Does anybody carry cash any more? Is SQUARE the new shape of the dollar?

If you are anything like me you carry very little cash and even if you have money, you still might not have cash. It seems that most people today either use a debit card or a credit card to make the majority of their purchases.  This can pose a problem for people who sell goods or services and for their potential customer who isn't carrying any cash.


I am writing to tell you about some of the latest technology that can make it simple for you to accept debit or credit cards from customers.  As long as you are approved, anyone can use Square.


Yes, even if you are having a garage sale, have a brother who owes you money (yes, Jimmy!), or selling goods on Craigslist, technically you could sign up and accept credit cards with your own personal account. That's right, you don't even need to have a business in order to be able to accept credit cards. And now for the best part ~ the service is free as long as you have a mobile device that is compatible.  All you are required to pay is a small percentage for the transaction fee!


In the past craft vendors, painters, hair salons, small businesses, and even people who hold garage sales, etc. were limited to cash customers due to the equipment cost, fees or complication of having a credit card processing machine.  If a potential customer did not have the cash on hand,  they may have to pass you by in favor of a vendor who is able to accept their credit or debit card.


I recently was a vendor in a craft fair where I was able to accept cash or checks only.  Did it hurt my sales?  Although I do not know for sure, it may have. Well the next time, I plan to be SQUARE.


According to their site:
Square's card processing fees are :  2.75%  for swiped transactions (They even send you a free square that you can attach to your phone so that you can swipe)
There are 

• no activation fees
• No monthly fees
• no termination fees
• no hidden fees
• No additional costs
•  If you don't use it, you don't pay for it!! 

This sounds fair and SQUARE to me!! 

Now I just signed up today, and I am in no way affiliated with Square, Inc., but when I hear about something that could be helpful to others I like to pass it along.  So check it out, or pass this on to someone that you think this could be useful for.  Check it out on squareup.com!


 I would like to wrap this up by saying that I am certainly not promoting the use of credit cards, as if I had my choice, I would be debt free and NEVER use plastic again! But this is perfect if you have the money, but just are not carrying the cash!