Accepting credit card payments for small business

Once a week we dip into the reader mailbag and answer your tech questions. This week we’re looking at mobile credit card processing for Android, resizing hard drive partitions, and tethering your Android phone to your laptop. Mobile Credit Card Processing for Android Dear How-To Geek, I am an independent business owner that does all of my work in the field. I currently can only accept cash and checks as payment from my clients. I think being able to accept credit cards would help expand my business. I was wondering what the best, most secure and cost effective app for Android is that will allow me to accept credit cards over my phone? Sincerely, Seeking Better Business Strategies Dear Seeking, Since we don’t use mobile credit card readers around the HTG office, this would be a great time for readers with field experience to sound off with their Android-based solutions. That said, we can point you in the right direction. While there are a smattering of credit … [Read more...] about Ask HTG: Smartphone Credit Card Apps, Resizing Partitions, and Android Tethering

Audio player loading… Cybersecurity researchers have spotted new versions of a known Point of Sale (PoS) malware (opens in new tab) that blocks advanced features to be able to steal credit card data. The team from Kaspersky observed the Prilex PoS malware versions 06.03.8070, 06.03.8072, and 06.03.8080, in the wild. These versions were released in November 2022, and prevent the terminal from accepting contactless credit card transactions. Contactless transactions, made possible due to near-field communication (NFC) chips found in both PoS terminals on one end, and credit/debit cards, smartphones and smart watches on the other, exploded in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic. The technology allows consumers to purchase goods and services without actually inserting their credit cards, making it almost impossible for hackers to steal the data via PoS malware. Swiping away the data However to work around this issue, the threat actors deployed a new … [Read more...] about This PoS malware blocks contactless payments to steal credit card data

President Joe Biden on Wednesday unveiled fresh efforts to slash credit card late fees and drive down the prices that Apple Inc and Google parent Alphabet Inc charge on mobile app stores. The move is part of a larger policy drive to promote competition in consumer markets, officials said. Speaking at the White House , Biden also called on lawmakers to ban "junk fees," which he said jacked up costs for consumer services such as accommodation, concert tickets, mobile plans and air travel, in which officials said air carriers can charge family members extra to be seated next to young children. Read Also Google may soon let users translate text within images in Chrome Google plans to add Microsoft 365 integration to ChromeOS "The bottom line is these unfair fees add up. It's a basic question of fairness," Biden told reporters. Biden has been beating the drum on inflation, criticizing Republicans who now control the House … [Read more...] about google: President Joe Biden moves to slash US credit card fees, app charges

The best small business servers listed here can give you complete control over your growing business data, which means it could be one of the best investments you can make in 2023. While there has been a trend for businesses, tiny and medium-sized ones, to use cloud-based servers, there are many reasons why you'd be better off going with your on-site server. Sure, this can be initially more expensive than dedicated server hosting ( read our review on dedicated server hosting ) or renting your bare metal server ( here's our review of the best bare metal servers ), but in the long term, it will almost certainly prove to be the more cost-effective option, even by comparison to cheap dedicated hosting deals. This is especially the case if you choose a Linux server distro and already have some knowledge or training in Linux. However, perhaps the most significant advantage is that it gives you complete control over your data and software. After all, you're not relying on a third … [Read more...] about Best small business servers (January 2023)

Sheela Lalani is one of many small-business owners who depend on social platforms to generate extra holiday revenue. Her Instagram shop with unique, artisan-made children’s clothing—adorably modeled by smiling kids who joyfully twirl in her dresses—has attracted nearly 13,000 followers. She recently rolled out her holiday collection, when suddenly Meta deleted her Instagram account, and any hope she had of promoting her new clothing to followers was dashed. They also disabled her personal Facebook account, her Facebook business page, and her newest Instagram boutique shop profile. Lalani was dismayed, but then the situation got worse. Despite the disabled accounts, the PayPal account she linked to her social media pages to buy ads to promote her businesses got hit with a $900 charge. She immediately reached out to PayPal to dispute the charge—and is still waiting for a refund—but she also knew that getting PayPal to intervene wouldn’t fix the larger problem. Someone had bought … [Read more...] about Meta keeps booting small-business owners for being hacked on Facebook

The best mobile payment apps make it simple and easy to pay for goods and services, and all by using nothing more than an app installed on your smartphone. Mobile apps providing contactless payments have become common since the introduction of Near Field Communication ( NFC ), turning individual smartphones into the equivalent of a payment card. Just as like contactless credit and debit cards, however, mobile payments have their limitations - but they also have their fees, and sometimes these aren't always so clear. Therefore as mobile apps deliver on the promise of the digital wallet they are changing and expanding the way we pay for things in everyday life. They excel at small transactions, avoiding the need for having cash, and this can apply not just when shopping but also for everyday items. However, as well as contactless payments, mobile payment apps can also be great for sending money to people you know, such as friends or family, or paying traders directly. … [Read more...] about Best mobile payment apps of 2023

If you're looking for one of the best business projectors to make your presentations stand out or to supercharge your home entertainment, then you've come to the right place. In our list of the best business projectors, we've examined various brands and models to suit all kinds of budgets and use cases. Having the best business projector is vitally essential if you regularly make presentations. Every device on this list can produce bright and vibrant projections that allow you to share your screen with an audience while keeping them engaged with your presentation or meeting. Buying one of the best business projectors will mean looking for different features than purchasing a projector for entertainment. High resolutions and millions of inputs aren't as crucial as they would otherwise be. Unfortunately, many offices often cheap out when buying business projectors or don't do enough research, leading to headaches for years to come. Please don't make this mistake: review … [Read more...] about Best business projectors (January 2023): top projectors for home and travel

If streamlining and optimizing tasks is your idea of a good time, why not bring that outlook to your errands by doing most of your shopping at the same place? From family gifts to everyday essentials to business needs, you can get much of your to-do list accomplished under one roof at a Costco . Costco is a well-known wholesaler with over 800 warehouses across the U.S. These locations contain merchandise ranging from low-priced groceries to electronics, furniture, and more. You can find deals on brand-name TVs, computers, watches, tablets, soundbars, speakers, monitors, and tons of other gear. We're talking about models from trusted brands, including Sony, Bose, Dell, Apple, and Samsung. You're not limited to brick-and-mortar locations, either. Visit Costco.com to purchase select items with two-day or same-day delivery . Costco also offers various forms of insurance and services. Costco works with select providers to offer services for HVAC systems, custom window … [Read more...] about For one-stop shopping all year long, try Costco for $60 and get a $30 shop card back

Log9 Mobility said it has tied up with Pulse Energy to introduce WhatsApp-based payments at electric vehicle charging stations. Pulse Energy offers a platform of over 550 fast charging points, facilitating interoperability between charge point operators across India. The tie-up would ramp up the utilisation of fast chargers and facilitate a one-stop solution for payments at charging stations while contributing to building a seamless electric vehicle ( EV ) charging infrastructure, Log9 Mobility, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bengaluru-based advanced battery tech startup Log9 Materials, said in a statement. "The partnership with Pulse Energy will be instrumental in offering impeccable charging experience to EV users, eventually leading to the much-needed expansion of the charging infrastructure and EV mobility in India," Log9 Mobility COO & Co-founder Kartik Hajela stated. Read Also Suzuki Motor looks to partner Toyota to learn how to make … [Read more...] about pulse energy: Log9 Mobility ties up with Pulse Energy to introduce WhatsApp-based payments at EV charging stations

Earlier this month, we took a look at a new business-class Ultrabook from HP called the EliteBook Folio 1020 G1 (hereafter, EliteBook 1020). The laptop, one of the first to use Intel's new Broadwell-based Core M chips , is part of HP's business-class lineup. It's got Intel's vPro tech, a dock connector, and other business-friendly features. But it's also attractive and totally fanless, and there's a lot here that will appeal to people outside of the big companies you sometimes think of when you think "EliteBook" or "business laptop." The 1020 doesn't actually come out until February, and its lighter Special Edition counterpart isn't out until April. HP was nice enough to send us a version of the laptop early for review, though—the hardware is final, though some of the drivers and the BIOS could change just a bit between now and release. We spent a couple of weeks with the laptop giving it a spin, taking a second look at a Core M laptop , and looking at the tradeoffs between … [Read more...] about HP EliteBook 1020 review: A business Ultrabook you’ll want to bring home