Card machines are an essential part of retail because otherwise, you cannot authorise credit or debit card payments. Getting access to a card machine will usually mean that you have to pay a small charge, but in some cases, it is possible to get one for free.

Naturally, the latter option will be more appealing to people because you don’t have to pay quite so much for the privilege of being able to handle card payments. However, can you get a free card machine? Is it even possible?

There Are Some Free Systems

You’ll probably be pleased to know that there are some free systems out there. These are the type of systems that are available as part of a discount for signing up to a service, or entirely just something where you pay the cost of postage.

The definition of a free system is a bit vague because there’s not going to be anything that is entirely free. After all, that would be a terrible business model.

However, you can get a couple of things that are technically free in the sense that you don’t have to pay to use them. There are, for example, card readers that fit into your smartphone, simply as a plug-in. That means anyone can read cards and take debit payments regardless of who they are.

Low-Cost Options

Ultimately, your best bet is going to be with those low-cost options. There are plenty of options that are really not expensive. This means that you want to find a card reader which is cheap to get, doesn’t have a lot of transactional fees, and is easy to maintain and look after.

The goal is to spend as little money as possible, but you also want to make sure that whatever you get is functional, because otherwise, things may start to go wrong. It’s therefore so important to check out all the options that you have in order to find what works for you.

Final Verdict

Ultimately, there is no free card machine. You may get one as part of your deal with an ongoing company or provider, but this is included usually in the cost. Getting a free card reader is not easy. However, at the same time, you want to make sure that you find the best card machine, because otherwise, your customer service may fall slightly.  

In conclusion, finding a free card reader is not easy. It’s something that you’re going to have to investigate and talk about with different providers. It’s not necessarily possible to do it, you can get one at an incredible discount rate, or maybe one is part of your relationship with a company, but most of the time, you will have to pay. However, how much you pay will be a different question altogether. Obviously, it’s so important not to skip out on quality, because this will directly impact the level of customer service that you can have. 

If you’re after a free card machine, then we can help. XEPOS is a fully functional, easy-to-work with system which provides a fantastic EPOS solution for your business. Try it today and we’ll provide you with a card reader for your business.