Using a portable credit card machine can be a great convenience to your business if you work remotely or from your customer's or client's location.  This way you can process credit cards and debit cards on the spot without needing to return to your office and give the customer a receipt right away.  You can buy portable credit card machines from your merchant services provider or buy one yourself by searching online and have it programmed for your particular merchant services account.

There are many businesses for which a portable credit card machine can be a great investment.  For example, if you are a plumber, virtually all of your business is going to happen at customer's houses, apartments and businesses and a credit card terminal that plugs into the wall is never going to work.  You can ask them for check or cash, but many customers prefer the convenience that comes from using their credit and debit cards.  It is possible to write down the credit card number and expiration date in order to process the charge later back at your office, but even if you check the customer's ID to make sure that it is indeed their card, there are significant downsides.  First, most merchant services accounts will charge a greater fee when the card is not present because you are typing in the numbers yourself.  Second, if the credit card is rejected due to it being expired or the customer not having enough credit, it can be difficult or impossible to track down the customer in order to get paid.

Having a portable credit card machine allows you to process the debit or credit card on the spot in order to get the best possible rate and be sure that the charge is not rejected.  It also allows your customer to get a receipt right away and to know that their precious credit card number is not written down on your invoice that could easily be misplaced or stolen and result in their identity being stolen or bad charges being places on their card.  These machines usually work by making a phone call to the credit card processor using a cell phone that is built into the device.  Others can work over wireless internet.  In some cases, you may pay more to your processor in order to use a portable credit card machine but this can be worth it to make sure that you provide great service for your customers and to make sure that you are not stuck with expired or even stolen credit cards when you try to charge for your services later when you are back at the office.