Did you know that seven out of 10 Americans are registered for one or more credit cards? That means that most people in the United States have probably interacted with a magnetic card scanner at some point. One trend you might’ve noticed lately is the use of a credit card scanner with a tablet device. This cross-platform technological integration is an innovative and inexpensive way for small shop owners to accept credit card transactions.

How it works

There are specified magnetic card readers that plug into the tablet’s USB or micro USB port. Once plugged in, software is downloaded and installed. The tablet and magnetic card scanner are linked up, allowing for easy credit card transactions. The rest works like any traditional mag stripe, through the arrangement of data in the stripe being decoded by the credit card reader when you swipe. You can do all of this from the Aesthetic UI of your favorite tablet. Some drivers license scanners can be adapted to this system if you own a liquor store or some other place that requires you to scan identifications.

What does this do to help the industry?

Any time there are two types of technology that come together for a streamlined common purpose, it opens doors for new advancements. For example, you might be a shop owner who utilizes this pairing for the sale of goods, but what if there was an even more compact version of this payment method? Individuals could, from their phone, take credit cards or scan identifications. Regardless of the future potential, it has already knocked down one of the barriers to entry for small businesses. Since mag stripe technology is so cost-effective and widespread, it becomes the most convenient option for everyone.

There are new innovations in card and decoding technology every day. It is especially exciting to see different industries collaborating to produce a more streamlined method of payment, particularly one which is inexpensive for small business owners. If you are a small business owner looking for a method to accept credit transactions, this might be the most convenient approach.