IPhone application lets you take charges

If you own or run any kind of retail business, chances are you accept credit cards as a form of payment. Small businesses typically accept only the two mainstays of the credit card world, namely MasterCard and Visa. In the pecking order, the next to be accepted typically is American Express, then Discover, and that’s pretty much it.

The reason smaller merchants tend not to offer these services is because the card companies take a percentage bite out of every sale the merchant makes when using them.

Still, in this day and age, merchants are willing to go that extra dollar mile for several reasons. The most likely reason is security.

An authorized credit card charge means the merchant is guaranteed to collect the funds without the risk of insufficient funds and fraud. Even if the card is stolen, the merchant is instantly alerted and the authorities notified.

Not too long ago, I was in a stereo equipment store drooling over something high tech when the police burst into the place and arrested some man who tried to buy something with a stolen credit card.

It was impressive how fast they responded and how quickly the would-be thief was apprehended. But what if your business is a mobile one? What if your business is away from an office?

I recently attended a street fair and bought a painting. The merchant took my personal check, and I wondered how many times she had been burned. Another took credit cards but used one of those mechanical impression rigs where you put the card in, lay a charge slip over it and run the impression handle back and forth over it.

If the card is bad, no authorities will appear to save the day. Credit card companies have bulky mobile credit card terminals they rent out, and they’re clumsy at best. But what if you could use something you already owned, something you already carry? It’s your iPhone.

ProcessAway is a robust credit card authorization application that runs on an iPhone. It affords its users the same merchant convenience of a store authorization terminal, but it does it without the need for a wired connection.

Now you can accept credit card charges in the field and be secure in the knowledge that all of the charges are valid.

ProcessAway works via a 3G, Wi-Fi or Edge internet connection and works through the Authorize.net gateway. If you don’t already have a merchant account with Authorize, ProcessAway can set you up with a compatible merchant account with no setup charges.

ProcessAway offers most features found with charge card terminals, such as authorize and capture charges. For service-oriented charges, it can authorize and reserve funds, which places a hold on an amount until the actual charges are computed.

This assures funds are available before work begins. If the final charge is less than the hold amount, the balance is released back to the customer. Other features include transactions being e-mailed to customers, maintaining a complete transaction log and issuing refunds back to a card.

There’s even a feature that lets your customer authorize a gratuity by offering a selection of buttons, each showing a percentage based upon the final charge.

ProcessAway is available at the iTunes store and sells for a one-time charge of $19.99. Check out the ProcessAway Web site for details regarding the actual credit card processing services and related costs being offered. For more information, visit www.processaway.net.

XCraig Crossman is a national newspaper columnist writing about computers and technology. For more information, visit his Web site at www.computeramerica.com.

2009 McClatchy Tribune