[committee] EFTPOS / Payment gateway options for UCC

[Felix von Perger]

Dear committee subscribers,

As you may be aware, I am pushing for UCC to accept card payments in 
person using some kind of card reader / EFTPOS terminal, and as a part 
of many such deals we would also be able to accept payments through the 
website and over the phone. This would make it more convenient for 
members and door members to add dispense credit, increases ease of 
processing signups/renewals (especially on O-day and from older members) 
and hopefully also makes the treasurer's life easier.

The committee is currently considering experimenting with accepting card 
payments and will be deciding between the providers listed below at the 
next meeting. The primary considerations when selecting a payment 
provider include initial costs (including purchasing equipment) and any 
ongoing fees / rates on transactions.

  * Paypal <https://www.paypal.com/au/> (using Paypal Here
    <https://www.paypal.com/au/webapps/mpp/credit-card-reader> to accept
    card payments)
      o 1.95% flat rate on all card transactions using the card reader
      o 2.9% flat rate + 30c for manual entry in the app
      o Upfront cost of $99 to buy card reader.
          + Card reader has keypad.
      o No ongoing / monthly fees
      o Web integration available; accepts payments via paypal (of
        course) and most credit/debit cards online.
  * Square <https://squareup.com/au>
      o 1.9% flat rate on card transactions (contactless and chip + PIN)
      o 2.2% flat rate with manual entry
      o $59 upfront to buy card reader (can get it at Officeworks)
          + Card reader doesn't seem to have a keypad. Unsure how this
            works with payments requiring PIN code to be entered.
      o No ongoing / monthly fees
      o Web integration & mobile API
        <https://docs.connect.squareup.com/payments/take-payments>
        available, supports invoicing
  * Mint Payments <http://www.mintpayments.com/>
      o 1% flat rate on all transactions (card, manual, entered online, etc)
      o $300 upfront to buy card reader
          + Rather expensive but this was offered as an alternative to
            $25/month ($300 is equivalent to one year of hire)
          + Card reader has a keypad.
      o Not for profit / charity rates are available (hence low flat rates)
      o No ongoing / monthly fees
      o Based in Australia, office in NSW.
      o Web integration and an API <https://developer.mintpayments.com/>
        are available, supports over-the-phone payments & invoicing

Unfortunately, the limitation of all of the above options is that they 
all require an Android / iOS device with the app installed to connect to 
the card reader device.

Technically, the club could either purchase a cheap Android device 
spefically for the purpose of taking payments or set up a Raspberry Pi 
with android, permanently installed somewhere convenient in the 
clubroom. The implementation specific details are unclear at the moment 
but once a decision has been made it will be worked out.

Regardless of what is decided upon, some kind of Android based solution 
will be implemented and configured appropriately so that door members 
can take payments using the app / card reader for dispense topups. APIs 
for each provider may allow custom apps to interface with the reader 
(not something I've looked into in depth), which could lead into a 
number of different projects.

If you have any feedback regarding the above, please let us know by 
replying to this email.

Regards,

Felix von Perger
UCC Secretary 2018

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