd set it up through Paypal. I already have a PP account and am familiar with it.

I strongly encourage parents to use direct deposit, but so far no one has. :roll eyes: I do have 1 family who uses a bill payer system so I know my check is always on the way.

[midaycare]

I have parents who pay me through various free online things. There is really no need for cc since there are so many other options.

[SilverSabre25]

I decided to go ahead and get the square reader and start accepting cards. I might actually STOP accepting checks.

I'm going to raise rates by $5/kid (oh no, a dollar a day, what a horror) starting Sept 1st and accept the cards then too. Swipe your card at drop off on Monday and we're good to go

[Unregistered]

I wouldn't do it...

I just had a really bad experience using a credit card swiper earlier this year... I got the Square system and was so excited to use it. Until now. I will never use it again.

This is what happened and I guess its pretty common happening after I did some research.

Basically I had a daycare mom who was really young and bad at making payments on time. She had a lot of personal issues and I was WAY to nice and forgiving to her because I really liked the little girl. She no showed for 2 weeks on me and wouldn't return my calls and she owed me @ $320. After many phone calls and emails, she finally texts me. She said that she would pay via credit card using her mom's credit card. I call the grandma and she confirms that its okay. The grandma gives me the credit card # and info over the phone. I process it and was so happy that payment was made. The mom disappeared on me again the next week and I got tired of it and I had to terminate care.

Fast forward several months later. I get an email from Square saying that they had a report that I did a fraudulent charge on a credit card for the $320 and that they are deducting the funds from my bank account. My personal checking acct was connected to the Square account and so without any notice they had already deducted the $320 from my account!! I was SOOO mad.

I tried to find a number to call Square and there was nothing. All I could do was file a complaint with them thru email and submit all my evidence. Luckily I had emails and texts from the DCM and grandma about the credit card charge... all with the okaying of the charge.

I contacted the mom but she would respond to me so I contacted the grandmother - since it was her card. I guess what happened was that after I terminated her from the daycare, the DCM took the credit card and used it fraudulently at a bunch of stores. So the grandma called her credit card and reported it being stolen - instead of busting out her daughter. So the credit card considered ALL The charges fraudulent including the one to me!!!

It takes 90 days for the Square to give me back my money basically. I won the case and So I have like a week more before I get my money back now.

When I googled "Square credit card issues" - its apparently a big problem with people lying to their credit card that the charge was fraudulent and then Square will automatically take the money from the Square account holder without any notice. It's ridiculous!

Anyway - I would NEVER take a credit card from a parent again. Just coming from my experience.... I would stay far away from it.