Simple CC charging

Request for advice on cost effective CC charging for simple invoices

[Extracold]

I have a small business based in a Euro country selling holidays to UK (£ Sterling) clients. A simple product, £100 deposit and balance payable 6 weeks before start date. We have the client download a booking form in Word and complete it, e-mailing it back. However, we want to collect £100 deposit at same time. I was looking at using PayPal to take cc payments - using their E-Mail payments offering as we don't have a shopping cart on-line. Then e-mailing final invoice (as PDF) and again using Paypal E-Mail request payment for final amount.

Any advice, please? Is this solution "fit for purpose" as we are only dealing with, say, max 20 or 30 clients per week in the height of spring - or are we better off putting in an on-line booking form and a cart based solution?

Margins are tight (and Xmas is coming as well, oh dear he says and rubs hands!) so bearing in mind that we are only looking to have a dozen or so clients per week I didn't reckon I needed a full-on high volume solution. Finally it looks like they want 3.4% + 20p per txn for < £1500 pcm turnover - is this in the ball park re charges or a rip?

Any adivice / counsel gratefully received

[Corey Bryant]

You have given out some good numbers to consider. The question is - can you handle that many clients and still produce effectively?

It sounds like you want to have some type of billing system in place because billing, in itself, is a job and can be very tedious to maintain. Having something to help you, whether it be a small system that does the bare minimal to something that is more detailed, is up to you.

I would sit down and figure out everything that you need and see if there is something off the shelf that might do the trick. Investing in something now will help you produce more in the future

-Corey

[webtress]

Good Advice

sit down and figure out everything that you need and see if there is something off the shelf that might do the trick. Investing in something now will help you produce more in the future

[Extracold]

Thnaks for the tips. I wasn't minded to go for an off the peg solution as our customer numbers are so low, but assume what you're saying is that "seeing as you need a cc billing add-in you may as well get a billing package as well and save your self some work".

If that's correct, bearing in mind I'm totally new to this kind of on-line billing app (only having experience in mainstream systems development for a life assurance co) are there any names anyone could recommend, please?

[Corey Bryant]

Well there are many different billing applications and software like Bookkeeper 2007 that is compatible with the LinkPoint gateway and is free right now.

But since you are in the UK - and actually, are you looking for a solution on the website, or a local program? Are you wanting a hosted solution? If you are wanting something on your own server, ASP, .NET, PHP? There are some places like 2020software, Aradial, etc that might be able to suit your needs.

But you might try searching in google for what your want like billing solutions in ASP for UK. And then maybe delete some of those words to see where it gets you

-Corey

[appi2]

If its an EU transaction could you not just use your bank.

Get them to send money by direct transfer, most UK banks have online banking.

All they need is your International Bank Account Number (IBAN) and SWIFTBIC (Bank Identifier Code).

Ask your bank.

[appi2]

whoops here in UK its free to recieve from EU, costs to send to EU. Not good.

[Extracold]

Thats right Appi2. It's a total PITA that England is not in the euro zone for us. We actually are now living in Spain as that's where the co. is based - but our primary market is UK.

Sooo... that means we need to run two Spanish bank accounts: one for personal & a seperate one for business. Now - the bank can provide a merchant gateway, s/ware etc & terminal for cc payments. But, big but, they only provide for billing in Euros.

OK then - I'll open a UK business account, take payments into that and then do a bulk transfer, say once a month, via HIFX or Currencies Direct to get a better £/€ conversion rate. Slight prob insofar as our company is registered in Spain and not with Companies House in UK, but we can gracefuly step around that by using a "John Smith t/a Acme Trading Co." syle account name.

I know I'm not the first person on the world to have this situation - but unless I'm missing the point there just doesn't seem to a joined up solution for this cross currency billing, which is cost effective for a start up with simple (i.e. take a deposit, then 6 weeks before departure pay the balance) billing requirements.

[Extracold]

Rats.. forgot to say also that the direct transfer method, while costing, is also a non-starter as we reckon that a lot of people like to pay the deposit / final balance on credit card, due to the extra alyer of consumer protection / add-on insurance / loyalty scheme bonuses they can get.

[julesn]

Taking deposits for holidays is understandably treated as high risk by the credit card processors, as you are taking money for a service the customers may not receive for many many months (if at all).

If PayPal allow this (best check for sure) then 3.4% is probably not too bad.