How is this better than keying in the cc number + expiry date? Also I don't think this would work with chip+pin cards would it?
Faster?
Squareup
11–20 of 158 posts
Re: Squareup
#12So how do I buy it? What are the fees? It's backed by Khosla Ventures, so it's obviously not vaporware, but I don't see a call-to-action anywhere.
It's in closed beta with a number of vendors, like @sightglass & @lilybellesf. According to their Twitter, they're taking beta applications later today: http://twitter.com/Square/status/6242394391
Re: Squareup
#13How is this better than keying in the cc number + expiry date? Also I don't think this would work with chip+pin cards would it?
Faster, which is not a trivial thing at all if you've got a line of potential customers (some of whom may change their mind or never get in line in the first place if things take too long), and there's additional data on the magstripe that proves the card is really present, which allows you to get better rates with your merchant account. If you have to key in the number and expiration, you'll pay higher rates.
Re: Squareup
#14I see this and I think...why hadn't PayPal done something like this already? It would make perfect sense for them have come out with something like this a long time ago, but who knows...
Re: Squareup
#15I see this and I think...why hadn't PayPal done something like this already? It would make perfect sense for them have come out with something like this a long time ago, but who knows...
Close to what paypal started as. Then they realized people didn't want to send payments using their PDAs, they wanted to send them via email.
Re: Squareup
#16I see this and I think...why hadn't PayPal done something like this already? It would make perfect sense for them have come out with something like this a long time ago, but who knows...
Close to what paypal started as. Then they realized people didn't want to send payments using their PDAs, they wanted to send them via email.
True, but why not revisit the concept at some point especially since a lot more people are walking around with PDAs/smartphones/etc. now than when they first started.
Re: Squareup
#17I see this and I think...why hadn't PayPal done something like this already? It would make perfect sense for them have come out with something like this a long time ago, but who knows...
Close to what paypal started as. Then they realized people didn't want to send payments using their PDAs, they wanted to send them via email.
...and obviously paypal was ahead of it's time, and I doubt the execution was as clean or user-friendly as square.
Re: Squareup
#18How is this better than keying in the cc number + expiry date? Also I don't think this would work with chip+pin cards would it?
Is it not obvious? Why don't retail stores type in your credit card information instead of swiping it?
Chip and PIN doesn't seem to exist in the US so I'd imagine they're not targeting it immediately. I don't see why they couldn't expand the hardware to support it though.
Re: Squareup
#19Very cool - congrats to PK for being involved in this too. Looks beautiful.
Re: Squareup
#20Interesting idea, I really like the hardware piece.
Not sure how large of a market there is for this. Mom + Pop stores use CC terminals (cheaper than an iPhone), so that leaves this open to mostly people who accept payment outdoors at farmers markets, sports events, etc..
For that to work you'd have to be comfortable giving a merchant your credit card, which isn't a sure thing considering they can disappear without a brick+mortar store. Also, the merchant would have to be comfortable giving a customer their iPhone. I know I wouldn't want to hand out my phone to random people on the street.
That being said, it looks cool and if I had a store I would definitely give it a try.