As far as charging more to use a card I don't know if it is still illegal or a contract violation. I wouldn't even consider trying it so it's not on my radar.
As far as where my rates for transactions are I would have to check where I am right now. I honestly don't remember and for at least the last couple years I have my book keeper and accountant deal with all that. I honestly don't want to. I delegate.
Every year I checked the competition and they could not or would not match what Paypal's rate and service capabilities were. My instructions to the financial team are to continue to do the same check every year and I know they have because I review the reports.
To get certain rates you have to meet a certain dollar value in transactions and revenue flow over a certain period of time. There are additional fees, obligations, etc beyond that percentage as well. These are quite serious and carry potentially huge liabilities.
For example, if you are processing Visa or MC payments you have to prove that you have the security features in place such as encryption and firewalls. You then are also subject to security audits by the service provider to prove that those features are in place.
Many (most?) small businesses fudge that. They don't have anything near what they are supposed to in security. They sign contracts and outright lie about having all that in place. It is simply commonplace. They assume a HUGE liability for potential data loss and financial loss. It isn't worth the risk at all. Contractually you are at a serious disadvantage if you don't have everything in place that you agree to.
Most of those liabilities simply don't exist when using Paypal as we do in our business.
In addition, Paypal integrates easily with our other softwares such as our custom built appointment system and others.
Their services are user friendly, adaptable, and streamlined.
If you are aware of a competitor that you would recommend please do so and I will forward that to my team. Remember, I provide a service, not a physical product, and I deal with clients all over the Americas, Europe, and even throughout Asia that need an easy and streamlined way to invoice and get paid that I can integrate with an appointment application, accounting, etc. And I expect a high level of service at all levels. If I have to pick up a phone and call a service provider myself I expect to be treated like the CEO of Microsoft is calling. I shouldn't need to do anything like that anyway, my time is too valuable.
I am always open to suggestions. My business model is not designed for a fast buck but is designed to be stable over the long haul so I won't step over dollars to pick up dimes.
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