How to Swipe Credit Cards Using the iPhone 7

Yesterday, Apple announced that the iPhone 7 no longer has the 3.5mm headphone jack, which has been the primary way to connect a mobile card reader to phones and tablets.  We have been getting calls and emails from members asking how this will impact them so I wanted to post our thoughts about the future of mobile processing.

At Payment Depot we know that mobile processing is important to many businesses these days. So we partnered with Swipe Simple for our mobile processing needs a few years back, and they have been a great solution for our members.  Swipe simple has their finger on the pulse of the industry, and are always prepared for changes.  When EMV was rolled out in 2015, they were one of the first companies to have a certified EMV card reader and they were prepared for the loss of the 3.5mm audio jack as well.

Today Swipe Simple announced two new bluetooth card readers that are EMV certified and do not require a 3.5mm audio jack to use.  The B500 model is a magstripe and EMV reader while the B550 model also includes NFC contactless capabilities for accepting ApplePay and Android Pay.

We think that the shift to new technology will take time, and the iPhone 7 will ship with an adapter so there is no need to upgrade immediately to a new card reader.  While not urgent, we do think that these new readers will still be a good solution for many merchants.  The most common problems with the old fashioned audio jack card readers were that the stem wasn’t long enough if the merchant had a bulky case, or they had issues with their microphone or volume on their device.  By using bluetooth to connect the card reader to your device, these problems are no longer issues.

There is no need to panic or upgrade right now, we know it’s always good to provide options to our members.  If you have any questions about your mobile processing needs, or want to order one of the new bluetooth mobile card readers please call one of our experts today.