A Little Preparation Saves A Lot Of Time
If you are switching processors, one recent statement is all we need to start. That is genuinely it — nothing about a change has to begin with a folder of paperwork.
Still, a few minutes spent gathering a handful of things up front is worth it, and not because of anything clever anybody does with them afterwards. It is simply that the parts of a switch that get held up are almost never the parts an owner expects. They are the small details that only the person running the business has, and when nobody has thought about them in advance they arrive one at a time over a week or two.
There is a second reason, and it is the better one. Sitting down to gather these things leaves you with a clearer picture of your own business than you had before you started. Most owners know roughly what they are paying, roughly what their counter runs on, and roughly how the money moves. A short list like this turns roughly into actually, and that makes the conversation easier for everybody involved — including you, when you are deciding what to do.
So here is the short list. Nothing on it is difficult, none of it needs a technical explanation, and it does not have to be done in one sitting.
Your Most Recent Processing Statement
The best place to start is one recent statement. Not a year of them, and not the folder of old paperwork in the back of a drawer — the most recent one, on its own.
It shows your volume, what you are actually paying, and the fees that have a habit of creeping in over time. We go through it with you line by line, in plain language and in writing, so you know what each charge is for rather than what a summary line claims. That is the part most owners have never had done for them.
The reason it is the starting point rather than a stack of old paperwork is simple: a statement from two years ago tells you what your business was doing two years ago. Your card volume, your mix of cards, and what you are being charged for have all moved since then. The recent one tells you where you actually stand today, and that is the only version worth making a decision on.
If you do not have it to hand, it is usually in the online account of whoever you process with now, or in the email address they send it to every month. It is worth finding before you call, because it is the one document that turns a general conversation into a specific one.
What You Use Today
The second thing to gather is a plain picture of what your business runs on at the moment. Nothing here needs a technical explanation — just a note of what is actually in front of you when a customer pays.
Write down, in whatever way suits you:
- The terminal or terminals you take cards on now.
- The point of sale system you ring sales up on, if you have one.
- Any other card equipment in the business.
- The online ordering or delivery setup you use, if any.
A few lines on paper, or a note on your phone, is plenty. Nobody is marking it.
Photographs are genuinely useful here. A phone picture of the terminal and the counter saves a great deal of description, and it means whoever you speak to can see what you are working with rather than picturing something close to it.
The Details Only You Can Give
The third group is the practical side, and it is the group that holds a change up when it is missing. These are not technical questions and none of them are about payments — they are simply things about your business that nobody else can supply.
Worth having to hand:
- Who in the business will be the person we deal with.
- The business’s details as they stand.
- The bank account the money should land in.
- Who in the business should be told before anything changes.
On anything to do with the account itself — how the money is held, who is authorised to sign, what your own paperwork requires — your accountant or your own adviser is the right person to ask. That is not us, and we will not pretend otherwise. Bring us the answer and we will work with it.
When To Make The Change
One piece of advice, and it is general rather than a rule: pick a quiet moment.
The week worth choosing is an ordinary one rather than your busiest week of the year. That is not because something is likely to go wrong — it is because you will want a little room to look at what has changed, and the week you are flat out is the week you have the least room to look at anything. Owners who choose a calm week almost always feel better about the whole thing than owners who squeeze it into the middle of a rush.
The other thing worth doing before you move is checking where you stand with the arrangement you have now. Read what you have, and if there is anything in it you do not understand, ask about it — of the provider you are with, or of your own adviser. That is not about how switching works, and we are not going to tell you what your agreement says. It is about you knowing your own position before you make a decision, which is worth doing whoever you end up with.
Where To Start
Our offer is the same three things it always is, and there is nothing hiding underneath them.
Zero cost equipment means the hardware you need to take cards costs you nothing to get started with a business account. If you already have a terminal or other equipment in place, we swap it out for ours, and the equipment costs your business nothing. 0% fees with Cash Discount means your card processing fees come to 0% instead of a percentage of every sale. And 3 months free marketing means a restaurant gets help getting found while it is being set up.
If you have the list above together — or even just the statement — call us on (916) 918-7017, or send your details through the form on this site. Tell us what your business uses today and what you would like to change, and we will go through it with you. If the honest answer is that staying where you are is the better call for your business, we will tell you that instead.
There is no obligation to go further, and no pressure either way.
The takeaway
A switch goes smoothest when the owner has gathered a few things first: one recent statement, a plain note of what the business runs on today, and the practical details only you can supply. Pick a quiet week, and check where you stand with your current arrangement before you move. Send us your details — one recent statement is all we need to start.
Read more about this on our Card Processing page.