I took a cab a few days ago and discovered something brilliant. When we arrived at my destination, I handed my credit card over to the cab driver. I was bewildered when I saw him try to swipe my card using some gadget attached to his phone. Of course, I stopped him and asked what it was.

He explained it was cheaper for him to use “Square”, since his cab company charged him more per card swipe. He reassured me that my information would be safe. I even got an email confirmation of the transaction.

Thanks to this cab ride, I discovered “Square”, a nifty gadget you can attach to your Smartphone to use as a portable register for any major credit card. You pay 2.75% per swipe, but the app, card reader, and shipping are all FREE. Yes, that’s right, FREE!

As a business owner, this could really come in handy. Any payment that is taken during business hours is available in your bank account by the next business day. You also get email confirmations when deposits are made. And (it gets better!), there’s no limit to the number of payments you can take! You can even use the app to wirelessly print receipts or open your cash drawer for change.

Yes, admittedly, when that cab driver swiped my card, I was worried about security, but… Well, I’m paranoid. You can tell your clients that Square is completely PCI compliant (They don’t keep your credit card information)! In fact, they have advanced auditing systems which monitor transactions as they’re happening. So, stopping fraudulent charges is a cinch – they can detect suspicious activity AS IT’S HAPPENING!

And, when you’re not running your business, you can find uses for it in your personal life as well. Square can help you find businesses, look for your favorite places, and even open up a tab when you walk in the door of your favorite restaurant or bar.

So, don’t worry if a cab driver tries to ring you up using a square. They’re just trying to be smart.

To learn more about using square to take payments in your business go to https://squareup.com today!