Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
First Look: Transactions for iPhone
First they wowed us with Handshake for iPhone, now the same developers are back at it again with Transactions [iTunes link] for iPhone. Transactions gives you the ability to charge a credit card from anywhere! This application is excellent for small business owners who need to process credit cards away from an office.
Transactions interfaces with PayPal and Authorize.net and allows you to easily type in a credit card number, expiration date, CCV2 code, amount, and zip code. Once you have that information, you can select a contact to automatically auto-fill the purchaser's address and phone number. You can also enter in the name, email address, and additional notes about the transaction. When all of these fields are completed, return to the main screen and tap "charge" -- the information is whisked away using 128-bit SSL encryption to the appropriate service (either PayPal or Authorize.net). If the information was correctly entered you receive a message telling you the transaction went through.
Transactions gives you the ability to easily import your PayPal and Authorize.net account information using a useful tool on their site. They send an email to your device with a special URL that inputs your account information when opened. The application allows you to view all of the transactions completed, and allows you to export them as a a CSV file that opens in Excel, Numbers, and other applications that can read comma separated files. All of the information stored within Transactions is kept safe inside of Apple's Keychain, and you can password-protect the application to enable even more security.
Transactions is now available on the iTunes App Store, and comes in two flavors: paid and free. The free version is limited to 2 credit card transactions per 12-hours, while the paid version removes this limit. If you use the free version and plan to upgrade to the paid version, you have the ability to transfer all of your settings from the free version to the paid version -- a first on the iPhone. You can visit the Transactions website for more details about this iPhone application. You may also want to note that Authorize.net or PayPal Website Payments Pro account is required, and that some fees may apply.
Gallery: Transactions for iPhone
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Matt said 2:42PM on 3-14-2009
This looks like an awesome solution for us, we've been looking for a way to charge credit cards in person without having to get one of those bulky and expensive machines. Has anyone used PayPal Website Payments Pro? It's kind of expensive ($30/month) but might be worth it.
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Shaun said 3:25PM on 3-14-2009
Handshake didn't wow me. It dismayed me. It was a solution to a feature that every phone on the planet has EXCEPT the iPhone. Instead we have to jump through hoops to send a vCard.
Transactions on the other hand is a fabulous idea and it looks well implemented too.
It just a pity these two apps from the same developer highlight both what is so, so terribly wrong with the iPhone and what is so, so right.
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Brian said 6:35PM on 3-14-2009
A little more expensive, but there's another solution that's been out for a while and is really slick: http://www.innerfence.com/apps/credit-card-terminal
(Looks like they're offering some free copies in March if you sign up through them for an authorize.net account.)
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Tim Dorr said 12:50AM on 3-15-2009
Yeah, it's $49.99?? For that price, you might as well just use the authorize.net website. It's free and functionally equivalent.
Kalle said 9:28AM on 3-15-2009
It's a sad state of affairs when users are outraged of a well done niche application for $50. $50 is a LOW price for niche applications, try to do some math - there are only a few categories you can sell for $1-$10 profitable.
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Begotten Sun said 1:42AM on 3-16-2009
"Hey Customer...
Excuse me whilst I enter your Credit card details on my iPone..."
LMFAO
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Syd said 2:31PM on 3-16-2009
Sadly it looks like it only works with US credit cards, and the app is only downloadable via the US iTunes store.
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SpinThis! said 10:27PM on 3-16-2009
Seems interesting but for my money, it's got a few critical flaws if you intend to use this for retail, which is what this app wants to be: a low-cost way of replacing those portable receipt printer/card readers. Too bad it's pretty much pointless if you can't print a receipt on spot.
Also, in a card-present transaction, you usually capture the magnetic strip of the card—which vastly reduces the chance of a customer chargeback. It appears this app uses authorize.net and paypal's less expensive internet card-not-present gateways so if you're not careful, weeks (or even months later) these customers could potentially chargeback.
I also find it counterintuitive having to end up importing data back into your bookkeeping application of choice. I would develop something custom to hook back into whatever e-commerce shop you're running. This really could be a web app. I mean, why do extra work of importing the sales data back in when you can charge the card and handle inventory control right away, on your own server, where you can control the whole process?
For $50, that's less than what you'd pay a developer to develop something for you but of course, you get what you pay for.
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